Different Kinds of Ohio Ants

You will see ants come out of hiding when the weather gets warm. House ants are the most common ants people may see. However, Ohio has numerous ants crawling indoors and outdoors. Some ants have large heads, while other ants have a bite that stings. Ohio is home to hundreds of species of ants. However, people may see one type more than another type of ant.

  1. Carpenter Ants

    • Carpenter ants are household ants that range from 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch. You can find these ants in any type of building. This type of ant has the ability to damage the construction, and it is hard to control these ants once the area is infested. A carpenter ant colony can have about 50,000 workers. In addition, these insects can live indoors or outdoor in damp hollow or rotten wood. Carpenter ants can cut tunnels inside the grain of wood to move from different parts of their nest. Usually these ants leave pieces of sawdust behind, which is evidence that there is a nearby nest. In addition, ants eat anything people eat including candy and meat. They may also eat other insects. However, they will not eat wood.

    Fire Ants

    • Most people know about fire ants from their stinging bites. This ant is red and approximately 1/4 inch long. Fire ants live in huge colonies that may have up to 250,000 workers. These aggressive ants will repeatedly sting people or animals. In addition, these ants eat greasy food, sweets or meats. You usually will see fire ants in open fields and lawns. However, this type of ant tries to avoid dark areas or places with shade.

    Bigheaded Ants

    • Bigheaded ants are members of the Pheidole family. There are numerous species throughout the United States. The ants can range in color from yellow to a reddish-brown. Unlike carpenter ants, bigheaded ants will not cause structural harm to buildings. However, some species are hosts to tapeworms. Bigheaded ants are the major workers in an ant colony. This type of ant has a large head compared to its body. In addition, these ants crack seeds and other food with their big jaws for the members of the colony. They live underneath the ground beneath logs or rocks, and they eat honeydew and other insects. However, these ants will travel indoors to look for food high in protein.

    Field Ants

    • Field ants range from 1/8 to 1/4 inch long and appear black, red or a reddish-brown. Usually these ants nest underground in parks, fields, lawns and gardens situated near foundations, buildings and sidewalks. In addition, field ants build tunnels underground. For example, the red-and-black thatching ant is a field ant that constructs mounds of grass, twigs, leaves and pine needles. However, the brown field ant prefers to nest in the sidewalk cracks or foundation walls. Field ants will not live in your house, but will visit your house to look for food.