Marie Knox, Director of Product Development, Control Solutions Inc.
The simplest ant identification tips are also often the most helpful. Size, color and trailing behavior are three traits that help make a correct identification.
Comparing ants based on size first can help narrow down the choices. Ants are often very small, medium-sized or large. Color is also helpful. For example, a white-footed ant (Technomyrmex difficilis) is dark with — you guessed it — white feet. And once you’ve seen one ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum), you’ll likely not mistake their color pattern anytime soon.
Trailing and harborage traits help with identification as well as with devising a treatment strategy. If an ant is arboreal (prefers harborage in trees), you’re likely to find it trailing upward on a structure and near the eaves. Conversely, if your species is more of a ground-nesting variety, you may find activity near the foundation and associated with entry points closer to the ground. Placing product where the ants are likely to be will help make your treatment strategies more effective.
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