Common Ants in Tennessee

There are over 8,000 ant species but the most common ant found is carpenter ants and second is odorous house ants. Although most ants can bite, not all sting. In most cases, they are considered a nuisance instead of a threat.

Carpenter Ants~ their are approximately 10 species of carpenter ants. The most common is the black carpenter ant, but others are gold or reddish-black. There are 1/8- 1/2 inches long and can be recognized by their no spined, even thorax or the single node on the waist. These ants can bite but do not sting. There are mostly found in outdoor wooded areas (dead wood, firewood, or moist areas indoors) and damage wood by making hollow tunnels usually with the grain for nesting. In some areas, they may have 2-6 nesting sights nearby which may not have a queen in it to make a 'satellite' colony. . They make sand-like, clean, and smooth material galleries compared to the mud-like tunnels termites make. They only chew wood to make nesting sights, meaning they do not eat wood like termites do, so damage might be minimal but can weaken wood structures. They love food sources like sweets, decaying fruits, and insects. Additionally, they normally mate from May-July.

Odorous House Ants~ are a small black 1/8 inch long ants which can be recognized by its one segment waist and its small flat node behind the abdomen. Also by its rotten coconut or banana smell when crushed. They like to forage around 42-95 degrees Fahrenheit from March-November. They like to eat alive/dead insects between 0.1-0.2 mm, honey dew, and mealybugs. They are a dominant species, meaning they can reproduce faster than any other insect around by having queens produce upwards of a 1,000 eggs a day. They like extreme moisture areas both indoor and outdoor. They also do not normally stay in one spot for too long and can move their nesting sight every 23 days or move indoors during heavy rain seasons. But it is still a question to scientist why they move their nest so often. They can develop really fast: egg stage is 11-26 days, larvae stage is 13-29 days, pupae is 10-28 days, meaning it takes roughly 5-9 weeks to go from egg to adult.

Pharaoh Ant~ also known as "sugar ants or piss ants". They can be harmful by carrying disease organisms like salmonella and streptococcus. They can also be known for shorting electric equipment found in computers and laptops. They bite but only have a slight sting in large numbers for those that are bedridden. They are yellow/orange with a dark abdomen and are 1/16 inch long. It has a 2 segment waist, 12 segment waist, and a 3 segment club. Baby pharaoh ants are often confused with thief ants(known for stealing food, larvae, and pupae from other colonies and for collecting grease for food) but are different from their 10 segment antenna and 2 segment club. They like feeding on sweets, breads, and fatty foods. They normally nest indoors somewhere that is warm and has a nearby water source. Egg to adult is approximately 38-45 days (egg from 5-6 days, larval from 22-24 days, and pupal from 9-12 days). When migrating, 5 workers and 50 brood can create more than 10,000 ants in as little as 1 year but a mature colony can have hundreds of thousands of ants.