What Does A Thief Ant Look Like?

The first step in ant control is knowing how to identify ants. A thief ant is only a mere 1/32 of an inch long. That is really small but, when these ants get inside your home, they come in large numbers which makes them noticeable pests. If you see yellowish or brown ants that look like little specks, you're probably looking at thief ants. Some folks misidentify thief ants as Pharaoh ants. While they can be a similar color, Pharaoh ants are twice the size. 

Thief Ants Habits & Behaviors

These are one of the most fascinating ants we see in Streator. Why? Because thief ants use their tiny size to go into the ant mounds of other ant species and steal from them. They don't just take food, they take their larvae and pupae. Yikes! That's disturbing. Fortunately, they act like other ants when they get into your home. They're going to look for food sources (particularly sweet foods or oily foods) and they're going to immobilize an army to gather what they need. You can deter these ants as you would many other pest ants. You just have to keep in mind that you're attempting to control an ant species that is very tiny.

Three Tips To Get Rid Of Thief Ants 

Before we share our three best tips to help you get rid of thief ants, you should know that locating thief ant nests inside your home may be necessary for complete control. This is not an easy task and you really should reach out to us here at Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators for a troublesome infestation. With that said, here are three ways to get rid of thief ants.

Seal potential entry points. These ants can get in under your door, so make sure your door sweeps make contact all the way across. They can slip past the seal around your door, so tight-fitting weatherstripping is essential. Use a caulking gun to seal gaps around pipes, wire conduits, and other foundation penetrations. Use a foundation repair kit to seal cracks in your foundation wall or slab. Consider taking window and door frames off and applying caulking material to make sure there are no routes these ants can use.

Keep your home as clean as possible. When you sweep floors, clean up liquid spills immediately, deep clean the sides of your oven, and perform other cleaning tasks, you are actively removing the reason thief ants want to be in your home. It is a lot of work, but keep in mind that your efforts won't only deter thief ants, they'll deter a long list of pests that commonly get into Streator homes, many of which are far more of a threat than thief ants.

Outdoor ant control is as important as indoor ant control. Consider attractants on the outside of your home. Before thief ants get inside, they find reasons to explore your exterior. They may be drawn to a pile of dead branches. They may be drawn to leaf litter or leaf piles. They may take notice of a puddle of water. If you want to keep these ants out of your home, remove wood, organic debris, and water sources. Along with this, trim landscape vegetation away from your exterior to remove bridges that these ants can use to get to higher points on your exterior walls.

When you take these steps and also protect the food in your home by using sealed plastic containers, you get protection from thief ants, other ant pests, and a long list of common insect pests. If more control is needed, it is best to let a licensed pest control professional apply crack and crevice treatments, baits, granules, and other control products for ant pest control and general pest control.