by SEAN KIMMONS
A resilient ant species has gradually become one of the top pests in exterminators’ crosshairs as they invaded the Kyle-Buda area in recent springs.
Argentine ants are small and light-to-dark brown in color, burrow underground and travel in long line formations when they forage, experts say.
They don’t sting like fire ants or chew up wood as carpenter ants do. Yet, they travel in large numbers and can overrun homes or other structures with infestation.
Local pest control specialists say that the species becomes more common each year, especially while drought conditions persist.
This year, Dane Gibbs, who owns A Better Choice Pest Control in Buda, has already had hundreds of requests to rid homes of these insects, one of the biggest pests for his shop.
“They’re getting worse,” he said. “We use whatever we can pull out of our arsenal on these guys.”
Since he opened in 2004, Gibbs has noticed a steady climb in Argentine ants. The reason? Like others, he suggests that it could be new construction, agitating underground colonies.
One customer in Kyle, he says, removed a backyard pool and unearthed a colony of the ants, estimated in the hundreds of thousands.
“It took months to control,” he said. “They’re tough.”
The species aren’t just ground borne, warns Gibbs, who has also seen them sneak into homes from above by crawling down high-line wires into attics.
“They don’t sting or bite, but they are a nuisance,” says Roger E. Gold, professor and endowed chair in Urban and Structural Entomology at Texas A&M’s AgriLife Research and Extension.
The species came to the United States in the late 1800s, yet they are still fairly new to Texas. And, as with other non-native insects, they are here to stay, Gold says.
“They’re an invasive species, spreading rapidly with commerce,” he said. “It’s impossible to eradicate them. You would have to put in a lot of resources in order to do that and the state doesn’t have them.”
Though smaller, Argentine ants have also been known to kill fire ants and other insects to appease their appetites, he added.
In the spring and summer, large colonies of Argentine ants typically split into several satellite colonies, extending into nearby urban areas. When autumn comes around, the splintered ant colonies scurry back to form super colonies and hibernate until it warms up again, according to Texas A&M’s AgriLife Research and Extension website.
Honeydew, plant secretions, or sugary and syrupy fruit juices are the ants’ main food supply, says The Ant Institute website, located at http://www.antinstitute.com/.
The website goes on to explain that the ants can often be found outside teeming along patios, driveways, sidewalks and walls. Inside, they can be seen along baseboards, floor cracks, counters and beneath carpet edges.
If they do move indoors, they tend to nest in moist places, such as wall voids near water pipes, sinks or bathtubs and showers, the website says.
Scott Ehlinger, who owns Triumph Pest Control in San Marcos, says that the drought has forced the ants, and other insects, to move into buildings in search of food sources, mostly within potted plants and garbage.
The ants, he says, are impossible to completely exterminate. Maintenance and prevention are the only methods that work.
Residents can attempt to rid their home of the pests themselves by using over-the-counter sprays, dusts and baits, however, a proactive pest control company is the best way to keep them under control, experts say.
“You’re never going to get rid of them,” he said. “They’ll just keep sending out more workers if others die.”
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