Many people, insects, critters, and pests call Texas home. To pilfer anything tasty as most species will forage 24 hours every day, ants are one of the most common insects in the area and they frequently intrude homes. We at A-Tex Pest Management would like to elaborate on rover ants, while most are familiar with the general fundamentals of ants.
Rover Ant Identification
The workers only measuring approximately 1/8 of an inch long, being very small ants and rover ants, or more formally named Brachymyrmex spp. From a pale yellow to blackish brown, these ants’ range in color. It is distinctly uneven and unlike other ants, this genus has 9 segmented antennae as opposed to antennae with 12 or more segments like most other ants with the front portion of their thorax having a hump-like appearance.
Where Do Rover Ants Live & What Do They Eat?
When they stick to outdoor living, rover ants live under leaf litter, trash piles and mulch, usually. To people, they are very commonly living in close proximity. Being frequently found around over-watered gardens or swimming pools, rover ants are particularly attracted to moisture. Once inside, they look for shelter and food, favoring sweet selections and rover ants are fairly adaptable and survive in different habitats. They are often found in bathrooms and kitchens during hot, dry summer months. Along the doorway and windows, these ants slip into the houses through the cracks in the foundation and structure or gaps. They are more of nuisance as they nest inside the walls of homes, hospitals, and businesses and continue to disrupt daily life with their foraging activities, rover ants are not a detriment to the structure and do not cause damage like carpenter ants. Rover ants do not bite, nor pose any kind of health risks either. In the light sockets, cinder blocks, electrical outlets, and wall voids, rover ants often build nests. In addition to the human varieties they can find, the rover ant diet typically consists of honeydew produced by aphids, scale insects, and proteins from other living and dead insects. Rover ants build their nests in both natural and disturbed habitats. As they often nest in mulch and objects on the ground such as landscape timbers, leaf litter, stones, and bricks in addition to potted plants both indoors and outdoors, rover ants commonly nest in mulch and objects on the ground such as stones, as a result. Rover ants are not just found in Texas homes, but also beaches, mixed hardwood forests, pine forests, and prairies since they are very versatile.
How to Prevent & Get Rid of Rover Ants
Be sure to remediate moisture problems as much of the infestations are frequently associated with moisture and fungal decay to avoid living with these obnoxious ants. Any wood damage in their home along with moist areas under debris, landscape timbers, or rocks should be rectified by homeowners. Where appropriate, seal any cracks, fractures, gaps, and holes in the structure and be sure to invest in weather stripping around the doors and windows where appropriate.
Ant Pest Inspections, Treatment & More in Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park & Austin Texas
Any ant infestation can be a challenge to remove without professional assistance, so to ensure they are effectively removed, call A-Tex Pest Management today if you are experiencing an ant problem in your Austin, Texas home.
