• Move your garbage collection area away from the house.
• Caulk around doors, windows and utility inlets.
• Store firewood away from the house.
• Put a one-foot wide path of pea gravel around house to deter entry.
• Use screen doors and windows.

• Repair cracks in foundation walls, especially basements.
• Dehumidify a wet or damp basement.
• Clean gutters and downspouts.
• Remove leaf litter promptly.
• Trim shrubs and trees away from house.
• Install "non-attracting" or yellow light bulbs.

Aggressive nature. Quick to bite when disturbed. Gives off repulsive odor. Feeds on other insects. Likes sweets and high protein foods. Prefers soft wood. May cause structural damage in wood and insulation.

Workers are generally 2.5 to 4 mm long. Queens range up to 10 mm long. Color is light brown to black, at times multi-colored. Stinger percent. Workers of many species emit a repulsive odor when alarmed.

Prefers sweets but will feed on almost any type of food. Carriers for dysentery. Usually found near source of moisture, near water pipes or under rocks. Will invade buildings in large numbers when outside conditions are extreme, too wet or too dry.

Workers are between 2.2 and 2.6 mm long. Queens are 4-6 mm long. Color varies form light to dark brown. No stinger but may bite. Legs are long in relation to body.

Named for their exceptionally large head, bigheaded ants feed primarily on seeds and insects. Inside they will eat meats, grease, liver, molasses, preferring high-protein foods. Usually nest in the soil surrounding structures protected by stones, blocks, wood, etc.

Size ranges from 1.5 to 6 mm long. Colors ranges from yellowish to light brown to dark reddish brown; some species are dark red or black. Head is exceptionally large in relation to body. Stinger is present.

Do not sting but can give a painful bite by injecting formic acid into the wound. Nest in decaying wood expanding later to sound wood. Feed primarily on honeydew, plant and fruit juices. Insides they will eat sweets, eggs, meat, grease and cake. Most active from dusk until dawn.

Workers range from 5 to 13 mm long. Queens can be up to 17 mm long. Black in color with combinations of red and black. No stinger.

Prefer sweets, seeds and other insects. Will enter homes in the fall or after rain as it affects supply of honeydew. Will nest underneath floors, in wall voids, in plants and trees, trash and in potted plants. Nests are shallow and usually located in soil.

Size ranges from 2.2 to 3 mm long. Color is dark brown to black with a gray sheen. Antenna and legs are very long in comparison to size. No stinger.

Move rapidly and erratically. Prefers honeydew. Will eat other insects. Emits rotten, coconut-like odor when disturbed or crushed. Highly adaptable. Nest in cavities, voids or in the soil. Most often located near water source.

Size ranges between 1.3 and 1.5 mm long. Pale in color. No stinger.

Prefer food with a high protein or sugars, but will feed on almost anything plant or animal. Outside nests are typically located under stones, inbase of trees or shrubs or in clumps of grass. Sometimes found nesting in the wood or masonry of buildings. Enjoys warmth such as fireplace hearths, kitchens, electrical junction boxes, etc. Fire ants get their name from their ability to inflict painful bites and stings.

1.5 mm long. Tiny. golden to light brown, not shiny. Delivers a painful sting.

Feeds on grease, meat, fruits and vegetables. Inside nests can be found in woodwork, decaying wood and masonry. Outside, they nest under rocks, stones, rooting logs or lawns.

1.5 to 2 mm long. Color brown to black. Stinger present but small and weak.

Wide preference for foods from sweets to meats to dead insects. Most often found indoors except in subtropical areas like Florida and Hawaii. Nest in warm, humid areas usually located in inaccessible areas such as wall voids, behind baseboards, in furniture, under floors, etc.

Size ranges form 1.5 to 4 mm long. Black in color. Stinger is present. Queens are slightly darker in color than workers with or without wings. Males have wings and straight antenna.

Diet consists of honeydew, nectar or sweets if indoors and proteins such as petfood and table scraps. Nests are usually outside in trees or shrubs.

Size ranges form 2.5 to 3 mm long. Black to brown in color. No stinger is present. Few hairs.