What Does a Grease Ant Look Like?
Grease ants are considerably smaller than other common ants, at only 1/32 to 1/20 inch long.
Its body is yellow, bronze, light brown, shiny, and smooth.
The Spruce / Alex Dos Diaz
Its eyes are tiny in relation to the size of the head.
Their small size allows grease ants to easilyslip into homesthrough cracks and make nests in tiny crevices.
Grease ants are not the only tiny ants you might find in or around your house.
Other small species may be similarly sized but are usually dark brown or black.
Grease ants are one of the few yellow or very light brown species.
Tip
The most important distinguishing feature when identifying grease ants is their antennae.
Grease ants have 10-segmented antennae with a two-segmented club at the end.
Take a photo of the ant so that you might zoom in and count the segments.
Over a few weeks, the entire colony can be eradicated.
Pets that consume a high quantity of borax bait can develop health concerns.
To locate a nest, follow the trail of ants backward from the food source.
It may take a very good soakingor repeated applications of contact pesticideto fully eradicate an outdoor colony.
Isolated outdoor colonies of grease ants harm no one, so there is usually no need for treatment.
What Causes Grease Ants?
Grease ants are drawn indoors for warmer temperatures and greasy, oily foods.
Colonies are often located close to the kitchenbelow floors, in walls, or behind door moldings.
Grease ants may also gravitate toward garbage cans that aren’t cleaned out frequently.
Rotting wood and leaky pipes are other grease ant attractants, so address any leaks under sinks.
Pharaoh ants are slightly more reddish, with black markings on the abdomen.
Pharaoh ants are also more likely to nest outdoors.
Pharoah ants are fond of sweet foods, unlike grease ants, which vastly prefer oily, greasy foods.
Experts have access to poison or chemical controls that might be an effective option for your case.
A professional team can determine the safest option for your household.
When shopping for pest control, look for a local company specializing in integrated pest management (IPM).
Grease ants do not commonly bite.
Like all ants, the grease ant has an adult winged phase.
Both queens and drones fly, and mating takes place while the insects are in flight.
This phase takes place between midsummer and late fall.
Simothy, Leckranee et al.A Study on the Potential of Ants to Act as Vectors of Foodborne Pathogens.AIMS Microbiologyvol.
2, 2018, pp.
American Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMA), doi:10.3934/microbiol.2018.2.319
Grease Ant.Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
Russ, K.Less Toxic Insecticides.Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center,2019.
Gupta, P. K.Inorganic Herbicides and Organic Arsenicals Toxic to Animals.Merck Veterinary Manual,2020.
