Argentine: The Argentine ant is dark in color and is only about .12 inches long. They tend to build their colonies in the ground, small cracks in walls and boards. This colony of ants will have more than one queen, which means that eliminating one does not stop the colony.
Big-headed: are light brown to dark reddish brown in color. They have two different size workers. Major workers range in size from 1/8″ – 1/4″ and can be identified by its large head. The minor workers are proportioned to their body size.
Carpenter: There are over fourteen species of carpenter ants in Texas. The carpenter ant species resides both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying, or hollow wood. They can be found in a variety of colors including reddish brown, black, brown or red. These are some of the largest ants in the area.
Crazy: vary from red-brown to grayish, and even black in color. The ants are named because instead of following straight lines, they dash along erratically.
Fire: Fire ants can be distinguished from other ants by their copper brown head and body with a darker abdomen, up to ¼” long. A typical fire ant colony produces large mounds in open areas and feeds mostly on young plants, seeds, and sometimes crickets. These ants are called fire ants because of the burning sensation you feel if you are stung.
Ghost: The ghost ant has a dark head with pale or translucent legs and abdomen area. They are very tiny, being only 1/16” long, and they are often mistaken for the pharaoh ant due to their size and similar habits. They tend to eat sweet foods, grease, or other dead insects and gather in areas with high moisture.
Pharaoh: have a pale yellow to orange or red body, and black shading on the top and rear portion of their abdomen. Also called “sugar ants” or “piss ants,” pharaoh ants are some of the smallest ants, about 1/12-1/16 inch long.
Raspberry: Raspberry ants are often referred to as “crazy ants” due to their erratic movements. Rather than travelling in a straight line, they will often move in unexpected paths. They have a color that varies from red-brown to a grayish and sometimes black. They are mostly found in Southwest Texas, Mississippi and Georgia. Strangely, they are often found near electrical equipment.