Acrobat Ant

Acrobat Ants can cause significant damage to your home. The name is descriptive of this ant’s habit of raising the abdomen over the thorax and head, especially when disturbed. Each colony is esatablished by a single, fertilized queen. Workers of many species emit a repulsive odor when alarmed.

SIZE:

Acrobat ants are about 1/16 – 1/8 inch long. Queens range up to 3/8 inch long.

DESCRIPTION:

They are typically light brown to black, sometimes multicolored..

HABITAT:

Acrobat ants like to build their nests in wood that has been subjected to high moisture and fungal decay, the same wood conditions favored by carpenter ants. They will nest in styrofoam insulation panels behind siding and in wall voids. Outside, most species nest under rocks, or in logs, firewood, or trees where decay enables them to tunnel under the bark and/or into the wood. Acrobat ant infestations occasionally will nest in abandoned termite and carpenter ant tunnels.

LIFE CYCLE:

Acrobat ants develop from eggs, to white legless larvae, to pupae and then emerge as adults.

TYPE OF DAMAGE:

Often the only exterior indication of Acrobat Ant damage is the accumulation of debris expelled by these acrobat ant infestations, especially if the debris is styrofoam insulation. They prefer wood softened by decay fungi or styrofoam insulation, but may enlarge cavities in wood made by other insects.

PREVENTION:

Eliminate standing water. Acrobat Ants are attracted to moisture. Keep tree branches and plants trimmed back so they aren’t touching your house. Fill cracks in your foundation and make sure firewood and building materials are not stored near your home.