What is an acrobat ant?
Acrobat ants have this name because their most distinguishing characteristic is its heart-shaped gaster that is held up over its thorax when disturbed. Members of this genus are also known as cocktail ants. This means they can carry their entire abdomen up over the rest of their body, like a contortionist in a circus act! They are found throughout the United States, including Ocean County, New Jersey.
Acrobat ants are small to medium sized ants, generally 2.6 to 3.2 mm long. They have very shiny bodies that range in color, they can be yellowish, brown, black, or even multi-colored. Their distinctive heart-shaped abdomen may be darker in color than the rest of their body. Acrobat ants are predators who sting wasps and other insects with their abdomens before consuming them.
Are Acrobat Ants Dangerous in My House?
When hunting for food, they tend to stay close to home, usually within a 100-foot radius of their nest. They are excellent excavators who dig their homes out of leaves, dirt, and wood scraps.
They can pose a hazard to your home’s structure if they feel it’s a good spot to build a nest. Acrobat ants pollute food sources and remove the insulation from wires in your home, resulting in short circuits. They usually move over power lines, fences, and trees to gain access to homes or other buildings, then enter through cracks and gaps in the external walls and foundation.
Like many other types of ants, acrobat ants are likely to be nesting in trees, stumps, and under mulch or leaf piles. These ants have no problem taking over nests of termites and carpenter ants, inside or out.
Inside, they are often discovered behind walls, inside insulation, and areas where moisture collects or there has been damage caused by water. They prefer to nest in high-moisture regions once inside a property, therefore their presence could suggest a moisture problem.
Outside acrobat ants feed on honeydew as well as live and dead insects. In homes and businesses, they’ll consume proteins and sweets such as syrups and honey.
Nuisance Pests
Acrobat ants may be present in the walls of homes with siding that has locations where particles of foam insulation are on the ground. Acrobat ants thrive in homes with moist, rotting wood and peeling paint around windows and door jams.
Acrobat ants are usually a minor concern to people. The presence of these ants in the yard and foraging outside the home may be a source of irritation for homeowners. They may build their nests in your yard or in rotting wood around the house, such as porches and eaves. They are rarely seen indoors, however they may be seen foraging for sweets or protein. They infest wet or rotting wood near windows and drain spouts when they are discovered breeding in the home. They can also be found in moist insulation or foam board. Although these ants cause little harm to wood, but their presence suggests that there is moist and/or decomposing wood nearby.
Even though acrobat ants have a stinger, they rarely use it and the pain is usually short-lived. Acrobat ants, despite their ability to sting, are not considered dangerous to people, pets or structures. They are a nuisance when they nest and forage inside. Also, acrobat ants have the ability to strip the insulation from electrical or telephone wires, causing short circuits to occur.
If you suspect an acrobat infestation, call a professional exterminator as soon as possible to avoid irreversible structural damage.
How to get rid of Acrobat Ants
An inspection and accurate identification are required for successful acrobat ant control. The most effective ant management approach is always nest removal. Inspections of the inside and exterior are also required. The ants inside could have come from an exterior nest. The detection of acrobat ant nests inside a structure might be tricky. Look for small holes, moisture damage, and areas that other wood-nesting insects have already invaded. The accumulation of trash thrown out by the ants could be a clue, especially if the colony is infesting rigid board insulation.
If nests cannot be removed from a structure, professional pest removal treatments can be useful. To deter acrobat ants from foraging for food inside, put food in firmly sealed containers.
Trimming tree and shrubbery branches away from the structure and creating a direct channel to enter can inhibit infestations entering from outside places. Fill in foundation cracks and gaps. Always read and follow the directions on the label of all spot treatments with baits or insecticides.
