VELVETY TREE ANTS
VELVETY TREE ANTS
While sometimes confused with carpenter ants, velvety tree ants are a different type of ant that you might find in Salt Lake County or Utah County. While not a pest in the wild, they can nest in your home, causing damage to woodwork. For help with identifying different types of ant, contact the Utah-based professionals at H2 Pest Control.
VELVETY TREE ANT DETAILS
- Velvety tree ants are small, with workers only reaching about 6mm or 0.2 inches in length.
- They have dark heads and abdomens, with lighter, yellowy red thoraxes.
- These ants’ abdomens are covered in fine hair, giving them the “velvety” name.
- Velvety tree ants can be aggressive and bite humans but are not considered dangerous.
- They are omnivores, eating other insects, plants and things like honeydew secretions.
VELVETY TREE ANTS IN UTAH AND SALT LAKE COUNTIES
If you look under a log or inside a tree hollow and find a trail of ants, it’s likely that they’re velvety tree ants. While they do prefer to live outdoors as their name suggests, velvety tree ants do also sometimes make their nests inside buildings. They easily tunnel through wood and can set up home in wall voids and spaces and particularly in moist areas, such as near a water leak. If you do have a velvety tree ant nest in your home, it may not even be their permanent location as they often use these as temporary bases when they’re out foraging for food.
ARE VELVETY TREE ANTS DANGEROUS?
Despite their small size, velvety tree ants are quite aggressive and will bite if disturbed. They add to their ferocity by also using formic acid in their attacks, although neither of these things are considered dangerous to humans.
Velvety tree ants could be responsible for significant damage to your home, though, so always try and identify the type of ant you’re seeing inside and don’t let infestations go unchecked. Velvety tree ants can tunnel through wood and insulation inside your walls and a large nest can produce a nasty smell.
HOW TO GET RID OF VELVETY TREE ANTS
Velvety tree ants are difficult to eliminate outside the home as their nests can be high up in a tree. It may be possible to prevent velvety tree ants from taking up residence in your home by following the tips below:
- Trim all branches or overhanging plants that could be used as a bridge from a tree to your home.
- Fill in cracks, gaps and holes on the exterior of your building.
- Don’t delay on repairing leaks and other existing damage to wood in your home.
If you suspect you have a velvety tree ant infestation inside your home, it may be necessary to drill into the walls to remove them. Ant baits may be effective but the best way to remove a nest is to call a professional pest control company like H2 Pest Control. Serving all across Salt Lake County and Utah County, we can identify and solve your velvety tree ant problems.
