Pest Control St. Louis

Acrobat Ant

Latin Name: Crematogaster ashmeadi

Features: Medium sized, mostly shiny ant with heart shaped stomach that is sometimes bent up over the thorax when ant is disturbed.

Color: Color variable from light reddish brown to brown or black.

Other: Slow to moderately fast moving ant. May forage in tight foraging trails close to white-footed ant trails, but only acrobat ant bends the abdomen up over the thorax. Acrobat ants also slow to a snails pace than white-footed ants when disturbed.

Habitat: Acrobat Ants are located in the Southeastern United States (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia), but can be found in parts of Missouri

Like all ants, the acrobat ants may produce winged, reproductive individuals (males and women) called swarmers. These sexually developed adults emerge from an established colony, commonly in the fall, to disperse and commence new colonies. The swarmers are harmless, but they might be the start of an infestation. Special treatment of swarmers beyond hoovering or sweeping them up is not required.

Outside the home, you will normally find Acrobat ants in an assortment of dead and decaying timber. Firewood seems to be one of their preferred homes. In all cases, the timber they occupy will be dead. The acrobat ant never inhabits a nutritious or live piece of timber, which is why they like a few of the woodworkings around your property. They have a nasty addiction of creating cavities in wood, particularly when that wood is moist. They will even nest in foam insulation board if weather is right. One way to recognize their invasion into your wood is to search for sawdust or other frass materials around suspected nest areas.

Several types of small to medium-sized ants are occasional pests around the home. One of these is named the acrobat ant as a consequence of how the worker ants carry their abdomens above the rest of the body as if they were performing a balancing act. Acrobat ants are longer than 1/8th inch. They vary in color from yellowish brown to dark brown, and the heart-shaped abdomen is normally darker than the rest of the body. Magnification is needed to see a couple of spines on the back edge of the middle section of the body that helps identify this ant from other species. The habit of the workers to carry their abdomens up when they're disturbed is probably the best method to name this species.

Acrobat ants may nest both outside and indoors. Outdoor nests are most often in dead and decaying wood like logs, stumps, dead trees limbs, firewood and hollow tree cavities. They might nest in damp soil beneath leaf litter or rocks. The small worker ants readily enter buildings through crevices around windows and doors and other openings. Trails of workers may be seen moving between the nest and a food source. Acrobat ants feed upon a variety of foods, including other insects and sweets.

When acrobat ants nest indoors they are ordinarily inside timber or cavities kept moist with water from leaks. They can also nest in foam heat retaining board or sheathing. As they excavate the large galleries used as nest sites, sawdust might be deposited near the nest area.

How to Get Rid of Acrobat Ants?

According to a Pest Control company in St. Louis, acrobat ants entering from outdoors may be managed by sealing the external fractures through which they enter, using a residual insecticide barrier along the foundation, or by treating the ant nest if the location can be established through careful inspection and observation.

Ant colonies living within the walls ought to be treated by eliminating any moisture problems (if present) and by injecting household insecticide spray or dust into infested wall voids. An exterminator can take care of this or for small problems, you can do it yourself. It may be necessary to drill small holes to accomplish this therapy.

Insecticides containing pyrethroids are around for homeowners for outdoor use. Always follow labeled directs.

Call at your local retail merchant to discover a ready-to-use insecticide labeled for ants. Read and follow the directions on the label.

Carpenter ants are a nuisance by their presence when found in parts of the home like the kitchen, restroom, parlor and other quarters. When 20 or more large winged and/or wingless ants are found indoors, in daylight near one location, it is attainable that the colony is well established in the home and the nest may have been extended into sound timber, occasionally causing structural damage. They do not eat timber, but often remove quantities of it to expand their nest size. Still, but only if 1 or 2 large wingless ants are erratically crawling, they may simply be foraging for food with the nest located outside. Outdoors, they are often seen running over plants and tree trunks or living in moist, partly rotten timber stumps. Even so, carpenter ant inquiries rank first over all other household/structural pests in Ohio.

Identification

Carpenter ants are among the biggest ants located in homes and live in colonies containing three castes consisting of winged and wingless queens, winged males and various sized workers. Winged males are much smaller than winged queens. Wingless queens measure 5/8 inch, winged queens 3/4 inch to the tips of their folded brownish wings, small minor workers 1/4 inch and large major workers 1/2 inch. Workers have some brown on them while queens are black. Workers have large heads and a small thorax while adult swarmers have a smaller head and large thorax. Carpenter ants have a smoothly rounded arched (convex) shape to the peak of the thorax when looked at from the side and a pedicel between the thorax and stomach comprising of just one segment or node. They have constricted waists, elbowed antennas and the reproductive's forewings are bigger than the hindwings, transparent or brownish and not easily removed. Adults are usually black with some species red, brown or yellow occurring on body parts and legs. Eggs are about 1/8-inch long, cream colored and oval. Larvae are legless and grub-like, later pupating in tough silken, tan-colored cocoons erroneously mentioned as "ant eggs."

Life Cycle and Habits

Queen Worker

Winged female and male carpenter ants (swarmers) emerge from mature colonies usually from March to July. After mating, males die and freshly fertilized women (mated always), generate a new colony in a small cavity in timber, under bark, etc. and each lays 15 to 20 eggs in 15 days. The egg stage takes about 24 days, larval stage 21 days and pupal stage 21 days or about 66 days from egg to adult at 70 to 90 degrees F. Cool weather may extend this period up to 10 months. The colony does not produce swarmers until about three years later. A mature colony, after three to six years, has 2,000 to 4,000 individuals. During the first breed, larvae are fed entirely by a fluid secreted from the queen's mouth where she does not take food, but uses stored fat reserves and wing muscles for her nourishment. The few workers emerging from the first brood assume duties of the colony, collecting food, excavating galleries to enlarge the nest and tending the eggs, larvae and pupae of the second generation. Workers regurgitate food for nourishment of the developing larvae and queen. She has few duties except to lay eggs.

In later generations, workers of varying sizes are produced (polymorphism) into major and minor workers, that are all sterile women. Males formed are winged swarmers. Larger "major" workers guard the nest, battle intruders, explore and forage for food while smaller "minor" workers expand the nest and care for the young. workers, when disturbed, carry off the larvae and pupa, which has to be fed and tended or they die. In a mature colony, there is normally one queen with 200 to 400 winged individuals produced as swarmers. Workers have strong jaws and readily bite (sharp pinch) when contacted.

Nests are usually established in soft, moist (not wet), decayed wood or often times in a current wood cavity or void area in a structure that is perfectly dry. Workers cut galleries in the wood, expanding the nest size for the enlarging colony. Galleries are intermittent, usually excavated with the timber grain ( now and again across the texture) into softer portions of the wood. The walls of the nest are smooth and clean (sandpapered appearance) with shredded sawdust-like timber fragments, like chewed up toothpicks (frass), carried from the nest and deposited outside. These piles of wood fragments, often discovered beneath special openings (windows) or nest openings, may contain portions of insects, empty seed coats, etc.

Carpenter ants do not eat timber but excavate wood galleries to rear their young ants and carry aphids to plants, placing them on leaves for the manufacture of honey dew. The food weight loss program is of great variety (omnivorous) of both plant and animal origin such as plant juices, fresh fruits, insects (living or dead), meats, syrup, honey, jelly, sugar, grease, fat, honey dew (aphid excrement), etc. They feed readily on termites and usually never live with them in the home. Workers are known to forage for food as far as 100 yards from their nest.

Control Measures

The most significant and often most challenging part of carpenter ant control is locating the nest or nests. Once the nest location is found, control is very easy and simple. Often times more than one colony is present in the structure or on its grounds, so a thorough inspection is very important. Steps to a prosperous inspection include an interview with family members, inspection indoors, inspection outside and sound detection.

Interview

Often both young and old of the residence know where ants are seen, where huge numbers are most prevalent, movement patterns, moisture in the structure, moisture problems of an earlier period, if swarmers were seen, location of sawdust-like material in piles, populations outdoors, etc.

Inspection Indoors

Nests can be seen in either moist or dry timber. Nevertheless, carpenter ants prefer to nest in moist wood with a moisture content considerable over 15 percent, often a consequence of rain, leaks, condensation, etc. Structural timber is about 12 to 15 percent moisture. A moisture meter can find wet spots to pinpoint possible nest locations. Inspect behind restroom tiles, around tubs, showers, sinks, dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerator drip pans, etc. Check timber subject to moisture from contact with the soil like steps, porch supports, siding, seepage from plugged drain gutters, chimney flashing, wooden shingle roofs, hollow porch posts, columns, leaking window and door frames, window boxes, crawl spaces, pipes, poor pitch of porch roofs, flat deck porch roofs, under porches, attics, etc. Occasionally, nests are found in dry environments, like hollow veneer doors, curtain rods, small void areas between the door casing and ceiling, false beams, or under insulating material in attics. Look for damaged timbers, swarmers in spider webs, wood piles indoors, piles of timber debris removed from the colony (pencil sharpener shaving-like), "windows" or small opening to a nest, etc. Gently tap floor joists, etc. with a hammer. A nest cavity gives a hollow ring. A knife blade will penetrate the timber if infested.

Baiting

Some may use tiny piles of sugar at two to three feet intervals around the kitchen, bathroom, etc. in attempt to determine where the nest is located. Others use drops of honey or corn syrup placed on the back of masking tape. Make observations late in the evening, following ants back to their nest entrance.

Flushing Agent

A household aerosol spray, containing pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide, applied directly into crevices, crevices or holes, will excite the ants (repellent action) causing them to come running out exposing the presence of their nest in some instances.

Inspection Outdoors

Search for ants traveling from a tree or stump to the structure. They could travel over tree branches or vines touching the roof, electrical and telephone wires, fences next to the house, piles of firewood, logs, or railroad ties nearby or hollow living trees with entrance knot holes, etc. Workers are briskest in the evening (midnight), traveling from their nest to a food source following trails but no particular trail leading instantly to the nest. They do establish chemical (pheromone) trails.

Sound Detection

An energetic colony may produce a unusual, dry rustling sound ( occasionally loud), similar to the crinkling of cellophane. It could be heard in a wall when standing in a room. A listening device, such as a stethoscope, may be of use when weather is quiet and outside noises are at a nominal amount. Even a cat may hear noises in a home a consequence of ant mandibles (jaws) not from chewing wood or eating food, but as their form of conversation, particularly when the colony is disturbed.

Prevention

Homeowners should trim all trees and bushes so branches do not touch or come in contact with the house. Correct moisture problems such as leaking roofs, leaking chimney flashing, or plumbing, poorly ventilated attics or crawl spaces and blocked gutters. Replace rotted or water-damaged timber and eradicate wood to soil contact. Remove dead stumps within 50 feet of the home, if practical, and repair trees with damage at broken limbs, and holes in the trunk. Seal cracks and crevices in the foundation, especially where utility pipes and wiring occur externally. Be certain to store firewood off the land away from the house and bring in only enough firewood (first examining it) to be utilized quickly . Consider non-organic mulches near the house in heavily infested ant areas. High moisture conditions must be eradicated to help control carpenter ants, prevent future attacks and prevent " timber decay" fungus infection.

This publication comprises pesticide recommendations that are subject to change at any time. These recommendations are offered only as a guide. It is invariably the pesticide applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific pesticide being used. Attributable to never stand still labels and product registration, a few of the recommendations given in this writing may no longer be legal by the time you read them. If any details in these testimonials disagrees with the label, the recommendation must be disregarded. No endorsement is intended for products mentioned, nor is criticism intended for products not mentioned. The author, The Ohio State University and Ohio State University Extension assume no liability resulting from the application of these suggestions.

It is about this period of year that folks start seeing insects wandering around inside their houses. One of the more evident of these insects is the carpenter ant.

These chunky black ( occasionally red and black) ants can range from twenty five percent inch for worker ants up to three-quarters of an inch for the queen. Like all types of ants, carpenter ants have a constricted hourglass waist and elbowed antennae. These traits distinguish them from the thick-waisted termites with their straight antennae. Ants are closely related to bees, wasps, and sawflies.

Carpenter ants share at least one annoying addiction with termites. They construct encompassing nests in wood, including logs, stumps, tree trunks, telephone poles, and, unfortunately, buildings. Nests are ordinarily begun in deteriorating wood that has been exposed to moisture. Often, the colony will extend its nest to adjacent, sound wood.

The colonies of carpenter ants are frequently long lived. A single fertilized queen founds each colony. She establishes a nesting site in a cavity in wood. She then rears her first hatch of workers, feeding them salivary secretions. She does not leave the nest nor feed herself throughout this period. The workers who are reared first assume the chore of gathering food with which to feed the younger larvae. As the food supply gets to be more constant, the colony population grows very rapidly. A colony does not reach maturity and become capable of producing young queens and males until it incorporates 2,000 or more workers. It could take a colony from three to six years or more to reach this stage. Every year thereafter, the colony will carry on produce winged queens and males, which leave their nest and conduct mating flights in the spring and summer.

While termites actually eat and digest timber, carpenter ants simply chew and tunnel through it to build their homes. Carpenter ants rarely cause structural damage to buildings, although they can result in significant damage over a timescale of years because nests are so long lived. Damage by carpenter ants can leave household structural timber ready to accept fungus, rots, and several forms of decay. Some recent evidence suggests that they can likewise cause encompassing damage to foam insulation. If faced with chewing through hard wood or soft heat retaining material to build your nest, which would you pick out?

Finding carpenter ants indoors in the wintertime is an indication that they are nesting somewhere within the walls or floors of the building. This is owing to the truth that carpenter ants, like all insects, are cold blooded. Ants active in the wintertime must be originating from a warmed source. Even if the air temperature outside is wintery, heat from the sunlight or your furnace or wood stove may warm your house walls and stir overwintering ants to activity. Ants found in the spring and summer are often invaders wandering in from outdoors searching for food or drink. In the spring, carpenter ants go through a mass-mating or swarming behavior. During this period carpenter ants raid houses looking for sweets, because one of their normal sources of sugar, the sweet honeydew from aphids, is not accessible until the weather warms up.

The critical factor in carpenter ant control is treating the nesting area. Locating the nest site is very seldom easy and there are times it could be hopeless to locate the nest. The most likely sources of carpenter ants are window and door frames and sills, shower and tub enclosure walls, and kitchen and bath plumbing walls.

One or more of the objectives of Integrated Pest Management and one reason we encourage carpenter control by direct nest remedy is to limit the volume of pesticide applied. Frequently, we can acquire the ants to be of assistance to with the treatment.

Their love of sweets may be their downfall. About the most efficient ways to control carpenter ants is to set out poison baits. Attracted to the sweet taste, the worker ants collect the bait and bring it back to the colony, where they share it with the developing larvae and the queen.

It may be important to know what kind of ant you are dealing with since some ant species prefer different foods. Baits are formulated to work on certain species and will most likely specify which ones on the label.

Preventing Diseases in Fruit Trees

If you maintain any pitted fruit trees like plums, peaches, or cherries, I'm sure you realize that those sorts of trees are much susceptible to diseases than any other type. While the fruits are delicious, it can be rather difficult to live with all of the maladies that can plague the life of everyone who has ever grown one of those types of fruit trees.

The main ailment that you will hear about the most is referred to as “Brown Rot”. This is a fungus that attaches to many of the leftover fruits after the picking season has ended. Not just does it look disgusting on the leftover fruits, but it is additionally can come back on the newer fruits, rendering them inedible (unless you like eating fungus). To avoid this malady, you ought to prune your trees often to inspire good air circulation. Buildups of moisture are the main reason for the brown rot. Also when you are performed picking for the season, you should eliminate all of the leftover fruits in the tree or on the floor.

A cytospora canker is a disgusting dark, soft area on tree branches. Gum protrudes through the bark, together with a huge callus. The pathogen which causes these cankers usually enters the tree through older wounds. If you prune all of the sprouts that occur in late summer, cankers will have a harder time making themselves known within your tree. When you prune, always allow the wounds to heal naturally in preference to use the wound dressings that you can purchase at gardening stores. I've learned that these usually do hardly any to help any situation, and only help make the tree look unnatural.

Those planting plum trees might handle something called Black Knot. The signs of black not are rough tumors or growths that can be seen on the tree's branches. If you see some of these, you should immediately chop off the branch it has attached to. If you use branches for mulch usually, don't for this one. This disease can easily re-enter the tree if it is within a certain distance.

Virtually everyone who has ever maintained a cherry tree has dealt with the “Cherry Leaf Spot”. It usually shows itself when there are old dead leaves accumulated on the ground. Preventing this disease is fairly easy. All you have to do is be fairly diligent in raking up all of the leaves that fall from your tree. If you have already seen signs of the ailment, you should destroy all of your raked leaves. If not, then you should be able to use them as mulch.

When your fruits ripen and become ready for picking, you ought to always be completely finished with picking within 2 weeks. It is better to daily go outside and pick all of the new ripe fruits, along with any that have fallen off of the tree or are starting to rot on the tree. So this way, you will prevent bees and wasps from becoming too contingent upon your tree for nourishment.

Growers of fruit trees are forever faced with diseases and pests to worry about. Yet, if you take the proper precautions then you can avoid the majority of them. You should also look for any diseases that have been affecting your local area, and try to take steps to avoid those as well.

Damage from Termites

Thanks to their timber- eating traits, many termite species can do great harm to unprotected buildings and different wooden structures. Their habit of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until the timbers are severely damaged and exhibit surface changes. Once termites have entered a building, they do not limit themselves to wood; they also damage paper, cloth, carpets, and other cellulosic materials. Particles taken from soft plastics, plaster, rubber, and sealants such as silicone rubber and acrylics are often employed in construction.

Humans have moved many wood-eating species between continents, but in addition have caused drastic population decline in others through habitat loss and pesticide application.

Precautions:

According to a website manufactured for pest control in St. Charles, MO http://2niceguys.com, it is advised to ALWAYS contact a specialist when you believe that there might be termites present at your residence. They also note that you keep mulch faraway from your house and wooden deck.

Here are some other precautions that may be helpful

* Avoid contact of susceptible timber with ground by using termite-resistant concrete, steel, or masonry foundation with proper barriers. However, termites are in a position to bridge these with shelter tubes, and it has been known for termites to chew through piping produced with soft plastics and even some metals, such as lead, to exploit moisture. In the main, new buildings ought to be constructed with embedded physical termite barriers so that there are no easy means for termites to gain concealed entry. While barriers of poisoned soil, so called termite pre- treatment, have been in general use since the 1970s, it is better that these be use just for existing buildings without effective physical barriers.

* The intent of termite barriers (whether physical, poisoned soil, or a few of the new poisoned plastics) is to prevent the termites from gaining unseen entry to structures. In most cases, termites attempting to penetrate a barriered building will be driven into the less favourable approach of building shelter tubes up the exterior walls, and thus, they can be visible both to the building occupants and a range of predators.

* Wood therapy.

* Use of timber that is naturally impervious to termites such as Syncarpia glomulifera (Turpentine Tree), Callitris glaucophylla (White Cypress), or one of the Sequoias. Note that there is no tree species whose every person tree yields only timbers that are immune to termite damage, so that even with famous termite-resistant timber types, there will from time-to-time be pieces that are attacked. No types of tree produces timber that is utterly immune to damage from every species of termite, some individual bits of timber might be attacked.

When termites have already penetrated a building, the first action is usually to demolish the colony with insecticides before removing the termites' means of access and fixing the issues that encouraged them in the beginning. Baits (feeder stations) with small quantities of disruptive insect hormones or other very slow acting toxins have become the preferred least-toxic management tool in most western countries. This has replaced the dusting of toxins direct into termite tunnels that had been widely done since the early 1930s (originating in Australia). The main dust toxicants have been the inorganic metallic poison arsenic trioxide, insect growth regulators (hormones) such as triflumuron and, off late fipronil, a phenyl-pyrazole. Blowing dusts into termite workings is an extremely skilled process. All these slow-acting poisons may be distributed by the workers for hours or weeks before any symptoms occur and can destroying the entire colony. More modern variations include chlorfluazuron, diflubenzuron, hexaflumuron, and novaflumuron as bait toxicants and fipronil and imidacloprid as soil poisons. Soil poisons are the least-preferred way of control as this needs much larger doses of toxin and results in uncontrollable release to the surroundings.

Grey Squirrels are about 18 inches long head to tail. During the winter months the grey squirrel can be identified by its salt and pepper body, tan specks in its tail and its white belly. Its body color changes to a yellowish brown during summer months. The grey squirrel has small ears and a large busy tail. Those located in Ontario and Quebec have a more dominate black color in their fur while people in the US have grey as the more dominate color. Albino squirrels have been located from time to time, but are very rare. Grey squirrels use their tail for balance when climbing trees, as a blanket during winter months, and likewise as a conversation tool by flicking it back and forth to alert danger and to give its position to other squirrels. The grey squirrel gets it name from the Greek words skia, meaning shadow, and oura, meaning tail, because when it sits upright the tail curves up behind them and shades them from the sun.

The Grey Squirrel and Red Squirrel are considered tree squirrels; ground squirrels include Arctic Ground Squirrel, Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel and several others in the land squirrel group, Order of Rodents (Rodentia.)

Although the grey squirrel spends most of its life climbing and descending trees, it gathers the majority of its food from the ground during the evening hours. Found in woodlands and urban areas, the grey squirrel slides sideways around tree trunks to exclude of sight of its predators and also remains perfectly still every now and then to make itself more difficult to see. Busiest at dawn and dusk, the grey squirrel gathers various kinds of food during each season. During the early spring it gathers maple tree buds, in the summertime it gathers berries, wild fruits, seeds, nuts and apples and during the fall it eats nuts, acorns, hickory nuts, butternuts, walnuts, beechnuts and pine seeds. They also eat insects, caterpillars and bird eggs. The Grey squirrel finds its food by utilizing its sense of smell.

Adult grey squirrels breed twice a year usually January to February and June to July. Women sit at the top of trees and make a "duck-like" call to have the males attention. Male adults then gather below the female who ensues a chase from tree to tree. Once she stops running, she mates with the male leading the pack. After mating, the male has no role in helping with the young. Female grey squirrels have one to six babies per litter. At birth the babies are called "pinkies" because they are born blind and without fur. They gain their hair at around three weeks old and are then called kits, kittens or pups. Once a kit is twelve weeks old, it leaves the nest. The nest of the grey squirrel is produced in the cavities of trees often times in used woodpecker holes. If there are no cavities available, the grey squirrel will build its nest between tree branches. The outside of the nest is made of twigs and leaves, while the inside is made of moss, grasses and bark. During the winter months, the man and female grey squirrel share a winter den, yet in the summertime they each find their own separate children's play room. The males children's play room is usually larger than the females.

The enemies of the grey squirrel are weasels, red foxes, bobcats, wolves, raccoons, snakes, hawks and owls. The grey squirrel carries ticks, lice, fleas, tape and round worms and scabies that removes their fur leaving them susceptible to colds and infections.

The grey squirrel can become a nuisance if located in attics. They also dig up bulbs in gardens, drive birds faraway from feeders and cause harm to crops. They destruct forests by stripping the bark from tree trunks and branches leaving the trees vulnerable to disease and starving for nutrients.

Introduced in Great Britain and parts of Europe in the early 1800s, the grey squirrel has been pushing the red squirrel out of its habitat by competing for resources. Grey squirrels are larger and stronger, can put on more fat to survive the cold winters and thus hoards more food. They also are more adaptable to their environment and have been known to carry the Parapox Virus which red squirrels are not immune to. As a consequence of these reasons, the red squirrel is now listed on the endangered species list in Europe.

Grey Squirrels are about 18 ins long head to tail. During the winter months the grey squirrel may be identified by its salt and pepper body, tan specks in its tail and its white belly. Its body color changes to a yellowish brown during summertime. The grey squirrel has small ears and a large busy tail. Those located in Ontario and Quebec have a more dominate black color in their fur while people in the United States have grey as the more dominate color. Albino squirrels have been discovered on occasion, but are very rare. Grey squirrels use their tail for balance when climbing trees, as a blanket during wintertime months, and also as a communication tool by flicking it back and forth to alert danger and to give its position to other squirrels. The grey squirrel gets it name from the Greek words skia, meaning shadow, and oura, meaning tail, because when it sits upright the tail curves up behind them and shades them from the sunlight.

The Grey Squirrel and Red Squirrel are considered tree squirrels; ground squirrels include Arctic Ground Squirrel, Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel and a number of others in the earth squirrel group, Order of Rodents (Rodentia.)

Although the grey squirrel spends the majority of its life climbing and descending trees, it gathers most of its food from the land during the night-time hours. Found in woods and urban areas, the grey squirrel slides sideways around tree trunks to shut out of sight of its predators and likewise remains perfectly still sometimes to make itself more difficult to see. Busiest at dawn and dusk, the grey squirrel gathers various kinds of food during each season. During the early spring it gathers maple tree buds, in the summer it accumulates berries, wild fruits, seeds, nuts and apples and during the fall it eats nuts, acorns, hickory nuts, butternuts, walnuts, beechnuts and pine seeds. They also eat insects, caterpillars and bird eggs. The Grey squirrel finds its food by utilizing its sense of smell.

Adult grey squirrels breed twice a year usually January to February and June to July. Ladies sit at the top of trees and make a "duck-like" call to get the males attention. Male adults then gather below the female who ensues a chase from tree to tree. Once she stops running, she mates with the male leading the pack. After mating, the male has no role in helping with the young. Female grey squirrels have one to six babies per litter. At birth the babies are called "pinkies" because they are born blind and without fur. They gain their hair at around three weeks old and are then called kits, kittens or pups. Once a kit is twelve weeks old, it leaves the nest. The nest of the grey squirrel is manufactured in the cavities of trees sometimes in used woodpecker holes. If there are no cavities available, the grey squirrel will build its nest between tree branches. The outside the nest is made of twigs and leaves, while the inside is made of moss, grasses and bark. During the winter months, the man and female grey squirrel share a winter den, all the same in the summertime they each find their own separate den. The males study is commonly larger than the women.

The enemies of the grey squirrel are weasels, red foxes, bobcats, wolves, raccoons, snakes, hawks and owls. The grey squirrel carries ticks, lice, fleas, tape and round worms and scabies that takes off their fur leaving them susceptible to common colds and infections.

The grey squirrel can become a nuisance if found in attics. They also unearth bulbs in gardens, drive birds far from feeders and cause damage to crops. They destruct forests by stripping the bark from tree trunks and branches leaving the trees vulnerable to disease and starving for nutrients.

Introduced in Great Britain and parts of Europe in the early 1800s, the grey squirrel has been pushing the red squirrel out of its habitat by competing for resources. Grey squirrels are larger and stronger, can put on more fat to survive the cold winters and thus hoards more food. They also are more adaptable to their environment and have in the past been known to carry the Parapox Virus which red squirrels are not immune to. Because of these reasons, the red squirrel is now listed on the endangered species list in Europe.

Argentine Ant

Latin Name: Iridomyrmex humilis

Traits: It is a tiny, dark-colored ant about 3 mm (1/8 inch) long that invades homes in search of food and water..

Color: dark-colored

Other: It is also light to dark brown in color, and it has six legs, as with other insects. The Argentine ants' antennae have twelve segments. The thorax joins the stomach by a thin pedicel, a thin stalk.

Where can they be discovered? Outdoors in soil, under timber, slabs, debris, mulch, or in branches and cavities of trees and shrubs

Shallow, 1- to 2-inch deep mounds in open, often disturbed habitats, either moist or dry

The most common ant in southern California is the Argentine ant (Iridomyrmex humilis). This ant can likewise be found in the lower eastern US area. As reported by Wild (2004), this species was originally described in the genus Linepithema by Mayr in 1866; consequently, the right binomial should be Linepithema humile. It is a tiny, dark-colored ant about 3 mm (1/8 inch) long that invades homes in search of food and water. They are specifically like sweets, but will eat practically any food. They love hard boiled eggs and carry small yellow clumps of yolk back to their nest in endless ant columns.

These ants are exceedingly well adapted to urbanized areas of the United States with mild climates and well-watered gardens. They pose an essential threat to native wildlife by upsetting fragile food webs. They are especially formidable thanks to their aggressive behavior and the enormous size of their colonies which can literally "team up" with other colonies.

If you reside in southern California, you probably have observed endless single file columns of uninvited six-legged guests strolling through your home. They follow a pre-marked pheromone "scent" trail first of all established by scouts who were looking for goodies in your pantry. Although they prefer the outdoor life-style, they primarily enter houses for food and water. They are like sweets, tuna, syrups (even cough syrup), juices, eggs, dead spiders and rodents, puke, stools and just about any other living tissue they can find. They are basically scavengers and they play a valuable role in the natural ecosystem–but preferably in Argentina. In hot, dry weather they frequently search your home for water, including washroom taps and drains. I once followed an ant safari into my restroom where they were neatly stacking their precious cargo of tiny eggs inside my toilet tank. They also relish the "honeydew" secretion of aphids, and look after their aphid friends from natural predators. In the fall months as the nights get very cold, they once more seek the warmth and shelter of your cozy home.

The first Argentine ants set foot on U.S. soils in the late 1890's, as coffee ships from Brazil unloaded their cargo in New Orleans. Being prolific breeders and constantly on the go, they moved across the southern half of the United States. A single colony might incorporate 10,000 female workers, and there can be many colonies around your home; the complete number of ants could reach a million. Although they cannot sting, they can bite; all the same, they are just about 3 mm long and there tiny mandibles are too small to hurt humans. But, in the world of insects, these ants are truly a living terror. They're very aggressive and readily overtake other ant species, even ants that are much larger and with powerful stings. Argentine ants are relentless and merely outnumber their adversaries until the enemy colony is destroyed. They even attack paper wasp nests under the eaves of a house, forcing the massive wasps to flee their nests in terror. Even nests of large carpenter bees are no match for these relentless ants. A "killer bee" nest probably could not withstand an invasion of Argentine ants. They also will attack bird nests, driving off the mother bird and killing the helpless young. One possible redeeming quality about these little warriors is that they may attack dry- timber (aerial) termite colonies in your home. I have noticed this Lilliputian massacre in a termite infested table in the Palomar School greenhouse.

Most ant colonies are very highly territorial, and will fight different colonies of the identical species. Since Argentine ants in the US originated from the original colonizers in Louisiana, they are all closely related with alike DNA. They evidently will accept ants from different colonies as guests of their gigantic family. In fact, Argentine ants from different colonies will actually "team up" and attack together in vast swarms. They just outnumber and overpower their enemy.

Argentine ants have become an important threat to the coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum) in southern California. The primary food source for these endangered lizards are native harvester ants, particularly the California harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex californicus). I spent a number of years observing this interesting red ant while growing up in San Gabriel Valley, and I am in a position to personally testify that it features a agonizing sting. As of 2006, this large red ant is seldom seen in urbanized areas of coastal southern California.

California harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex californicus), primary diet of coast horned lizard.

Urbanization has certainly been a factor in the demise of California harvester ants, but an even better factor leading to the elimination of native ants and coast horned lizards is the aggressive Argentine ant. Apparently the horned lizard is not fond of Argentine ants, and is in fact attacked by them in enormous swarms. Colonies of Argentine ants need a damp area to survive, and have not invaded some of the dry habitats where native harvester ants and desert horned lizards (P. platyrhinos) still live. Naturally, they can readily colonize urbanized desert areas inhabited by people. Well-watered gardens with stepping stones and concrete slabs provide the idea living requirements for these ants. In their native Argentina they live under rocks.

Coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum).

Argentine ants are a terrible nuisance in gardens and orchards because they tend and protect scale insects and aphids. They even carry aphids to the tender buds of your prized roses. In return, the ants consume a sweet secretion from the aphids called "honeydew." In addition, swarms of these ants will invade orchard trees, destroying the fruit crop. This is specially serious in figs (Ficus carica) where the symbiotic pollinator wasps are destroyed.

Metallic green fig beetles (Cotinus texana) gorging themselves inside a fleshy, ripe syconium of the Calimyrna fig (Ficus carica). Although masses of minute, aggressive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) are likewise foraging in the syconium (white arrow), the beetles are protected by their tough, impervious exoskeleton. These attractive beetles spend their juvenile larval stage in the land, often beneath manure piles, compost and haystacks.

According to entomologist David Faulkner, if you have a 10 x10 foot (3 x 3 m ) patio slab, you may have a million or more individuals and perchance 20 or 30 queens. They get along fine because they're all connected with the original colonizers in Lousiana, perhaps from the original gravid (pregnant) female who arrived there. Workers live a month or more as adults, but queens live up to 10 years or longer. With other ants, when the queen dies, the one-queen colony dies because no more ants are being produced. With multi-queen Argentine ants, another queen simply moves in and takes over the role of the deceased queen. In fact, a queen from San Diego would probably be accepted in a colony elsewhere in California.

Argentine ants (Linepithema humile): A wingless queen and several workers. Although these ants are merely 3 mm long, they're very aggressive and quickly annihilate other ant species, even larger ants with powerful jaws and stings. They overpower other species by their sheer numbers. Argentine ants in the U.S. are descendants of original colonizers that entered Louisiana in the late 1890's, as coffee ships from Brazil unloaded their freight in New Orleans. U.S. populations are so closely related that different colonies with multiple queens can literally merge together into supercolonies. Image taken with Nikon D-90 and 60mm Micro Nikkor AF-S F/2.8G ED Macro Lens using a Phoenix Ring Flash; hand-held at 640 ISO, F-32, 1/125th sec.

In their native homeland of Argentina, different colonies of Argentine ants are not so friendly to one another as their DNA has developed much greater variation. Neighboring colonies may fight each other, despite the fact that they are only 200 yards (200 m) apart. Also there are many native predators in Argentina, including fungal parasites and bacterias. The narrow genetic variability that has kept all the California populations on friendly terms may eventually backfire because of abnormal inbreeding. Perhaps some day these ants may not have the genetic variability to adjust to a changing environment.

How To Control Invasions of Argentine Ants"

Empty your trash often and make sure your property is free of crums and food particles that may attract ants. Make certain that food containers are tightly closed, without residual traces of the food on the sides of containers. These ants can even enter screw-top jars without seals. They follow the spiral threads until they are inside!

Avoid using toxic aerosol insecticides inside your house–unless you don't care about your lungs or your bone marrow.

Try spraying a deodorant detergent (Pine Sol

Acrobat Ant

Latin Name: Crematogaster ashmeadi

Traits: Medium sized, mostly shiny ant with heart shaped stomach that is often bent up over the thorax when ant is disturbed.

Color: Color variable from light reddish brown to brown or black.

Other: Slow to moderately fast moving ant. May forage in tight foraging trails similar to white-footed ant trails, but only acrobat ant bends the stomach up over the thorax. Acrobat ants also slow to a snails pace than white-footed ants when disturbed.

Habitat: Acrobat Ants are found in the Southeastern US (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia), but can be seen in parts of Missouri

Like all ants, the acrobat ants may produce winged, reproductive individuals (males and ladies) called swarmers. These sexually developed adults emerge from an acknowledged colony, ordinarily in the fall, to disperse and begin new colonies. The swarmers are harmless, but they might be the first indication of an infestation. Special treatment of swarmers beyond vacuuming or sweeping them up is not required.

Outside the home, you will generally find Acrobat ants in a mixture of dead and decaying timber. Firewood appears to be one of their preferred homes. In all cases, the timber they occupy will be dead. The acrobat ant never inhabits a nutritious or live piece of wood, that is why they like some of the woodworkings around your property. They have a nasty trait of creating cavities in wood, in particular when that wood is moist. They will even nest in foam heat retaining material board if conditions are right. One way to identify their invasion into your wood is to look for sawdust or other frass materials around suspected nest areas.

Several species of small to medium-sized ants are occasional pests around the home. One of these is named the acrobat ant as a result of the direction the worker ants carry their abdomens above the remainder of the body as if they were performing a balancing act. Acrobat ants are longer than 1/8th inch. They vary in color from yellowish brown to dark brown, and the heart-shaped stomach is commonly darker than the remainder of the body. Magnification is needed to see a couple of spines on the back edge of the middle section of the body that helps identify this ant from other species. The habit of the workers to carry their abdomens upward when they're disturbed is probably the best way to name this species.

Acrobat ants may nest both outdoors and indoors. Outdoor nests are most often in dead and decaying wood such as logs, stumps, dead trees limbs, firewood and hollow tree cavities. They might nest in damp soil beneath leaf litter or rocks. The small worker ants readily enter buildings through crevices around windows and doors and other openings. Trails of workers may be viewed moving between the nest and a food source. Acrobat ants eat a variety of foods, including other insects and sweets.

When acrobat ants nest indoors they are commonly inside timber or cavities kept moist with water from leaks. They can also nest in foam insulating board or sheathing. As they excavate the large galleries used as nest sites, sawdust may be deposited near the nest area.

How to Get Rid of Acrobat Ants?

According to a Pest Control company in St. Louis, acrobat ants entering from outdoors can be managed by sealing the outer cracks through which they enter, using a residual insecticide barrier along the foundation, or by treating the ant nest if the location can be established through careful inspection and observation.

Ant colonies living within the walls should be treated by eliminating any moisture problems (if present) and by injecting household insecticide spray or dust into infested wall voids. An exterminator may take care of this or for small problems, you can do it yourself. It could be essential to drill small holes to achieve this treatment.

Insecticides containing pyrethroids are available to homeowners for outdoor use. Always follow labeled directs.

Visit your local retailer to find a ready-to-use insecticide labeled for ants. Read and follow the directions on the label.