Crazy Ants- Paratrechina longicornis

Adults small, black, up to 1/8″ long. Single node on pedicel, very long legs, very long “scape” (first antenna segment). Small colonies nest commonly in structures, feeding mostly on insects as well as other structural debris. Very fast, erratic movements give it its name.

Pharaoh Ants- Monomorium pharaonis

Adults very small, light colored, up to 1/16″ long. Two nodes on pedicel, antennal club made up of 3 enlarged segments. Very large colonies, multiple queens, workers forage long distances from nest. Infest most structures, feeds on various foods, of some human health importance. Control principaly by baiting.

Southern Fire Ants- Solenopsis xyloni

Adults yellowish to red and black, up to 1/4″ long. Two nodes, no spines on thorax, well developed stinger. Dirt mounds indicate nests in soil, rotten wood, under boards, concrete.

Red velvet ant or “cow killer”- Dasymutilla occidentalis

These insects are wasps, not ants. Females are wingless and covered with dense hair, superficially resembling ants. The red velvet-ant is the largest velvet-ant species, reaching about 3/4 inch in length. They are black overall with patches of dense orange-red hair on the thorax and abdomen. Males are similar but have wings and can not sting.