Pests We Treat - Acrobat ants create mess in Whiting, NJ

I was dispatched to a home in Whiting, NJ to treat an ant infestation. The homeowner contacted Cowleys after finding ants crawling around her sun porch. Also, just as upsetting, she reported that there was damage to her sun porch. Everyday, when she went out to her sun porch, she was greeted by mysterious white debris that was sprinkled all over, including on top of her prized record player. 

When I arrived, she quickly led the way to her sun porch to show me the problem. Once I looked up at the ceiling, I immediately identified this mystery material. It was styrofoam insulation from the ceiling. From my experience with ant infestations and the behavior of different types of ants, I  knew the type of ant infestation causing this homeowner so much aggravation. Based on the location of the infestation, these were acrobat ants. These ants aren’t circus performers! They were given this name because of their unusual behavior when disturbed: They bend their abdomen over their body.

Outdoors, these ants nest in wet or moist areas such as stumps, rotting logs, and old woodpiles. They often build their nests in cavities carved out by termites or carpenter ants. These opportunistic ants will infest homes and buildings where moist building materials are present. For example, these ants are commonly found in foam sheathing behind siding and around skylights. Acrobat ants clean out the debris left in galleries made by other insects. When homeowners find this debris, they often mistakenly believe that they have some wood-destroying insect infestation. However, unlike termites or carpenter ants, acrobat ants do not cause property damage. They are just cleaning out the galleries for themselves. While these ants don’t cause structural damage, they are aggressive and territorial. Acrobat ants have a stinger, and are quick to bite when threatened. They will also emit a foul odor.

Foraging acrobat ant workers enter homes in several ways. Sometimes they make a trail at ground level, exploiting an entryway like a door threshold or construction gap. However, as with this Whiting home, these ants can enter a home virtually anywhere. They can easily get on the roof by following tree limbs or shrubs that touch the house, or even make their trails on utility lines, entering the home through the same openings used for pipes or wires. And once they are on the roof, they’ll look for an opening to gain access to your home.

For this homeowner, now that the problem was identified, I first applied a dust treatment to all the gaps in the ceiling on the interior and exterior. Once these areas were dusted, I then applied a light chemical application to all the potential entry points. Within two weeks, this ant colony should be eliminated and this homeowner can go back to enjoying her sun porch without being disturbed by invading insects.