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  • Cornfield Ant Ants

    Cornfield Ant
  • Cornfield Ant
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Elimination

Brown field ants can sometimes enter homes in search of food, which they will then bring back to their nests outside. Their presence in the house is therefore generally temporary and related to this food quest.

In most cases, these ants come from outside. It is therefore preferable to concentrate intervention efforts on the external areas where they are actively circulating, especially near the foundation of the house, small visible craters in the ground (which may indicate nests), and on an adjacent strip of land.

In the event of a larger infestation, a more extensive approach to the outside may be considered to limit their access to the inside.

The intervention of a professional can also be relevant to assess the situation and propose appropriate solutions.

Actions

  • Request assistance from one of our pest management experts

Prevention

  • Seal the outsides of windows, doors, eaves, chimneys, etc. as completely as possible.

Description and development

The cornfield ant (Lasius neoniger ) is about 3 mm long. Its color varies from light to medium brown, and occasionally dark brown.

Ants are social insects that live in colonies. They are led by a queen ant. Queen ants are the only females in the colony that are winged at the beginning of their adult lives. The other females are wingless workers who maintain the nest and search for food. At a specific time, which varies according to species, winged males and females leave the colony to mate. This is called the mating flight .
In the case of the cornfield ant, the mating flight occurs in August or September, usually on hot, humid days. After mating, the males die because they are unable to feed themselves. The females move away to establish their nests. As soon as a queen finds a good spot for a colony, she lays a few eggs. These eggs will develop into larvae, which will become the colony’s first workers. The queen takes care of them until there are enough workers to replace her and carry out the work in her stead. The queen is the only member of the colony to reproduce.

Habits

The cornfield ant’s favorite food is aphid honey dew, but it also feeds on living and dead insects and flower nectar. It digs its nest in sandy soil, in lawns and other areas. The outside of the nests are in the form of several small craters with small openings at the top . The ants move into houses through cracks in the foundation, especially after a heavy rain.

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