- Contact
- 01211118453
- Send Email
- info@spider-eg.com
Ghost Ants
Ghost Ants
Facts, Identification & Control
Latin Name
Tapinoma melanocephalum
Appearance
What does a ghost ant look like?
The ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum) gets its name from its size and pale color of its legs and abdomen, which make it difficult to see. These ants have dark heads and thoraxes. The workers are about 1.3 to 1.5 mm long.
Ghost ants are related to odorous house ants. Like the odorous house ants, ghost ants give off a coconut like odor when they are crushed.
How Did I Get Ghost Ants?
Ghost ants are extremely small and can get into houses through openings around doors and windows, as well as cracks in foundations, plus these ants are sometimes accidentally brought inside on infested plants. Once inside, they feed on sweets like sugar, cereal, and syrup. Ghost ants often appear on kitchen or bathroom counters and sinks. These intrepid pests also build nests indoors and out, even in wall voids or spaces between kitchen cabinets.
How Serious Are Ghost Ants?
Ghost ants usually have multiple nesting sites, as new queens leave their original nests and create their own colonies. The pests build nests in various places, even frequently disturbed areas like potted plants or the spaces between books on a shelf. Ghost ants are serious pests in greenhouses, so always inspect any plants you purchase to ensure they are not infested with ghost ants – and be sure to look carefully since their tiny size enables them to hide and not easily noticed.
Finding and removing ghost ant colonies is tough because there can be so many different nests in odd places. Any type of food crumbs or spills attract the pests, and they contaminate whatever food products they invade. Ghost ants do not sting and rarely bite, but their presence and abundance inside will create a serious nuisance and potential property damage issue
