Winged ant
- Antennae
- Bent at an elbow
- Waist
- Narrow and pinched
- Wings
- Front pair longer than the back pair, few veins
- Where you find it
- Swarms commonly after a rain, most often in April
Specimen 02 · Formicidae
Updated
Kansas pesticide business license #3403
Ants in Wichita homes
Most ants that come inside follow food into the kitchen. Apart from carpenter ants and fire ants, K-State says they're only a nuisance.
Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.
Winged ants swarm
Most often in April, commonly after a rainPrice
$125–165 a visit
How do I know it's ants, and which ones?
The fourth tells the odorous house ant from the rest.
4checks
Trail · Size · Shape · Smell
A line on one path
Ants that find food bring others, and the scent trail they lay helps the rest follow. Odorous house ants move fast, in single file.
Small, brown to black
Most house ants are brownish to black. Odorous house ants are about 1/8 inch; little black ants and thief ants are about 1/16 inch.
Bent antennae, thin waist
Ants have elbowed antennae and a thin waist between the thorax and the abdomen. Termites have neither.
Smell it, or look at the head
A rotten-coconut smell means an odorous house ant. Larger yellow ants smell like soap. Pavement ants have fine, parallel grooves on the head and thorax instead.
Termite swarmer
- Antennae
- Straight, like a string of beads
- Waist
- Thick, broadly joined
- Wings
- Two pairs, the same length, whitish
- Where you find it
- Indoors in spring, at windows and lights
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Ants (MF2887); University of Minnesota Extension, Ants; Wisconsin Horticulture, Odorous House Ants; University of Missouri Extension, Ants (G7392); Penn State Extension, Odorous House Ant; K-State Research and Extension, Winged Ants or Termites (2025); K-State Research and Extension, Ant and Termite Swarms (Kansas Bugs, 2019); Utah State University Extension, Pavement Ants.
Are ants harmful?
Disease
K-State says ants spread no diseases (MF3291)
Stings
Some kinds bite, and little black ants can give a small sting; thief ants and larger yellow ants do neither (MF2887)
Some kinds can infest food (University of Minnesota).
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Ants (MF2887); University of Minnesota Extension, Ants.
Seen a trail?
Text Donnie a photo.
It tells him whether it's something to jump on or not a concern at all.
Take a clear photo of a few of them, with a coin beside them for size if you can.
Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.
Where do ants come in from?
- 01
The nest, in the lawn
Most house ants nest outdoors, in the soil or under boards and stones. K-State says an infestation can often be traced to the lawn.
- 02
Cracks they come in by
Cracks and openings in the foundation and walls.
- 03
The food on the counter
Crumbs, grease, scraps, and food in open or partly open containers.
- 04
Wall voids by pipes
Odorous house ants sometimes nest indoors, in damp wall voids near pipes, heaters and toilets.
Worth knowing in Kansas
Under the slab
Ants nesting under concrete slabs may need a professional (MF2887).
Which ants?
K-State's list of Kansas nuisance ants includes little black, thief and larger yellow ants. It does not name the odorous house ant or the pavement ant, so the sizes, smells and grooves given for them come from Wisconsin, Penn State, Missouri and Utah State.
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Ants (MF2887); Wisconsin Horticulture, Odorous House Ants; University of Missouri Extension, Ants (G7392); Penn State Extension, Odorous House Ant; Utah State University Extension, Pavement Ants.
What can I do about ants myself?
What K-State and other extension services suggest.
5steps
Tick the ones you're already doing.
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); University of Minnesota Extension, Ants; UC IPM, Ants (Pest Notes 7411); University of Missouri Extension, Ants (G7392).
What doesn't work
Spraying the ants you see. K-State says insecticides can reduce ant populations indoors but are seldom effective in eliminating colonies unless the nest is treated. Missouri Extension says that if you kill only the workers, the queen makes more.
Worth knowing
Treating outside
K-State says a lawn treatment may solve the problem (MF3291). It says a chemical barrier “can be applied around the outside of the house as a temporary but effective treatment.” UC IPM says, though, that “on occasion, barrier sprays make the situation worse by trapping ants indoors.”
Know the ant
The right bait depends on the species (MF2887). Odorous house ants usually take sugar-based baits (Wisconsin Horticulture).
Indoor products
Anything used inside should be a ready-to-use product made for indoors, used the way the label says (MF2887).
What does Donnie do about ants, and what does it cost?
Price · ant work
$125–165
a one-time visit. No contract.
Quarterly · $140 a visit*
Monthly · $120 a visit*
*For a home that's $165 one-time.
Donnie works alone, so it's him at the door on every visit. Most visits are booked within a week.
See every priceArrival · A window of about an hour; he texts when he's on the way
Paying · After the visit: card, Venmo, cash or check
If pests come back · Text Donnie. He talks it through and tells you before he comes whether a return visit costs anything.
No contract
You pay for each visit.
Same-day reply
Mon–Fri 8–5
Licensed in Kansas
In Wichita since 1992
Text or call Donnie
(316) 681-2255
Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.