Ant Anthem

Ants got nodes, ants got queens, ants got colonies deep Omnivores mostly — interview first, then treat Identify the species or the treatment's gonna fail 72 questions on ants — let me tell you the tale First rule of ants — count the nodes on the pedicel One node or two nodes — get it right and do it well Carpenter has one node — smooth thorax, big in size Argentine, field, and crazy — one node, no surprise Pavement, pharaoh, and thief — they ride with two nodes each Pavement's got grooves on the head — that's the feature in reach The acrobat has two nodes, pedicel attaches high On the upper part of the abdomen — that detail don't lie Crazy/long-legged — yellowish, brownish, reddish tone Circle of hairs at the tip of its abdomen — now you know Pharaoh is yellow-gold with a reddish-brown rear Two nodes on the pharaoh — and twelve segments on its antenna, hear? The harvester has two nodes — it's the one that rarely invades It makes the biggest crater — western harvester gets the grade Carpenter is the largest ant in the whole California state Smooth rounded thorax — one node — don't confuse its fate Carpenter ants live in moist wood — wall voids and the attic too They swarm in the spring — and do NOT eat wood — they chew it through Find them where dead tree trunks and stumps are sitting near the home Overhanging tree limbs touching roofs — trim 'em back, they'll roam Treat carpenter voids with dust — that's the formulation right An open window brings 'em in — seal it up tight They go up in attics adjacent to heating pipes — that's the odorous one wait— Odorous house ant heads to heat, smells like rotten coconut when it's crushed — get it straight Argentine ants nest in moist soil next to food and water They're the most common household pest in California — no quarter Treat 'em in the early morning, use a perimeter barrier spread They enter through cracks in the slab — that's how they get ahead Argentine trees — check the base and trunk — you know the reason why? Argentine ants feed on aphid secretions — that's the tie They've got multiple queens, four stages of development in their life One node on the Argentine — and they spread without a fight Pharaoh ants love kitchens and bathrooms — warm and humid zones They bud into satellite colonies when you spray — leave 'em alone Only use baits on pharaoh — liquid and dust make it worse They require transportation into the home — that's their curse Imported red fire ant — ID it by the mound in soil They kill off queens for maximum mating — part of their royal toil They invade water boxes — and they're the most problematic pest If wind causes drift near the foundation — rod method is best Harvester ant has two nodes — it's the one that rarely invades Has an aggressive painful bite — the velvet tree ant gets the same grade Thief ant — two nodes, often mistaken for pharaoh — small and gold Use exterior ground and residual barrier for thief — now you've been told Pavement ants move inside in winter near a heat source — true They've got grooves on their head — two nodes — that's how you construe Leaf cutter ants frequently lay their eggs in feces — that's the fact Acrobat ants defend with a repulsive odor, bite fierce — that's their act Odorous house ant is often mistaken for the Argentine It does defend its colonies with odor — the false answer's in between Get 'em out of the wall with boric acid dust in voids Plus barrier treatments on the outside — deploy First step in ant control? Interview the customer — that's law Then identify the species — misidentification is the fatal flaw When treatment fails it's misidentified ant, wrong dose, wrong area hit Non-acceptance of bait, competing food source, customer feedback — that's it Baiting only for pharaoh — spray and they scatter wide Boric acid works the slowest — lets the foragers carry it inside The colony dies from within — slow kill is the goal Carpenter ants respond to insecticide baits — that's the control If an ant walks across chemical, what kind of poisoning hits? Stomach — because each ant grooms itself once it enters the pit Treat surfaces, environment, amount of infestation — read the label too Long-term control is complete when the habitat is destroyed — that's true All ant workers are female — that fact is locked and sealed Most ants are omnivores — that's the diet revealed The majority of ants can be considered omnivores — say it again Ants, bees, and termites — caste systems — that's the order's zen Bait for Argentine, pharaoh, pavement, and thief — standard four Argentine can have multiple queens — one more thing to store Carpenter swarms in spring, control ends when habitat's destroyed Every species, every node count, every treatment — now deployed Ants got nodes, ants got queens, ants got colonies deep Omnivores mostly — interview first, then treat Carpenter's one node, pharaoh's got two — bait it solo Pass the exam — you got the ant facts — let's go! Drop the mic.