Moisture Ants
Another very common local ant, moisture ants are usually found in the soil, where they make their colonies in rotting wood. The workers are all the same size (about 1/8 “). In the most often seen species, the workers are a gold/yellow color; in other species, they may be reddish or brownish. Moisture ants are rarely seen foraging on the surface, usually confining their activity to dark, hidden places.
Although they are strictly speaking a wood-destroying insect, moisture ants are much less significant than others, since the only wood they will damage is wood that has already been damaged beyond repair by rot. When moisture ants are found in structural wood, therefore, the most practical solution is to fix whatever is allowing water to get to the area and replace all of the rotted wood, thereby eliminating the habitat for the ants. If enough ants are in the rotted area, insecticide could be applied to lessen the numbers as the repairs are done.
Moisture ants may also become a nuisance pest when their mating flights are occurring. During a mating flight, hundreds (and maybe thousands) of winged males and females emerge from the colonies and fly away. If a detachment makes a wrong turn and emerges inside a building, it can be more than a little alarming. This behavior is corrected by the application of a standard insecticide wherever they are emerging, and/or by chemically blocking the ways they get to those areas – this would depend on the location.
