THIEF ANT INFORMATION & FACTS

Thief ants are quite small, ranging from about 1.5 to 2.2mm in length. Their colour varies from yellowish to brown. Due to their size and colour, they are sometimes misidentified as pharaoh ants. One common way to distinguish between the two is that thief ants have 10 segmented antennae ending with a two-segmented club, while pharaoh ants have 12 segmented antennae ending with a three-segmented club.

Thief ant nests can be found in a variety of outdoor and indoor areas. Outdoors, they nest in rotting wood soil and under rocks. When these ants enter buildings, they form trails from the food source to their nests. Indoors, these nests are located in small, hidden spaces, such as in cracks and cupboards.

These ants feed on food rich in protein and that are greasy, such as nuts, meats, cheese, peanut butter, and sweets.

It can take upwards of 50 days to a few months for the eggs laid by a queen to develop into an adult thief ant.

For ant removal, the best course of action is to call an thief ant pest control expert like Environmental Pest Control. You can trust that one of our ant pest control technicians will assess the situation and recommend the best solution for a thief ant infestation.