{"id":8443,"date":"2020-01-01T12:46:34","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T02:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ppmmagazine.com.au\/?p=8443"},"modified":"2022-10-06T10:36:02","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T00:36:02","slug":"ant-identification-is-the-key-to-customer-satisfaction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/pest-control-ants\/ant-identification-is-the-key-to-customer-satisfaction\/","title":{"rendered":"ANT IDENTIFICATION IS THE KEY TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wendell Arnett<\/strong>, territory sales manager for Bayer, outlines the steps needed to correctly identify a pest ant species.\u00a0<\/em>
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When it comes to ants, customers have good reasons for relying on professional pest managers to resolve the issue. They may have tried and failed to deal with the ant infestation themselves, or are simply overwhelmed by the scale of the problem. Whatever the reason,\u00a0a thorough and effective ant control job will ensure customer satisfaction, build business and enhance your company\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n

With hundreds of ant species in Australia, each with their own behaviours, it can be challenging to get on top of ant problems, especially if you are new to ant management. Correctly identifying the species and so appreciating their specific characteristics and behaviours will allow the correct treatment regime to be implemented.<\/p>\n

Understanding the anatomy of an ant is the first step to identifying the different types of ants.<\/p>\n

Take a close look at the characteristics of the pest species. What colour are they? Do they have a shiny appearance? Are there any unusual features? Use this information to narrow down the likely species. One of the key physical features that can be used tell species apart is the petiole. All ants will have either one or two nodes on the petiole, which is the slender \u2018waist\u2019 between the abdomen and thorax (although the shape can vary between species). Figure 1 below groups some of the common species into one-node or two-node ants.<\/p>\n

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One-node ants<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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Two-node ants<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Argentine ant (Linepithema humile<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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Big-headed or coastal brown ant (Pheidole megacephala)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Black house ant (Ochetellus glaber<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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Pavement ant (Tetramorium caespitum)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Carpenter ant (Camponotus <\/em>spp.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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Pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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Red imported re ant (Solenopsis<\/em> invicta<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Black crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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Bull ant (Myrmecia<\/em> spp.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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White-footed ant (Technomyrmex albipes<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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Meat ant (Iridomyrmex<\/em> spp.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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Green-head ant (Rhytidoponera<\/em> metallica<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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