The Bigheaded Ants (sceientifically; Pheidole megacephala) is classified as one of the top 100 “World’s dangerous” invaders including in businesses and homes.
The Bigheaded Ants will get into your house to forage for water and food through the seams and cracks around the doors and windows or on the house foundation.
But are the Bigheaded Ants really a risk or nuisance to humans? Well, yes…here’s why; First, the ants will leave extensive debris and dirt in the house to feed their colonies. Also, the ants will scavenge and forage persistently both outside and inside the house.
Details: How to Rid Your Home of Big Headed Ants
Identify the Big Headed Ants
This reddish-brown to light-brown ants have 2 workers; the Minor workers (measuring 1/16th Inch and with a smaller head) and the major worker ant (measuring 1/8th Inch and with a large head).
- Misidentification of the ants may make you choose to use an inappropriate ant-control method.
However, the large-sized head will mainly help identify most of the Bigheaded Ants – especially being that its head is very big compared to the rest of its body.
- Further, these Bigheaded Ants are mainly found in Hawaii, Florida, and Australia; they’re black to reddish-brown and their antennae are segmented.
The Pheidole megacephala is classified to be in the Formicidae family.
You’ll find it commonly in Australia (coastal brown ant), and the big-headed ant (USA). The ant species is described as being very invasive and they pose a great risk to the Australian native ants.
- These ants live in small colonies and will build their nests in well-shaded and open places – and rarely will they build such dwelling under stone or logs.
In addition, you’ll find the nest of these Bigheaded Ants in the soil below landscaping beds and shrubs. The soil nest has many tiny particles that’ll form into some crater mounds.
Inspection for Big Headed Ants
Following the confirmation that the ants are truly Bigheaded Ants, you’ll require to undertake a thorough ant inspection on your property – see the cost of an Ant Exterminator Cost.
In this time, you’ll thus require to pinpoint exactly the places that those Bigheaded ants could be hiding or also the objects and location that could have been infested; which means you’ll realize the places to concentrate the ant treatment.
Inspect Areas?
For the Bigheaded ants, you’ll require to inspect the outdoor spaces since these species don’t colonize the indoor areas.
- Therefore, I would recommend that you inspect thoroughly under the general clutter, leaf litter, yard debris, bricks, stones, logs, near trees, and the yard.
- Additionally, inspect other areas like the driveways, areas near the house slab, and around the pavement.
Check for crevices & cracks in these structures that could point to areas that some Bigheaded ants could use as an entry to your spaces.
Away from the outdoor spaces, you’ll also need to inspect some indoor spaces such as bathrooms, basements, attics, and kitchens.
- While at it inspect under various appliances, door frames, around window frames, on and near countertops.
Signs of Bigheaded ants
The signs to look out for while inspecting for the Bigheaded ants include ant colonies and the foraging (food hunting) trails and then follow these to where the pests are hiding.
- Notably, the Bigheaded ants are mainly underground and thus you may require equipment or tools that’ll help you dig out the soil or debris such as around the driveway or pavement.
Finally, after you’ve seen where the ants are hiding, this will now be a great time to maximize using the chemical ant-treatment options available.
Treatment and Control Options for Big Headed Ants
The treatment and control of the Bigheaded Ant will require you to use various chemical, DIY, or even natural methods.
- However, it’s important to observe safety while treating the ants. For example, wear appropriate PPEs and follow the various product cautions and instructions of applying the ant-treatment products.
As noted above, the Bigheaded Ants will mainly colonize the outdoor areas but it’ll be important to treat the indoor & outdoor spaces too.
To effectively treat your spaces for ants, I would recommend that you include Supreme IT and Bifen LP Granules for the outdoors.
- Also, include Ant-Trax Ant and Fipro Foaming Aerosol to treat the indoor spaces for ants.
1. Treating Ants in Outdoor Spaces; Include Supreme IT
I recommend including the Supreme IT chemical in your ant-treatment regimen – this chemical allows easy drenching of the ant colony as well as creates a barrier in the yard and for your house and other structures.
- Supreme IT for treating ants is known to hold a long residue effect – which is outlined to be about 90 days. Further, the product will kill insects and repel others including the Bigheaded ants.
To create a viable ant-treatment remedy using Supreme IT – you’ll require to mix a gallon of 1 ounce of the chemical with about 1 gallon of water and this will help you control the Bigheaded Ant in an area measuring about 1,000 square feet.
- But you’ll need to calculate and determine how much of the Supreme IT you’ll require to mix depending on the footage of the garden to be treated for ants.
- For example, if the yard area to be treated for ants is less than 1,000 square feet, then you’ll need to mix less than 1 ounce of the Supreme IT.
Remember to apply the Supreme IT mixture on foundations, around yard perimeter, and also to spray on crevices & cracks, plumbing or electrical penetrations, around pet houses, garage doors, rain gutters, soffits, eaves, near gates, door frames, and window frames.
2. Use Bifen LP Granules
The next chemical is an insecticide and it’ll treat the various yard insects such as ants.
- The chemical also has a long residue effect – which is around 3 months and you may distribute it all over your garden.
On the amount to apply, you’ll require Bifen LP in the amount of 2.3 pounds to treat ants in an area of about 1,000 square feet of your yard.
- For the tools, you’ll need to use some hand spreader or the push spreader to apply the Bifen LP.
You may spread the Bifen LP around the trees and flowerbed – the tools will assist in spreading the chemical all over the yard, backyard, or garden.
However, if the yard area is smaller, you’ll require to determine the amount of the Bifen LP that’s appropriate for that space to effectively exterminate the ants.
3. Use Ant Gel Bait (Ant-Trax) and Fipro Aerosol
The Ant-Trax and Fipro Aerosol ant treatments will be effective for controlling ants that are foraging actively – especially in indoor spaces.
One key advantage of these ant treatments is that they’re slow-acting.
- Thus the ants will carry them on their body back to their nest where they’ll exterminate their colony.
The Fipro Aerosol will be easy to use since it comes in a foaming nature and thus its ingredients will reach very deep places that other pesticides would not.
You’ll just need to inject that Fipro Aerosol (using a syringe) into the crevices and cracks where there is the notable activity of the Bigheaded Ant.
3. Use Ant Baits like Ant-Trax
The Ant-Trax will attract and bait the Bigheaded Ants – it’ll be easy to use since you’ll simply need a syringe to apply.
- The ant-control product has a formula that allows the pest to carry the chemicals back to the colony nest – which will finally make the ant population die due to poisoning.
So, you’ll simply require to apply some pea-sized Ant-Trax in places where the ants trail and areas like behind appliances, on countertops, door frames, and around window frames.
However, avoid cleaning off the ants that die from the Ant-Trax or Fipro since the pests will require to come into contact with the chemicals and carry them into their colony nests.
- Therefore, I recommend you allow about 1 – 2 weeks after applying Ant-Trax or Fipro before doing a thorough cleaning.
Conclusion
Notable places that’ll require treatment with Fipro Aerosol include the crevice, crack, baseboards, under sinks, near door frames, & window frames.