1-866-906-1780

Plunkett's

Pest Control

  • Blog
  • Employment
  • Licenses, Labels & SDS Sheets
  • Plunkett’s Grants
1-866-906-1780 Earning Your Trust Since 1915
  • Bed Bugs
    • Bed Bugs 101
    • Heat Treatment
    • K9 Inspections
  • Pest Identification
    • Crawling Insects
    • Ants
    • Flying Insects
    • Bees, Wasps, & Hornets
    • Biting Insects
    • Rodents
    • Fungi & Moisture Pests
    • Ticks & Mites
    • Stored Product Pests
    • Bug ID Help
  • Residential
    • Service Programs
    • Wildlife Services
    • Bird Control
    • Termite Control
    • Mosquito Control
    • Professional vs. DIY
    • Eco-Friendly
  • Commercial
    • Industries We Serve
    • ProGuard Program
    • Wildlife Services
    • Bird Control
    • Eco-Friendly & LEED
    • National Account Service
  • Multi-Housing
    • Wildlife Services
    • Bird Control
  • Why Plunkett’s
    • Plunkett’s People
    • Meet Your Tech
    • City & State Certifications
    • Testimonials
  • Service Area
  • Schedule Service

Schedule Service

HomePest & Insect IdentificationCrawling InsectsAnt Pest ControlSmall Honey Ants

Small Honey Ants

Close-Up of Honey Ant

The Small Honey ant (Prenolepis imparis) gets its common name from the fact that it’s small and it loves honey. That’s really all there is to it. In fact, the Small Honey ant loves honey so much that it often gorges itself on honey until its abdomen swells up. When a Small Honey ant eats its fill of honey, you can often actually see the honey inside their engorged abdomens. Small Honey ants are also known as “Winter ants,” because they tolerate cold weather very well. They live throughout the central and eastern US.

 APPEARANCE AND BEHAVIOR

Worker ants are 1/8″ long and light to dark brown. Their abdomens tend to be darker than their bodies. Small Honey ant bodies are smooth and shiny, with numerous hair-like setae dispersed over it. The thorax is slender, with an uneven profile and one-segmented waist. They don’t sting or bite.

Small Honey ants nest deep in the soil, in shady, moist areas. Occasionally they may nest under objects such as stones. Small Honey ant nests have a single central opening, surrounded by a somewhat circular crater of characteristic earthen pellets. The number of queens in a Small Honey ant colony varies from 1 to 6. It takes around 70 to 90 days for these ants to develop from eggs into adults. Swarming takes place from March to April.

Most Small Honey ant mating occurs on the ground. Inseminated females seek a crevice in the ground to start a new nest. Brood (larvae) and pupae are present into the autumn, but only the adults overwinter. During winter, workers called “repletes” gorge themselves with honey until their abdomens become greatly distended. Then, they cling to the walls or ceilings of their nests and become dormant. When the nest becomes desperate over the winter, repletes can discharge this honey as a food source.

Small Honey ants sometimes nest in soil and occasionally swarm indoors during the winter and early spring months. Small Honey ants are very cold tolerant, more so than any other structural-infesting species. Workers forage at night, during cool or cloudy days, and during rain. Foraging starts with temperatures just above freezing and peaks with temperatures of 45 to 70° F. In midsummer, they sometimes aestivate (go dormant) for 1 to 2 months during the hottest weather. They prefer high relative humidity when foraging.

SMALL HONEY ANT CONTROL AND PREVENTION

It is wise to quickly clean up food (including pet food) and beverage spills from floors, countertops, porches and decks to discourage foraging by Small Honey ants indoors and near buildings. Food items should be stored in airtight containers, if possible. Seal holes in walls, sills, and door frames with caulk, steel wool, or copper gauze. Trim back tree and shrub branches that are in contact with the structure to prevent ants and other pests from bridging.

PROFESSIONAL PEST CONTROL

Plunkett’s starts our Small Honey ant control with a thorough inspection. If we workers inside a structure, then our specialist will follow their trail back to their nests. Once we’ve tracked down the nests, we strategically place sweet liquid or gel ant baits nearby to entice the Small Honey ants into taking them back into the colonies. We may also inject nests with high-pressure aerosol directly using a 4-way probe.

Nest drenching can work, but more than one treatment is usually necessary for deeper nests. Baiting with sweet baits alone can eliminate colonies. We can also apply a residual liquid insecticide barrier around your home for long-term prevention. If you need a Small Honey ant infestation taken care of completely and permanently, Plunkett’s is the service to call.

Ready to Get Started?

Our technicians are ready to help rid your space of unwanted pests.

Schedule Service 1-866-906-1780

Schedule Service

Testimonials

You are the best vendor we deal with!  Bill, our Plunkett’s guy, is very polite, prompt, and great to work with.  Thank you for great service!
Janis D.
Want to pass on a compliment.  I know people are quick to call with complaints and not enough people call with good things. Your technician, Aaron Christopherson, is doing a fabulous job. He calls ahead and is there when he says he will be. He is a perfect example of what all service people should be like. You should be very proud to have him as a technician.
Maurice L.
Bernie Nusbaum has been our technician for 10 years; he has always been wonderful. He is trustworthy and always comes as soon as we let him know we have a problem. Many times he has come the same day we have called with our problem. He always knows exactly what needs to be done and he solves all our pest problems.
Mickie D.
I’d like to compliment the heat treatment crew that treated my townhome. They did a great job exterminating the bed bugs and everyone kept me well informed. I have a number of other properties on contract that Jon McKusick (technician) services.  Am very pleased that Jon was quick to get the whole process started.
Dave S.
I called your office yesterday morning and spoke with Cathy. She was extremely nice and very helpful. I was so thankful that Cathy was able to schedule Stephen our tech to come out to my home to remove some catches. He was able to get to my house in 10 minutes!  I am blown away at his promptness. I am so scared of mice that I was sitting in my car while waiting for him to arrive.  He was very calm, explained what he was doing, and promised that I did not, in fact, need to move. I am very impre…
Catherine T.
I just wanted to say that we had a fantastic experience with our technician, Chris, over the past month. We’ve had mice getting into our basement for two or more months, and have had other extermination companies out to try and find where the mice were coming in and they couldn’t. Chris did a very thorough initial inspection of the exterior of the house and located one definite entry point. He was very knowledgeable, personable, on time and willing to reschedule an appointment when I needed …
Debbie K.
Recently, our county changed some things organizationally which made it harder for us to keep doing business with Plunkett’s.  But, we love Joe our technician so much, we created a separate account just to keep him as our tech!  Thanks so much for the great service.
Pete M.
Want to let you know what a great technician Denise is!  I have lived in eight states in the past ten years and have had pest control service at all my homes and have had no technician that can compare to Denise. Denise is very knowledgeable, thorough, explains everything to her and, most of all, is very friendly.
Ann M.
…want you to know what a great job Scott (tech Scott Johnston) does at my home.  He is almost like part of the family.
Michelle J.
Cory (Plunkett’s tech) always goes the extra mile. Never complains and always has a great attitude! You better hang on to this one!
Marv W.

Plunkett’s Blog

where do fruit flies come from?

Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?

February 14, 2019

Bed bug prevention

Do It Yourself: Bed Bug Prevention

February 7, 2019

E-Invoice Sign Up

Facebook

Plunkett's Pest Control

3 days ago

Plunkett's Pest Control

Their mandibles can snap at 200 miles per hour! ... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook
·Share

Plunkett's Pest Control

3 days ago

Plunkett's Pest Control

Get a gig you dig, join Plunkett's today!

A job as a Plunkett's Technician will get you out and about on a schedule you design around your life with variety and room for growth, plus you get your own truck! You don't have to like bugs, you have to love people.

If you're looking for stable employment and want to make a difference with a dedicated team, then we'd like to hear from you. At Plunkett’s we offer a generous compensation package, including competitive wages and:

• Medical and Dental Insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Vacation and Sick Leave
• 401(k) Plan with Company Match

Achieve hero status with homeowners and businesses by joining Plunkett's today!
... See MoreSee Less

Video

View on Facebook
·Share


PLUNKETT'S PEST CONTROL
40 NE 52ND WAY
FRIDLEY, MN 55421

1-866-906-1780

  • Bed Bugs
  • Pest Identification
  • Why Plunkett’s
  • Plunkett’s Blog
  • Service Area
  • Schedule Service
  • Licenses, Labels & SDS Sheets
  • E-Invoice Sign Up
  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap

Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. Visit our Widlife Division: Varment Guard