# little black ants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-black-ants/556978 "2010-10-13T09:26:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-black-ants/556978/1 "2010-10-13T09:26:39Z")
Do little black house ants cause any damage to a house? I have noticed as the weather turns cooler, several ant trails in different areas of the house, mostly around and in the kitchen sink and bath tub. These ants are very small about the size of the exclamation point without the dot. (!) I have been told they are just getting water for their colony. That don’t bother me, what I am concerned about is, will they cause damage to the house? Damage being : eating the wood ; boring holes in the walls and supporting beams. Stuff of that nature. I have checked a few sites and wasn’t able to get a grip on that, just how to kill them. If they they cause no damage I will be content to live and let live.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-black-ants/556978/2 "2010-10-13T10:11:11Z")
Your instinct to live and let live is probably a good one. They’re almost certainly harmless, and they might even be beneficial in keeping away other less desirable ants. > [@](#): > > _Monomorium minimum_ workers feed on honeydew, and scavenge dead insects and other arthropods, usually during the warmest part of the day. When foragers find a suitable item, they recruit nest mates by releasing a pheromone. Once recruited, groups of workers cut up larger items or cart away smaller ones. > As described in the book, when workers of _M. minimum_ run into other ant species that scavenge dead arthropods, the _minimum_ workers raise their gasters, vibrate and release poison gland secretions to chase away any rival ants. This behavior is called “gaster flagging.” > For a little ant, they pack a big punch. _Monomorium minimum_ colonies can invade imported fire ant, _Solenopsis invicta_, colonies and take over. > [http://blog.wildaboutants.com/2010/01/30/little-black-ant-monomorium-minimum/](http://blog.wildaboutants.com/2010/01/30/little-black-ant-monomorium-minimum/) ---
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-black-ants/556978/3 "2010-10-13T22:37:00Z")
thank you voltaire for your reply ---
**Author:** ![kun11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@kun11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kun11)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-black-ants/556978/4 "2010-10-13T22:46:11Z")
I don’t know if they’ll do any long-term damage or not but I had the same problem. The ones I had were called Pharaoh ants. We were not quite as zen as you and had them exterminated. The exterminators put some jelly-like substance (pet friendly) around our apartment and left a few traps. After a few days they were no more. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-black-ants/556978/5 "2010-10-14T01:28:50Z")
I had some of those guys along my northeastern wall over the summer. I put some diatomaceous earth along the baseboards and windowsills, and they were gone from the kitchen. A couple months later, they showed up along the windowsill in the bathroom. I spotted them as they were carting away a dead fly. About 12-20 of them were working together to lift/drag the fly away! I was fascinated by the process for about 5 minutes, then I smooshed them all. Found the crack where they had come up between the glass blocks and caulked it. What stymied me was that I’m 40 feet up. I always had considered ants to be a ground-floor problem. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-black-ants/556978/6 "2010-10-14T09:08:05Z")
This method works to rid your home of ants without killing them. Observe the ants for several hours or perhaps even days. Don’t take your eyes off them for a second! Identify and capture the strongest ant. This is usually the most vocal ant who constantly boasts about all the weight he can carry. Water-board it 287 times while repeating, “Take that you little bastard!” Release the ant. The ant will return to the colony and warn the others that a crazy person lives there and the ants, peace loving creatures that seek balance in their life, will leave because they’re right; you are crazy. See?