Local ant information

Ant control in New York

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Ants in New York: what to know

Around New York

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

Where the trail leads

Look for the rooms and outdoor areas where you regularly notice ants. Food, water, and small openings are useful things to mention when asking for help.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to know the ant species before getting in touch.

Local research

Ants in New York: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which ants actually live in New York, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

Ant species recorded in New York

Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) — Large black or bicolored ants (1/4 to 1/2 inch) that excavate moist or decayed wood for nests rather than eating it; indoor nests are usually satellites of an outdoor parent col…
Odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile) — Small (1/16–1/8 inch) brown-black ant that smells like rotten coconut when crushed; found throughout North America with the widest range and greatest ecological tolerance of any…
Pavement ant (Tetramorium immigrans (T. caespitum)) — Small dark-brown ant (about 1/8 inch) with grooved head that nests under sidewalks, driveways and stones and piles soil at nest entrances; the most common pest ant in and around…
Asian needle ant (Brachyponera (Pachycondyla) chinensis) — Small (5.0–6.5 mm) stinging ant present in the U.S. since the 1930s but recognized as a pest since 2006; nests in damp leaf litter, logs and under stones, does not trail, and it…

When ants are busiest in New York

Carpenter ant reproductives leave nests in spring or early summer; pavement and odorous house ants swarm May–July (Penn State; Univ. of Minnesota guidance for the same species).

Cornell's Ants in Houses fact sheet lists carpenter ants, pavement ant, and odorous house ant as the most common species found in Northeast houses, with cornfield, yellow, acrobat, thief, little black and pharaoh ants also frequent indoors. NC State lists New York among states with Asian needle ant records. NY DEC certification is required to apply any pesticide commercially.

Rules that apply in New York

Pesticide Applicator/Technician Certification (New York State DEC)

For context, nationally

more than 367 million acres — Acres infested by imported fire ants. USDA APHIS
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Puerto Rico — States and territories with imported fire ant infestations (APHIS). USDA APHIS

Sources: USDA APHIS; Carpenter Ants; Odorous House Ant (Tapinoma sessile Say), EB1550E; Pavement Ants; Asian Needle Ant Around the Landscape and Home. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore New York cities

Albany

Humid Continental · urban setting

Ant control in New York

Ants in New York: what to know

Around New York

Where the trail leads

A useful next step

Ants in New York: what the public record shows

Ant species recorded in New York

When ants are busiest in New York

Rules that apply in New York

For context, nationally

Explore New York cities

Albany

Binghamton

Buffalo

Freeport

Hempstead

Ithaca

Long Beach

Mount Vernon

New York

Newburgh

New Rochelle

Niagara Falls

Poughkeepsie

Rochester

Rome

Saratoga Springs

Schenectady

Syracuse

Troy

Utica

Valley Stream

White Plains

Yonkers

Amsterdam

Ask about ant control in New York