Local ant information

Ant control in North Carolina

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

Ants in North Carolina: what to know

Around North Carolina

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 North Carolina: what the public record shows

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

at least 75 of our 100 counties

North Carolina counties with imported fire ants

Fire ants now reach most of the state, including Piedmont counties added to quarantine in 2019.

NC State Extension

approximately one hundred thousand workers

Workers in a single large fire ant mound

A mound two feet across can hold this many stinging workers.

NC State Extension

Ant species recorded in North Carolina

Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) — Reddish-brown stinging ant that builds hard dome mounds up to 18–24 inches high; APHIS lists infestations in AL, AR, CA, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA and Puerto Rico.…
Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) — The most common ant in and around California homes and one of the most common nuisance ants in the southeastern U.S.; forms huge multi-queen colonies in mulch, leaf litter and u…
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…

When ants are busiest in North Carolina

Fire ant control works best in spring and fall at 70–85°F; Asian needle ant workers are active March through late October with most swarming in July and August (NC State; Clemson).

The Asian needle ant is found in most of North Carolina's counties and its sting is more likely than a honey bee's to cause an allergic reaction; one anaphylaxis case was recorded in NC in 2006 (NC State; Clemson). NCDA&CS regulates structural pest control for household pests and wood-destroying organisms.

Rules that apply in North Carolina

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: NC State Extension; Imported Fire Ants; Argentine Ants (Circular 926); Carpenter Ants; Odorous House Ant (Tapinoma sessile Say), EB1550E. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore North Carolina cities

Apex

Humid Subtropical · suburban setting

Ant control in North Carolina

Ants in North Carolina: what to know

Around North Carolina

Where the trail leads

A useful next step

Ants in North Carolina: what the public record shows

Ant species recorded in North Carolina

When ants are busiest in North Carolina

Rules that apply in North Carolina

For context, nationally

Explore North Carolina cities

Apex

Asheville

Burlington

Cary

Chapel Hill

Charlotte

Concord

Durham

Fayetteville

Gastonia

Greensboro

Greenville

High Point

Holly Springs

Huntersville

Jacksonville

Mooresville

Raleigh

Wilmington

Winston-Salem

Goldsboro

Ask about ant control in North Carolina