Local ant information

Ant control in Virginia

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

Ants in Virginia: what to know

Around Virginia

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 Virginia: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which ants actually live in Virginia, 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 Virginia

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.…
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…
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 Virginia

Fire ant activity peaks spring and fall; Asian needle ant workers active March–late October (Clemson).

Virginia is on the APHIS list of states with imported fire ant infestations, and Clemson documents the Asian needle ant from Virginia.

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

Explore Virginia cities

Alexandria

Humid Subtropical · urban setting

Ant control in Virginia

Ants in Virginia: what to know

Around Virginia

Where the trail leads

A useful next step

Ants in Virginia: what the public record shows

Ant species recorded in Virginia

When ants are busiest in Virginia

For context, nationally

Explore Virginia cities

Alexandria

Blacksburg

Charlottesville

Chesapeake

Danville

Fredericksburg

Hampton

Harrisonburg

Leesburg

Lynchburg

Manassas

Newport News

Norfolk

Petersburg

Portsmouth

Richmond

Roanoke

Suffolk

Virginia Beach

Winchester

Ask about ant control in Virginia