Acid-Spitting Mound Ants In Michigan Will Destroy Your Yard

If you've ever woken up to find that your garden looks like an episode of CSI: Ant Edition, you more than likely have an Allegheny mound ant issue. Orkin says these tiny pests, whose scientific name is Formica exesetoides Fore, are found in Michigan and have but two desires in life: to build huge sand pile homes for their over 250,000-member family and to destroy anything that comes close to it with the acid they spew from their little mound ant bodies. Terrific!

How to Identify Michigan's Most Destructive Ant Species

Mound ants are reddish-orange and black bugs, between 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, that construct massive sand hills that appear in open fields, forests, and even your backyard. These mounds can grow to six feet wide and nearly three feet tall with tunnel systems that run six feet underground.

RELATED: The 'Toe Biting' Giant Water Bug: Michigan's Largest Insect

Solidified Pest Control reports mound ants, unlike your typical, friendly-ish pavement ants, aren't coming for your picnic or into your home for table scrapes, but they will demolish any plant life that dares to cast a shadow over their home.

Formic Acid: Mounds Ants Weapon of Choice

What makes Allegheny mound ants unsettling is their use of formic acid to destroy plants and inject into any creature that comes close to their home with a stinging bite. They will take down trees, shrubs, and anything green near their mounds.

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According to the Michigan State University's (MSU) Extension Office, smaller plants die instantly, while trees may require multiple attacks before they fall. If your once-thriving yard is covered with resin-filled blisters, congrats, you've got an Allegheny mound ant problem.

How to Wage Battle with Michigan's Mound Ants

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Unfortunately, mound ants are the worst squatters, as they are incredibly difficult to evict. Here are your options:

1. Cut off their food source: Mound ants feast on aphid honeydew and insects. If none are around, they might move on to your neighbor's place.
2. Disturb the mound: If you have time, patience, and tolerance for acid-filled bites, then constantly knock over their hill (use a plow if possible; you don't want these ants in your pants).
3. Use insecticidal dust: I didn't even know 'insecticidal dust' existed, but you can find it at Meijer. Sprinkle this around and inside the mound to tick them off. It will take multiple dusting, but they may pack up eventually.
4. Drown the mound: Grab a shovel and a gallon of liquid insecticide, tuck in your socks, and be ready to run. Allegheny mound ants don't take kindly to demolition.

To put it plainly, Michigan's mound ants aren't just a nuisance; they are a landscaping nightmare. If you find them on your property, settle in for the long haul because you have a long, hard-fought battle ahead. Good luck.