Ola Phipps of Lady Bug Exterminating Company, Inc. sprays for ants as homeowner Wilma Dietzen watches afternoon in Chattanooga, Tenn.THIEF ANTS• One of the smallest species, thief ants measure about 0.05 to 0.08 inches long. Their antennae have 10 segments with a two segmented club. They range in color from yellowish to brown.• Their nests occur in a great variety of locations outside, especially under rocks; they also may nest indoors in cracks and cupboards.• They feed on immature forms of other ants and insects; they also are attracted to greasy or high-protein foods, such as cheese and meat, which is why they’re also called grease ants and sugar ants.• Queens lay eggs, which incubate and take 50 days to a few months to fully develop into adults.Source: Orkin.com
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If you see a little ant about the size of a baby’s freckle crawling around your kitchen, kill it (sorry, Buddhists). It’s very likely a scout out looking for food such as cheese or greasy tidbits, and you don’t want it getting back to tell others.
If you see a trail of them marching single file, too late. You have thief ants and they have set up house somewhere nearby. And there are likely thousands and thousands of them.
In either case, you should probably call an exterminator because spreading pepper, wiping down with vinegar and using spray bug killers will only work temporarily, according to experts.