If possible, you should have the ants identified to species because some require special control procedures. Most ants build their nests outdoors in soil. They eat a variety of things, such as flower nectar, aphid or white fly honeydew, and living or dead insects. Ants enter houses in search of food in early spring or late fall when flowers or insects are not readily available outside. Occasionally they mays seek shelter indoors when their nests are flooded.
Ants can appear suddenly.
One day you will notice them streaming all over your pet's food, and then you will open your cupboard or pantry and find them in any foodstuff that is open. You almost never see an ant by itself, they are usually in groups. Other workers follow the trail back to the food and in a very short time a large number can be recruited. Some species of ants do sting. The ants best known for their sting, the imported fire ants, do not occur in Arizona.