Nothing ruins a picnic like finding ants crawling all over your food. Because they live in colonies, where there is one, there is about 1,000 more! They can be a difficult pest to get rid of. A common ant to invade homes is the odorous house ant. A-Tex Pest Management is here to help you identify and prevent an invasion of the odorous house ant.
What Do Odorous House Ants Look Like?
Odorous house ants are a common ant found in and around homes. It is actually ranked as one of the most common pests in the United States. The odorous house ant is quite small measuring 2.4 to 3.3 mm long. They are black and have an unevenly shaped thorax. The most distinctive characteristic of the odorous house ant is the foul odor they emit when they are smashed. Some people say it smells like rotten coconut and others say it smells like blue cheese. Either way, the smell is less than desirable.
Where Do Odorous House Ants Live?
The odorous house ant can be found both outside and inside your home. If they are found outside, they usually build shallow nests or are found under rocks, logs and other items like that. During the rainiest months of the year, they usually seek for shelter indoors to avoid getting flooded out. They are often found near leaky plumbing, beneath the floor, and other small crevices. They can actually thrive in a variety of places. This is what makes them such a common pest.
What Do Odorous House Ants Eat?
This pesky ant feeds off of honeydew, a sugary waste substance left behind by other insects like aphids. They also eat insects, seeds and nuts, and other plant secretions. They have a rather sweet tooth, and prefer sweet foods. If they are found indoor, they will most likely be looking for foods that are high in sugar such as honey, jams and jellies and fruit juices. They will also eat many other foods including vegetables, meat and greases.
How to Tell You Have an Odorous House Ant Infestation
The odorous house ant lives in colonies much like other types of ants. Their colonies can have hundreds of ants with one queen or thousands of ants with numerous queens. They are known as a polygamous colony and many other types of ants are not. They go seeking for food in trails. Because they work in trails, these trails are visible. If you notice trails around outside you know you have a problem. Because one colony can have so many ants within it, if you have a colony nearby you will most likely see ants. They are often seen walking in a perfectly straight line.
How Do You Prevent & Get Rid of Odorous House Ants?
The key to avoiding the infestation of the odorous house ant is cleanliness. Be sure you home is free from crumbs and other food substances these ants might come looking for. Keep your food stored in proper containers or zip locked bags. This can help your home be as unappealing as possible. Outside it helps to keep your yard free from accumulations of tree leaves and logs that they might build their nest under. Keep your wood piles neat and tidy. Make sure there aren’t any branches and vines touching your home. This can create an entry spot for them to invade your house.
Ant Pest Inspections, Treatment Control & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park Texas
If you notice these ants inside or outside your home it is wise to call an exterminator right away. Because they often have multiple queens a colony can get out of control very quickly. A-Tex Pest Management can use the proper skills and tools to eliminate the odorous house ant problem you are facing.