Odorous ants are a native species found throughout the United States. The name comes from the fact that they produce a foul odor when they’re crushed that has been described as a rotten coconut smell. These ants forage day and night and nests can be found in many places. They will construct nests in wall voids, around hot water pipes and heaters, in cracks, cervices and cupboards and around sinks. They have brown to black bodies that have 12 segments. The workers are 1/16-1/8-inch in size with a colony ranging in size from 100 to 10,000 ants.
What are Some Odorous Ant Behaviors
Odorous ants can be found in shallow soil underneath bricks, boards and stone walks. Like other ants, odorous ants will lay down chemical trails of pheromones. These trails are found between nesting sites and food sources. They like to eat insects, seeds and plant secretions, but they like sweets most of all. Their favorite being honeydew, which is why they can be found around insects that secrete honeydew like aphids, scale insects and mealybugs. They will come into buildings when their honeydew and sweet food supplies start to dwindle due to natural occurrences, like rainy days and leaves falling in autumn.
How to Get Rid of Odorous House Ants
Baiting is the most effective way to get rid of odorous ants instead of using residual spray because it’s the most reliable way to get of the whole colony which is very important with odorous ants. Another reason that ant baits are the best way to go is residual sprays and dusts can stress the colony out. This will cause them to split into sub-colonies and scatter. This is also known as budding and will cause the numbers of ants to multiply, making your ant problem worse. It’s very important to locate trails and place bait around them when it. Slow-acting baits are a good option because quick-acting baits will only kill the ants you see foraging. This doesn’t allow the worker ants to take the bait back to the nest for the queen to eat along with the nest workers and the rest of the brood. If you notice that the ants aren’t visiting the bait you have placed out, you will need to try another kind. Slow-acting baits come in a variety of foods that are found in nature and appealing to ants. These baits can work better at certain times because the nutritional needs of the ants change, so to make sure you’re ready, have a sugar/carbohydrate-based bait, a grease/fat-based bait and a protein-based bait on hand. For ant baits to start working right away, make sure you remove all other food competition when using baits and don’t disturb the baits once you see that they’ve stating feeding on it. Only use repellant spray if you’re treating the actual nest.
Odorous Ant Inspections, Treatment, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park Texas
It’s best to locate nests as soon as possible. Waiting too long to take care of the problem will make an infestation harder to control. These ants are known to spawn satellite nests or colonies around a new food source, so getting rid of them before they have a chance to do this will reduce the overall frequency of any sightings around your home. These satellite nests can also form when inexperienced homeowners try and take care of the problem on their own. Trying to do it yourself will cause problems to get worse because of the repellant nature of the products used. Contact A-Tex Pest Management when you’re dealing with odorous house ants.
