Color: Brown or black
Legs: 6
Shape: Segmented; oval
Size: 1/16-1/8
Antennae: True
This ant gets its name from the strong, rotten coconut-like smell it gives off when crushed. These tiny insects range in size from one-sixteenth of an inch to one-eighth of an inch long.
Odorous house ants are fast-moving ants that forage in trails. They are drawn to moisture and sweet foods and will often invade buildings and commercial properties. They form large colonies with multiple queens, which means that they can multiply quickly and are hard to eradicate.
While these ants don’t pose a health risk, they pose a particular concern for businesses. They can contaminate food and create large infestations, and their unpleasant smell can be unwelcome.
Odorous house ants are highly adaptable, favoring moist, temperate nesting sites. Outdoors, these ants can be found nesting under rocks, logs, mulch, and general debris. Indoors, they typically nest in locations that offer warmth and moisture, including wall voids, near hot-water pipes, under flooring, and kitchen and bathroom areas.
Pests such as odorous house ants are attracted to moisture, so it’s a good idea to eliminate standing water. Proactive prevention includes trimming vegetation away from the structure, sealing foundation cracks and entry points, and moving stored materials like firewood and building materials away from the house to deny pests harborage.
Removing odorous house ants requires professional attention. Sprays and bait traps might bring some respite, but they can result in a colony dividing, causing an even bigger infestation. Pest control experts like RK Environmental, have the experience and expertise to eliminate these ants.
While odorous house ants do have mandibles, they’re too small to bite humans. These ants are non-aggressive, instead relying on their pungent odor as a strong defensive mechanism and deterrent.
Odorous house ants are foragers that prefer sweets, particularly honeydew produced by aphids outdoors. Indoors, they’ll feed on sugar, fruit juices, dairy products, meats, and grease. They are active day and night, frequently scavenging for food spills and crumbs in food preparation and storage areas.