What do odorous ants eat

They can also be found outside in your yard. The biggest threat that these tiny ants pose is the contamination of food. What makes your home and particularly your kitchen the perfect destination for these stink ants is that it is full of the sweet and sticky food they crave.

Odorous house ants carry diseases that are harmful to humans including E. At Pegasus Pest, we recommend that you always keep your food locked away in airtight containers.

These ants are fast, rushing quickly towards the scent of any sugary foods. Their bite strength is nothing compared to that of the carpenter ant. Like most common pests, the odorous house ant is after two things: food and water. Your house is the perfect haven for them to set up shop with an abundance of both within reaching distance. They can make their way into your home through windowsills, cracks in screens, and even under doorways. As they are very small, even the slightest opening can result in an odorous house ant infestation.

Stink ants also have the ability to scale trees and if any branches are within touching distance of your home, it could provide an easy access point. Odorous house ants prefer to eat sugary and sticky foods. Their preferred food source is honeydew, which is supplied by aphids.

That is why they protect aphids out in the wildlife. But if there is a shortage outside they will make their way into your home. If there are no sugary foods available they have no qualms about feasting on meat, raw vegetables, and pastries, dairy products, and even other insects.

Remember, they are both predator and scavenger so they can become an ominous presence when it comes to other pests. Yes, there are some odorous house ants that have the ability to fly. These winged ants move their nests quite frequently sometimes as much as every 3 weeks.

Females that have the ability to fly can swarm off and mate, starting new colonies in new areas in and around your home. The obvious sign of an odorous house ant infestation is the smell. Stink ants will emit the scent of rotten coconut when they are crushed or if they sense danger and run erratically to safety. For some, the smell is of sweet old pine but rotten coconut is the most common complaint.

The first step in ant control is keeping the ants out of your house in the first place. To keep ants out of your home :. When using any pesticide, always thoroughly read and follow all label directions and safety precautions. Keep all pesticides out of reach of children and pets. Miner, A. Tapinoma Sessile Odorous House Ant. Alder, Patricia and Waldvogel, Michael. North Carolina State Extension, Pest Control and Pesticide Safety for Consumers.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. There is no circle of hairs at the anal pore. A distinctive characteristic of this species is the rotten odor when crushed. Smith, USDA. Odorous house ants can develop extremely large colonies but tend to maintain colonies of only several thousand workers with many queens.

Winged reproductives appear in May through July. Workers are very active and move rapidly in single files. They mostly prefer sweets but will also feed on dead insects and grease. Nests are typically found outside under rocks, boards and the like, but can also nest within structures.

Colonies are from hundreds to many thousands of individuals in size. Odorous house ants will nest indoors near sources of moisture and warmth, in voids, but also in termite-damaged wood. Their ability to feed on many types of food brings them into conflict with us when they contaminate stored products in the pantry. Control of foraging odorous house ant workers can be accomplished through the use of baits. The workers carry the baited material back to the nest, eliminating the colony. Many different types of bait are available to the homeowner in this regard.

However, baits containing hydramethylnon, fipronil or boric acid are slower acting and do not kill the workers before they have had a chance to share the baits with the queen and developing immature ants.

Choose baits designated for sweet-loving ants. Place the baits in areas where ant activity has been observed and make certain that children or pets cannot reach them. Maintain sufficient amount of baits to satisfy the colony by replacing used baits.