How to Get Rid of Odorous House Ants: Comprehensive Guide

If you've ever been unfortunate enough to have an infestation of odorous house ants, then you know just how frustrating and difficult they can be to get rid of. These little pests are notorious for invading homes in large numbers, and their smell can be quite overwhelming.

In this comprehensive guide, we will teach you everything you need to know about odorous house ants. We'll start by discussing how to identify them, and then we'll move on to prevention methods and removal techniques.

If you're having issues with ants, your friends at Zunex Pest Control are here to help. Servicing the Greater Puget Sound area, we offer a wide array of pest control options for the modern homeowner. Contact us today for a free consultation call.

How to Identify Odorous House Ants

There are several ways to identify odorous house ants. One of the most obvious is their size. Odorous house ants are much smaller than sugar ants, measuring only about ⅛ of an inch in length. 

Because of their small size, when they swarm together, it becomes slightly difficult to make out individual ants. Don't expect to be able to just stomp on them like you could with other species of ant. However, don’t be scared of these tiny ants. Although they can do some serious damage to your home, they generally do not bite humans. 

They are typically light brown or black in color and have a glossy appearance. Another way to identify odorous house ants is by their unique, pungent odors. These ants produce a foul-smelling substance that smells like rotting cabbage or coconut. This odor is produced by a gland located on their abdomens, and it is used to communicate with other members of their colony, and to discourage predators.

If you think you may have odorous house ants in your home, the best way to confirm this is to contact a professional pest control company. They will be able to properly identify the species of ant and develop a treatment plan accordingly.

How to Keep Odorous House Ants Out of Your Home

Now that we've discussed how to identify odorous house ants, let's talk about how to prevent them from entering your home in the first place. There are several things you can do to deter these pests, including:

• Keep your home clean and free of food debris. odorous house ants are attracted to sweet foods and will often enter homes in search of a sugar source.
• Seal any cracks or openings in your home's foundation, windows, and doors. Odorous house ants are very small and can squeeze through even the tightest of spaces.
• Eliminate moisture sources in and around your home. Odorous house ants are attracted to moisture and will often build their nests near water sources, feeding on the dead insects that use standing water to breed.
• Trim back trees, shrubs, and bushes from the exterior of your home. odorous house ants often travel along tree branches and can easily enter your home if there are no barriers in place.
• These ants often have multiple queens and colonies that will cooperate with one another. If you can leave them food sprayed with insecticides, they might take it back to their nests and spread it throughout their satellite colonies. Talk about free shipping, huh?
• Get a pet anteater. Not exactly the cheapest option, but it might work. Maybe. 
• Use a professional pest control company to regularly treat the exterior of your home with an insecticide. This will create a barrier that odorous house ants will not be able to cross.

By taking these preventative measures, you can greatly reduce your chances of an odorous house ant infestation.

How to Remove an Infestation

If odorous house ants have already made their way into your home, there are a few things you can do to remove them. One of the most effective methods is to bait them with a sweet food substance and then use an insecticide to kill them.

Odorous house ants are attracted to sweets, so you can use this to your advantage by placing a small amount of honey or syrup on a piece of cardboard or paper. Once the odorous house ants have been lured to the bait, you can then move them outside of your home and spray them with an insecticide.

Alternatively, you may want to try consumer-grade ant traps that are commonly sold at hardware stores. These traps will often use glue to keep the ants in place for easy disposal. 

Another method you can use to remove odorous house ants is to pour boiling water directly onto their nest. This will kill the ants and prevent them from coming back for a short amount of time. When they are nested indoors, this method should only be used as a last resort, as it can damage your home if not done correctly.

While this is a safe and easy way to remove their nests outside, it will likely be easy for any survivors of the colony to rebuild not long after.

If you are unsure of how to remove an odorous house ant infestation, the best thing to do is to contact a professional pest control company. They will be able to identify the source of the problem and develop a customized treatment plan for your home.

Odorous house ants can be a real bother for homeowners, but by following the tips in this guide, you can get rid of them for good! If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact Zunex Pest Control for your ant removal needs. We have plenty of experience in taking care of these tiny, smelly nuisances. Thanks for reading!

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