The sugar ant is a pesky bug that commonly enters dwellings. The smelly house ant, also known by the scientific name Tapinoma sessile, is a nuisance that can enter homes in large numbers in search of food, especially after rainy weather. They seldom bite and lack venom.
Sugar ants are tiny and don’t pose any risks, but their persistent lines, massive populations, and appetite for sweets can be a pain, especially if your home or neighborhood is prone to persistent sugar ant issues.
What Kind of Ants Do You Have in Your House?
Ants may be quite difficult to recognize, and there are many different kinds that could appear inside your house (or automobile). A microscope and a skilled eye are sometimes the sole reliable tools for identification. Even if you see ants scavenging for sweets, it doesn’t always mean you have a sugar ant infestation.
The following features apply to sugar ants:
- Tiny, 2.5-3mm long, and colored from black to brown.
- possess 12 unique antennae segments that when crushed provide a characteristic,
- “rotten-coconut” odor.
Remember that it’s quite simple to identify ants incorrectly. Despite having these traits, sugar ants (also known as odorous house ants, or OHAs), are frequently mistaken for other species. It might be preferable to get in touch with a local Integrated Pest Management pest treatment business if you want a firm identification (IPM). They can offer guidance on the most effective course of action and assist in identifying the problem.
4 Ways How to Get Rid of Sugar Ants in Your Home
Consider the past pest activity at your house. Has sugar ant infestation on your home persisted year after year? If your property has a persistent interior ant problem, sealing up gaps and crevices is particularly crucial.
Limit Your Food Sources
Eliminating potential food sources that pests might be able to access is a crucial element in any pest management program.
As their name suggests, sugar ants have a serious sweet taste. They will go to great lengths to find the sweetest possible threats. If you see sugar ants in your house, be careful to clean up any food spills right away and completely to prevent food accumulations that can draw in additional ants.
Honeydew, which is abundant on the branches of deciduous trees where aphids are plentiful and create plenty of honeydew for ants to enjoy, is a favorite food of sugar ants as well. Ask normal pest control companies whether they provide dormant oil treatments in the winter. These remedies can lower spring aphid numbers, which in turn lowers ant activity nearby.
When sugar ants (odorous house ants) discover a food supply, they let the other ants in the colony know that it has been positively recognized. Try to follow an ant trail that is particularly thick as it moves inside to determine what they could be eating. Even a few crumbs under the couch might be the cause.
Use ant temptations
Over-the-counter sprays should never be used to control sugar ant activity, however TERRO stations and other over-the-counter baits are OK. It’s important to realize that while baits may not be powerful enough to eliminate an entire colony, they may be quite useful for keeping ants away from busy areas.
In order to draw ants to them, baits are designed to be tasty. When selecting a location for your ant bait, keep this in mind. For instance, if you notice ants following on your countertops, look around and attempt to identify where they are coming from. If you find that they are coming from beneath the sink, locate your station there rather than on the countertop, where ants might gather food scraps.
Employ a Specialist
Sugar ants are a developing kind of ant, therefore if chemical treatment is required, it’s crucial to engage a qualified expert. A specialist will not only be able to positively identify the ants you are dealing with, but they will also be aware of the particular items to employ (or not to use).
Make careful to set reasonable goals. It can require more than one treatment to get rid of sugar ants if you sprayed an over-the-counter repellent without realizing it or if the problem is really bad.
Be relentless
Have ants started to appear inside your house recently? If so, there could be several reasons. Has it been raining recently where you live? Did you water your garden too much? Foraging for honeydew is a common activity for sugar ants outside. Ants are expelled out of the soil by rain or watering, and honeydew is removed from the nearby plants. As a result, sugar ants could move inside in quest of food.
Wait till the weather dries out a bit and make sure your unwelcome ant visitors don’t have access to any food sources. This ant activity can be transient and disappear on its own.
Several simple, low-risk methods are available to help stop indoor ant problems. Before anything else, caulk up any cracks and fissures around your house, especially where. Sugar ants have been found to trail.
Reduce potential food sources, such as crumbs from sugary foods, as much as you can. The number of sources of honeydew accessible to sugar ants in the spring will be decreased by having a local pest management firm treat for aphids over the winter. In order to keep ants out of busy places, conceal bait stations there.
Choose a reputable local pest control provider if you believe your house needs long-term ant management. In accordance with the biology of the pest(s) present, they will create a strategy tailored to your property’s requirements.
