Odorous House Ants

Odorous house ants and larvae

Odorous house ants and larvae – Also called “stink ants” because they smell when squished. These ants like sweets – and pet food!

Preventing Odorous House Ant Invasion

To prevent an odorous house ant home invasion it is important to keep a tidy home and to clean up after all food spills. By eliminating food and entry sources a homeowner can help to reduce an odorous house ant infestation.  When these methods are not enough, it may be best to call a professional pest control company.

Damage done by Odorous House Ants

The odorous house ant usually arrives in the home directly from your home garden. Damage occurs as the odorous house ant transports and protects aphids on garden plants.  These aphids not only feed directly on the infected plant, additionally they increase the rate of disease, and can infect a variety of species.

Controlling Odorous House Ants with professional products and technique

Odorous House ants feeding on honeydew from aphids.

Odorous house ants usually are eliminated easily with professional pest control products. Find the nests and treat them with pesticides. (Modern pesticides with “sensitive” labels can give a customer peace of mind). These nests may continue below the ground, so it is important to make sure to treat the nest thoroughly. If the nest location cannot been identified it may be beneficial to use baits to lure the odorous house ants out of their nest to indirectly get at the nesting source. In addition to baiting it can be beneficial to spray a perimeter treatment along the foundation of a home to help eliminate these pesky pests from entering the home before the homeowner is tempted to break out their own DIY pesticides.

Biology of the Odorous House Ant

Odorous house ants are roughly one eight of an inch in length. This species of ant will often nest inside of houses, usually in the wall voids and can occur in other enclosed areas as well. They are dark brown to black in color and are known for making long trails in the direction of a food source.
Odorous House ants transporting their larvae.

Odorous House ants transporting their larvae.

Homeowner’s may often be alerted of their presence by trails, or smells emanating from their nests. Odorous house ant colonies usually range in population from between 100 and 10,000 members, with several queens living in the same nest. When the Odorous house ant mashed the ant emits a rancid coconut smell. Even the smell of a single crushed ant can elicit a panic response by the colony.

The Odorous House Ant, Disease and Infection

By tracking dirt and soot on their bodies, the Odorous House Ants can facilitate the spread allergies and disease.

Odorous House Ant Food Sources

The odorous house ant’s diet comes from an assortment of sources, which can be found in the interior and exterior of a home. These ants are attracted to many household food items, such as sweets, soda, water and a variety of food crumbs. A favorite food source of this species is Aphid Honeydew. These ants have been known to protect and even transport aphids from plant to plant. Click here to see Odorous House Ants in a hickory nut

Habitat and Range of Odorous House Ants

Odorous house ants have been found to be indigenous to North America. These ants have been found to live in regions up to 10,500 ft above sea level. Exteriorly of a home, these ants will build nests in loose soil and sometimes tree bark. Interiorly, these ants like to nest in moist areas such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens near water faucets.

Customer assistance in Odorous House Ant Control

Odorous house ants often make noticeable trails which can lead a pest control technician to their nest location. By locating the source of these ants, it can significantly increase the speed and likelihood of elimination of them. Hearts Pest Management has a wide variety of integrated pest control solutions to help solve odorous house ant infestations. Click here to see odorous house ants in action in a home. For more information on ants and ant species, visit our page on Ant Control Call today to schedule service or for more information at 800-986-1006
Call Now 1-800-986-1006 or complete the form below

*
Where Captcha Goes if Used code in footer

Odorous House Ant References

Iowa State University – Odorous House Ants University of California, Davis – Odorous House Ants Wikipedia Info on Odorous House Ants Washington University Info on Odorous House Ants Bug Guide Section on Odorous House Ants
Locations
City Services for Pest Control in Los Angeles
Agoura Hills Northridge
Alhambra Pacific Palisades
Arcadia Palos Verdes Estates
Beverly Hills Pasadena
Burbank Pomona
Calabasas Rancho Palos Verdes
Cerritos Redondo Beach
City of Industry Reseda
City of Los Angeles Rolling Hills Estates
Claremont San Marino
Culver City Santa Fe Springs
Cypress Santa Monica
Diamond Bar Sherman Oaks
El Monte Sylmar
El Segundo Tarzana
Encino Temple City
Glendale Toluca Lake
Granada Hills Torrance
Hacienda Heights Venice
Hidden Hills Walnut
Hollywood West Covina
La Verne West Hollywood
Long Beach West Los Angeles
Malibu Westlake Village
Manhattan Beach Whittier
Marina Del Rey Woodland Hills
North Hollywood
City Services for Pest Control in Orange County
Aliso Viejo Laguna Hills
Anaheim Laguna Niguel
Brea Lake Forest
Buena Park Los Alamitos
Capistrano Beach Mission Viejo
City of Orange Newport Beach
Corona Del Mar Orange
Costa Mesa Rancho Santa Margarita
Dana Point Rossmoor
Fountain Valley San Clemente
Fullerton San Juan Capistrano
Garden Grove Santa Ana
Huntington Beach Tustin
Irvine Villa Park
La Habra Westminster
Laguna Beach Yorba Linda
City Services for Pest Control in San Diego
4S Ranch Rancho Penasquitos
Poway Scripps Ranch
Rancho Bernardo
Descanso Ramona
Julian Santa Ysabel
Pine Valley
Bonsall Hidden Meadows
Escondido Pauma Valley
Fallbrook Valley Center
Carlsbad Pacific Beach
Coronado Point Loma
La Costa San Ysidro
Mira Mesa The City of San Diego
Otay Mesa
Cardiff by the Sea Oceanside
Carmel Valley Rancho Santa Fe
Del Mar San Marcos
Encinitas Solana Beach
La Jolla Vista
Alpine Imperial Beach
Bonita Jamul
Chula Vista La Mesa
East Lake Chula Vista Lakeside
El Cajon Santee
Save

HP Banner

Awards

Review

Review our amazing pest
service options

You can add other problem pests to your “general pest
control” service.

Why Choose Hearts Pest Management:
Health Conscious First do no harm! Custom Built Plans Flexible Scheduling Technicians Communicative & Trustworthy Budget Sensitivity
We customize the service to your needs & pest situation.

Testimonials

What Our Customers Say
“Able, honest and extremely knowledgeable and polite. They come bi-monthly and use an organic solution to spray outside. It’s a pleasure and relief to do business with them.”
~ Carri B.
View more
“The technician Austin was on time. Very personable and explained products in detail and is very knowledgeable. Very thorough and the organic and eco friendly products were our first choice. We signed for the every other month especially for spiders and ants.”
~ Mark
View more

Pest Behavior & Solutions

Pest Behavior & Solutions

We Know About Pests, You Can Too. Visit our Pest Library for information
on the habits and habitats of some of the most common pests.

See Full List of Pest
  • General pest control and certified green pest control options:

Carpenters ants, bedbugs - separate esimate

Choose the service schedule you need:

Weekly, Monthly, Bi-Monthly, Quarterly, Reduced winter service.

See More General Pest Services

Free Inspections

Free Inspections
for Prevention & Extermination

We provide free inspections for
various complex pest control
situations. Our pest control services
are tailored to each community and
their unique micro-climates that
impact your pest control plan.

We are the first pest control company in Southern California to achieve the California EPA Integrated Pest Management Award.

  • In-door trapping
  • Out-door baiting or trapping
  • Full exclusion to keep them out!
  • Decontamination (see mites and parasites)
  • Clean-up
  • Maintenance monthly
View Our Plan for Rats and Mice
  • Indoor / outdoor eradication
  • Bee removal – hive and honeycomb
View Our Plan for Bees and Wasps
  • Monitoring
  • Commercial reporting
  • Clean-outs and maintenance
View Our Plan for Roaches
  • Comprehensive inspection
  • Written bedbug plan for owner – pest company
View Our Plan for Bed Bugs
  • Remediation / maintenance
  • Ground fumigation
  • Baiting
View Our Plan for Gophers and Squirrels
  • Single story eaves only (we do not service roofs or second story homes).
  • Full exclusion for nesting and perching
  • Decontamination (see mites and parasites)
  • Bird birth control
  • Pigeons
  • Starlings
  • Sparrows
  • Swallows
View Our Plan for Birds
  • Attic vacuuming
  • Power washing
  • Insulation removal – replacement
  • Full space area chemical fogging
  • Off-site disposal
View Our Plan for Mites and Parasites
Pest Control Product Labels & MSDS We welcome you to view pest control labels and MSDS information.