Odorous House Ants
What are odorous house ants?
Odorous house ants are a very small species of ant that have the ability to produce a very big smell. Adults grow to between 1/16th and 1/8th of an inch in length and range in color from dark brown to black. Like other species of ants, odorous house ants have six legs and an oval, segmented body. When you look closely at this species of ant from their side, you can see that their thorax is unevenly shaped.
Why do I have them?
Odorous house ants are often found living outside, nesting in areas of exposed soil or underneath piles of firewood or other organic debris. When outside, they prefer to feed on honeydew (a substance produced by aphids and mealy bugs). These ants may find their way inside accidentally while foraging for food sources, or they may enter homes and other buildings purposely if the ground they are living in becomes too saturated with water after heavy rains. Once inside, they will nest in warm, moist areas including behind walls that are near hot water pipes or hot water heaters and in laundry rooms.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Odorous house ants are not a dangerous species of ant because they aren’t known to spread diseases, and they do not bite or sting people. However, when they invade homes and other properties in large numbers, they can become quite a nuisance, are difficult to eliminate, contaminate food sources, and create an unpleasant odor.
There are many DIY products on the market to “eliminate ants”, but the truth of the matter is that these products are mostly ineffective, they are often not used correctly, and they do nothing to solve the root of the ant infestation. By not solving the ‘why’ of an ant infestation, a re-infestation is very likely to occur. Also, many of the products at big box stores can be very harmful to people and pets if not used or mixed correctly. The best solution to an odorous house ant infestation is to contact the ant control experts here at American Pest; our professionals can eliminate any sized ant infestation from Washington, D.C. area properties, and we can keep them from returning.
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At American Pest, we pride ourselves on our speed and level of service. For that reason, we make every effort to make sure we can serve you the same or the very next day.
Every product used by American Pest has first been extensively tested by the EPA and registered for pest control use. Only then do we apply it following a strict set of guidelines for use around humans and pets.
Odorous house ants and ants, in general, are very difficult pests to prevent. They can enter inside through very small spaces that you may not know even exist. However, there are some steps that you can take around your home and property to help prevent an odorous house ant infestation.
-Make sure that outdoor trash cans are stored away from the outside of your home and that they have tight fitting or locking lids to keep out foraging ants.
-Place woodpiles off the ground and away from the outside of your home.
-Trim back trees, bushes, and shrubs away from the exterior of your home.
-Seal cracks and crevices in your home’s foundation, along with the spaces around utilities and pipes that enter your home.
-Install door sweeps underneath all exterior doors and caulk any gaps around windows and doors.
-Routinely wash dirty dishes, quickly clean up spills and crumbs, and store food in the refrigerator or in air-tight containers.
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“American Pest service technicians are always willing to take their time and listen to concerns, answer questions and crawl around checking out areas that may show signs of intruding insects or rodents.”
“I wanted to write to say how impressed I am with your entire crew and the general way you operate. Everyone who entered my home was sympathetic, sensitive, competent, and respectful. I think what stands out was the way your company understood, and expressed in its own way, the psychological damage that bed bugs inflict.”
“Everyone at this company is wonderful to work with – whether it’s customer service, billing, technicians and even the web team! I love this company!”
“I called American Pest because of an ant problem but they wound up treating so much more. Great conversation with the main office and the tech who came to the house was incredibly punctual, courteous, extremely knowledgeable/excited about his work. Happy to say I no longer share the house with ants or any other insects!”
“Excellent service!! Our rep was great, answered all our questions, and explained things well. Had a lot of spiders and other crawlers; nothing since our service!! Would highly recommend!!”
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