Protect your Home from Odorous House Ants
Take Back (Ant) Control
Ant colonies are cute when they are in your child’s ant farm, but not so cute when they are running around your kitchen.When you see ants, you may head to your local retail store and pick up a bunch of “ant traps.” Before you get in your car, consider this – most ant traps sold at retail stores only kill the ants that enter the trap which is only about 10% of the colony. The other 90% are performing other tasks in the colony. Therefore, many store bought ant traps do not eliminate the colony.
Odorous House Ants
The most common household ant is the odorous house ant. Their colonies consist of multiple nests and contain multiple reproducing queens. They can be found in a huge diversity of habitats, including houses. Odorous house ants are very tough and can continue living and working while injured. The queen can survive without food or water for over two months. They are very tolerant of heat and cold and leave a smell when killed, hence the nickname stink ant.
Odorous house ants are scavengers and will eat most household foods, especially those that contain sugar. They will colonize in your home near heat sources and have been found in indoor plants and other moist areas. They are more likely to invade homes after heavy rain.
Carpenter Ants
The most destructive ant is the carpenter ant. Carpenter Ants can reside indoors and outdoors. In the home, carpenter ants are often found nesting in window sills and frames, roof eaves, decks, and porches.Most often, carpenter ants are found where there is moist wood.
Carpenter ants are nocturnal and therefore forage at night in search of dead insects and organic matter to eat. Contrary to popular belief, carpenter ants do not actually eat wood because they are unable to digest cellulose. They create tunnels and nests within in the wood often causing as much damage as termites.