|
|
|
Odorous House Ants
Characteristics
Size: About 1/8-inch long.
Color: Dark brown to shiny black
If crushed, the workers give off a rotten
coconut odor, hence their name. Often, just by pinching one ant between
your fingers will allow you to get a "quick ID" just by the distinct odor.
They become a nuisance when they make their way into our homes. Especially
and most commonly into our kitchens and bathrooms where they are foraging for
food and water.
Habitat and Behavior
This species is common all over the United States. These ants
nest outdoors under items on the ground, within landscape mulch, beneath loose
bark on trees, under ground cover, in potted plants, and within piles of items,
such as lumber, firewood, or bricks. Nests may readily be established inside
homes, in walls, beneath carpeting, and other suitable voids or spaces.
Odorous house ants may develop huge colonies containing thousands of workers
and numerous queens. One key to controlling this ant is by locating their
colonies and subcolonies on the exterior,
and treating them directly with an insecticide. Regular inspections and service are necessary to find
and treat new colonies as they move in from neighboring properties.
Top of Page
Control
These are tuff ones. We are constantly doing battle with
odorous house ants. They can be especially difficult to control because
they establishes
multiple subcolonies and may nest in such a wide variety of sites. The keys to control
are to find the
colonies and subcolonies and treat them directly.
Termidor SC
Since it has been around, Termidor has been
proven to be the most effective and fastest at completely
eliminating problem ant populations. It is really changing
the way pest management professionals are
approaching ant control. Chances are that the ants in your
house actually have their nest outside, in a wall, or under a slab or sidewalk.
They
travel back and forth for food and water. Termidor Ant Control is
applied to the exterior foundation walls of your house,
creating a treated area of protection. In the past several years, the professional pest control
industry has been revolutionized by new control
technologies, especially in the area of non-repellents
or 'undetectable' liquid treatments. Unlike older
insecticides, un-detectables can't be smelled,
tasted, or even felt by pests. So they crawl through
the treated area, not knowing that by ingesting treated materials or merely contacting the
insecticide, they'll die.
Termidor is unique because ants not directly
exposed to the Termidor-treated area will be controlled
as they come into contact with affected ants.
This 'Transfer Effect' means you'll see its effects
on ants in one to three days, and most species will be
controlled within the first week following the treatment.
Sold in a convenient 20 oz. container. A .06% solution will yield 24
finish gallons of Termidor mixture. A little more expensive, but totally
worth it. To order your Termidor, Click Here!
 Colonies living in
the soil or under items such as stones or logs should be treated by drenching
them with a residual insecticide such as Tempo,
Demand, or Suspend. For added control on the exterior, use a hand held spreader to apply a
pesticid e granular product such as Talstar Granular.
Using this product will allow you to get complete coverage to hard to reach
ground areas, and in mulch or rock areas that liquids may not reach. It is
a sand-like granular that will filter down into those
areas where ants are likely to be harboring.
If you know with some certainty where the colony is living inside, then you can treat them directly by drilling
a small hole into the wall void at the base of the void (directly above the
baseboard) and injecting a dust such as Delta Dust,
Drione, or Borid Turbo.
If you are not sure where they are in the wall, or if you
think that they may just be coming in from the outside, then a bait would be
advised!
 Baits such as
Advance Carpenter Ant Bait Granular,
Maxforce Granual,
Maxforce Gel,
Gourmet Ant Bait Gel, or
Gourmet Liquid Ant Bait Stations can be applied to
areas where ants are foraging.
Gourmet Liquid Ant Bait Stations
The use of indoor bait stations such as the ANT CAFE'S will preserve and
protect baits.
Recommended Ant Bait Kit:
Small
Household Ants- Regular Kit
 Use the Crusader to apply your dusts or baits
into those tight spots or hard to reach places. Note: Use
only one crusader for each formulation. You don't want to contaminate your
bait with an insecticide.
Use the B&G Bulb Duster
to assist in your granular or dust application
FOR ONE OF OUR ANT BAIT KITS, CLICK HERE!
Tips On Baiting Ants!
Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies
as they move in from neighboring properties. These perimeter treatments can keep
your home or business pest free. We suggest a regular treatment on the exterior
with Demand, Tempo, or
Suspend.
General tips for limiting ant infestations include:
-
Eliminate piles of lumber, bricks, or other debris that could serve as a nesting
site for
ants.
-
Keep landscape mulch less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away
from
foundations.
-
Ensure the sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the
foundation.
-
Seal as many cracks in the building's exterior as possible.
-
Keep tree and shrub branches cut away from touching the building
(especially trees from a neighboring property that may have an infestation)
-
Consider re-landscaping to avoid using plants that are prone to aphids and
similar
insects. At the very least, treat such plants for aphids regularly.
Top of Page
|
|
View All Of Our Ant Control
Products Here
Order Your "Field Guide to
Structure Infesting Ants" Now. |
