Odorous House Ants

As one of the many different species of ants that you can find in your Arizona home or business, odorous house ants are tiny ants that can nevertheless pose a big problem. Odorous house ants are so named because of the stench that is released when crushed. This smell is not dissimilar to rotten coconuts, which is why odorous house ants are sometimes called “coconut ants.”

Odorous house ants are primarily interested in sweets. They naturally feed on honeydew—the sticky secretion from aphids as a byproduct of their munching on plant sap—but they are equally fine with invading your home in search of sugary substances in your kitchen. If you’ve got an odorous house ant infestation, don’t worry—Burns Pest Elimination is here to help. You can also read more about odorous house ants below. 

How to Identify Odorous House Ants

As one of the most common ants in Arizona, it’s a good idea to be able to identify odorous house ants. 

• Size: odorous house ants are on the small side, and usually don’t grow any larger than 3.5mm in length
• Color: odorous ants can be found in multiple shades of the dark brown-black color spectrum
• Shape: odorous house ants have an uneven thorax, but otherwise have few distinctive body shapes

Of course, the single most distinctive feature about odorous house ants is the smell that emanates when you crush them. When in doubt, crush one in your home and keep your nostrils prepared for the rotten coconut smell. If you smell it, then you’ve got odorous house ants. 

How to Prevent Odorous House Ants in Arizona

To prevent an odorous house ant infestation in your Arizona home, the most important thing to do is ensure that your home is free of easily accessible food and drink. Additionally, you’ll want to examine your property and patch up any cracks that might function as an open door to the tiny odorous house ants residing in your yard. 

If you do find a parade of odorous house ants in your home, clean up whatever they’re eating and be sure to thoroughly wash the trail that the ants are taking, which will slow future invasions.