Everything You Need To Know About Odorous House Ants In Stafford

You can often tell if you have an infestation in your home by the smells pests leave behind. Cockroaches leave a particularly musty smell, and mice and rats are no different. However, most people don’t realize that ants also leave an odor behind that indicates they have invaded your home, and here in Stafford, VA, there are ants that will make their presence known by their smell.

Odorous House Ant Identification In Stafford

Odorous house ants in Stafford, VA, are known as the sugar ant, house ant, the stink ant, coconut ant, or simply, the odorous ant. This is because these ants release a distinctive “rotten coconut” smell when they are crushed. They are one of the most common types of ants to invade Stafford homes. Here are some tips to help you determine if the ants you see in your home are odorous house ants:

1. Size: Odorous house ants are on the smaller side —  they are typically 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch in size.
2. Color: Odorous house ants are either brown or black.
3. Antennae: These ants will have antennae, further distinguishing them from other ants that may invade your Stafford home.
4. Wings: Only the reproductive male and female odorous house ants will have wings. The regular worker ants you are more likely to see crawling along your countertops will not have wings, but they will all have antennae.
5. Legs: Odorous house ants have six legs.

Are Odorous Ants In Stafford Dangerous?

The good news is that odorous house ants are not particularly dangerous to humans.  It is rare, but they can bite; however, the bites are not known to be very painful. At this time, odorous house ants are not known for spreading human pathogens, but they still spread bacteria as they move about your home. Because odorous house ants are most likely to be seen in your kitchen, these ants will be crawling all over your countertops, eating utensils, food preparation areas, and the places you eat, meaning they will spread bacteria and contaminate all of these places. 

How Odorous Ants Get Into Stafford Homes

The first step to keeping odorous ants out of your home is to know all the ways that they will try to get inside your Stafford home. Here are some ways they might try to invade:

• Windows: If you have cracks in your windows or window screen, these tiny ants will crawl through in the hundreds, making their way to your kitchen and anywhere else you have left crumbs and spills. 
• Doorways: If you have doorways that leave even the tiniest of space between the door and the threshold, odorous house ants will happily sneak in under those doors. 
• Holes in roof or siding: Ants are capable of climbing just about any surface, including all over your roof and the siding of your house. If there are any holes on your roof or the sides of your Stafford home, odorous house ants will be able to easily make their way inside.

What To Do About Odorous Ants In Stafford Homes

While you can try to remove an odorous ant infestation on your own, DIY methods are typically not very effective and sometimes can even be dangerous to you or your pets. The best thing to do when you notice an ant invasion in your Stafford home is to call us at Viewpoint Pest Management Solutions.

We are a family-owned business, so we know how important it is to keep your home safe and secure from nuisance pests like odorous house ants. We have a unique eight-step plan we implement to ensure we safely and effectively remove the odorous house ant infestation, all while using as few chemicals as possible. Our expert technicians are armed with the knowledge and tools to safely and quickly get nuisance pests out of your home, and they will work with you to implement strategies to ensure they do not return.

Owning a home can be difficult and overwhelming — leave the pest control solutions to us!