You wake up in the morning to enjoy that first cup of coffee before anyone else is awake, but you notice you are not alone, you see a line of ants traveling through your kitchen; game on ants! You pick up ant traps after work and place them in your kitchen. The ants are all gone, right? Wrong! Three days later they are back, there are more, and now they aren’t just in the kitchen, you are finding them wandering around your bathrooms, basement, and even in the closets. Why are ants so difficult to control? Why are they so annoying? Why are they so maddening? The answer to all these questions is simple because they are- ants, and ants are annoying, stressful, and extremely difficult to eliminate and control without professional help. For professional ant control in North Texas, trust Adams Exterminating Company, we have the experience, dedication, and modern tools needed to eliminate any size ant infestation from any size property, stopping the madness that they can cause once and for all!
If you are experiencing an ant infestation in your North Texas home, there is a good possibility that they are odorous house ants. Odorous house ants are fairly tiny in size, growing to only about 1/8th of an inch in length; they are dark brown or black in color and have an oval segmented body. But, the most likely way that you are going to be able to identify them is by the very unpleasant odor that they emit after they are squished. The odor is likened to that of rotten coconut and is not something that you want to have in or around your home for any period of time.
Odorous house ants aren’t considered to be a dangerous ant species, mostly because they aren’t known to transmit diseases to people, nor do they bite or sting. But, even though they might not transmit serious diseases, they will contaminate your food sources, utensils, food prep areas, and other surfaces in your home with bacteria and other things as they travel along them. Odorous house ants inside of homes and other buildings are typically going to be found inside wall voids, underneath the flooring, under sinks, around pipes, and behind large appliances. One of the main reasons that odorous house ants are so difficult to control is because these ants lay down scent “trails” from their nest to food sources in order to help other ants find food. This scent trail is why one day you may be seeing a few ants and within just a few days hundreds; traveling in lines all over the surfaces of your home.
- Odorous house ants like other species of ants enter into your home from the outside in order to find food, water, and shelter sources. By following the following prevention tips you can help to prevent these ants from being attracted to your property while searching for their basic needs of food, water, and shelter.
- Fix areas around your home that may allow these pests inside. Seal cracks found in the exterior walls and foundation; caulk gaps found around windows and doors, add door sweeps underneath all exterior doors, and seal gaps found around pipes and utilities entering your home.
- Make sure that all outdoor trash cans have locking lids to keep odorous house ants from foraging for food inside of them.
- Trim back trees and bushes from the exterior of your home; this can help prevent the ants from using their branches as their own personal highway into your home.
- Limit their food and water sources by fixing any leaky pipes, faucets, or fixtures; and store veggies, fruits, and sweets in the fridge or in containers with air-tight lids.
In conjunction with the above tips, the best way to prevent problems with odorous house ants and other common household invading pests is to put into place a year-round pest control service. At Adams Exterminating Company we will quickly eliminate any current problems you are having with odorous house ants in your North Texas home and then provide the routine services needed to prevent them from ever becoming an issue in your home again! Give us a call today to learn more about our year-round residential pest control plan.