Odorous House Ants
Don’t wait for Odorous House Ants to take over your home. A qualified service technician at Speedy’s can determine the correct ant species and determine the best course of action to eliminate and prevent them from re-entering your home.
Description: Odorous house ant workers are 1/16th" to 1\8th "and coloration is brown to black. The thorax has no spines and the petiole has one segment which when viewed from above is hidden by the rest of the abdomen. There is a slit at the tip of the abdomen instead of a circlet of hairs. The best identifying characteristic is the "rancid butter" smell produced when the ants are crushed; hence their name. When alarmed, the workers scurry around with abdomens raised in the air.
Biology: These ants swarm to mate from early May through mid- July, They also mate within the nest, forming new colonies by " budding"off the original colony. A colony has approximately 10,000 workers and several queens. each laying one egg per day. Developmental time from egg to adult is 34 to 83 days. However, during the winter, it may take six to seven months. There are several generations per year. Workers and queens live for several years.
Habits: Odorous house ants often nest outdoors beneath stones and logs and within the nests of larger ants. They also nest indoors in walls or floor voids, around heat sources such as hot water pipes and heaters and crevices around sinks and cabinets. They travel in trails and prefer sweets, although they eat almost any household food. They usually invade structures during rainy periods after honeydew on plants has washed off.