Are Odorous House Ants In Irvine Dangerous?
31 / Aug / 2020
How good is your sense of smell? Can you pick up the fragrance of a rose from a block away, are you able to tolerate being in the same room with a pet that was sprayed by a skunk, or are you somewhere in between? If your nose is more sensitive than most, you should have no problem smelling the pests we are talking about today.
Although not as intense as skunks, odorous house ants are smelly pests that cause more than a stink around the home. The question is, how dangerous are they, and what is the best way to prevent them from invading? We have your answers here.
What You Need To Know About Odorous House Ants
From a distance, odorous house ants look like any other common home-invading ant. They are black or brown, one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an inch long, and have the typical three body segments you are used to seeing. The only significant difference is that their abdomen is uneven and crooked. With close inspection, this one detail will give these smelly pests away.
When crushed, odorous house ants produce a scent often likened to rotten coconuts. As infestations grow within a home’s walls, this scent will become much more noticeable, even to those who don’t have a good sense of smell.
Odorous house ants live primarily on a diet of protein and sugar; this includes pretty much all of the food inside your cabinet, pantry, and fridge. When searching for food to feed their colony, these pests will look for anything easy to gather like crumbs under your couch, a pie left out on a countertop, or food from your pet’s bowl. Odorous house ants will even search for food inside trash cans.
Problems Odorous House Ants Cause
Thankfully, odorous house ants are not dangerous pests and aren’t known to carry diseases like some of their close relatives. What they are known for is contaminating food. When these pests infest homes, they don’t discriminate on where they go or what food they crawl through. Needless to say, if you enjoy your food without ants on it, these pests are the last creatures you want inside your house.
Why Odorous House Ants Invade Homes
Odorous house ants don’t just invade homes to find food. They will often come inside to avoid inclement weather or to find a reliable source of moisture. If your home has leaky pipes, broken gutters, sources of standing water, left out food, or crumbs around, these pests will be much more likely to invade.
Prevention Tips For Odorous House Ants
Odorous house ants require two things to cause problems around your Irvine home; a way in and a good reason to stick around once inside. The more you limit their access to your home, water, and food, the less like you will be to have a problem with these pests. We recommend starting with a thorough cleaning of your house. Once your home is clean, practice storing leftover food inside airtight containers. You don’t want ants finding anything to eat if they come indoors.
To stop odorous house ants from coming inside, make sure to seal up your home’s exterior completely. Use a caulking gun to fill in gaps and cracks in its foundation, repair or replace window and door screens that are damaged, and make sure all of your door sweeps and weatherstripping is in good condition.
The most important step in odorous house ant prevention is quality ant control. If you are looking for a reliable pest control provider in your area, look no further than Malang Pest Control. Our expert team has what it takes to guard your home against all sorts of common invasive pests, including odorous house ants.
Call us today or reach out to us through our website to find a plan that best suits you and your home’s individual needs. Learn more about our Irvine, CA pest control services.