Eliminating Termites from Your Home

The United States is home to thousands of ant species. But one of the most annoying ant species is the sugar ant or the odorous ant, which emits a foul smell when crushed. These little black or brown invaders can become a nuisance once established in an urban environment because they often have multiple subcolonies in an area.

If sugar ants are invading your home, you can keep them away by focusing on the following areas.

Smells

Not many people know that ants can detect scents. This is how they communicate, by the use of pheromones. In fact, ants' sense of smell is so good that they can detect and are drawn to the scent of Arabica coffee. This is why ants appear from nowhere when a sugary or salty treat is around. Once one ant detects the scent, they leave a pheromone trail for the other ants to follow.

Sugar and salt

All ants need sugar and salt in their diet. Sugar contains the carbs that ants need to survive. And salt is rare in an ant's natural environment, which means a source of salt in your home could become a beacon for ants.

Water

Annoyingly, sugar ants often appear around sinks and bathtubs. This is because they need water as all living things do. And many ant species, including sugar ants, will create a subcolony in the vicinity of a kitchen or bathroom sink if they find a suitable location. This could be the case if you keep seeing ants in your bathroom.

Entry points

Ants first need to get inside your home before they become a nuisance. They only need a tiny crack to enter your home. And once inside, if your home contains the resources that sugar ants need, the pheromone trails they leave will ensure that they keep going inside your home.

Nesting sites

If your property has many good nesting locations for sugar ants, then you could have a serious infestation somewhere. Sugar ants will happily nest under bricks, pavers, wood, and other debris in a garden. And they can also use tree branches and shrubs to gain entry to a property.

If you can deal with each one of these factors, you might be able to get your ant problem under control. But if ants still keep returning to your home despite your best efforts, you probably need the help of pest control professionals. With their help, you can find out where the ants are coming from and eradicate them. Contact a local ant control service to get help.