We came across this helpful article on TheSpruce.com. You can see an excerpt below or check out their website for the full article!
Have you ever stepped on or otherwise crushed trailing ants, smelled a strange odor—a bit like rotten coconuts? If so, it is probable that those ants were odorous house ants—and you can understand how they got their name!
Odorous House Ants can be found trailing through kitchens in homes all across the U.S. This ant is most likely to enter homes after heavy rains when it is attempting to escape flooding of its shallow nest. Odorous house ants are tiny—but fast. They usually travel in lines, but if they are disturbed or alarmed they will run around erratically—releasing their odor as they run. Some people have also equated their odor with a sort of a strange pine scent, though rotten coconuts are the most frequent association.
Small Ants in Your Home
But their foul odor is not the only unique thing about these tiny ants. They move their homes so often that if they were winged, they could have their own frequent flier program. During the summer, these ants will move their nests as often as every three weeks, and that’s not easy to do when you have thousands of ants and multiple colonies in each nest!
Some odorous house ants do have wings for a very short time. In the spring or early summer (depending on the geographic area), these ants will swarm to breed. After mating, the female may return to the colony to lay her eggs or may venture out to start a new one.
At only about 1/8 inch long, this dark brown or black ant is especially attracted to sweets, such as fruit juices and pastries, but it will also eat a variety of foods, including meats and pastries. And it can nest just about anywhere; under stones, logs, mulch, or debris; in the nests of birds or mammals; and inside homes, in walls, window frames, and insulation.
The Spruce – Odorous House Ants – Full Article Here
If you are dealing with an Odorous House Ants infestation we can help! Give Northwest Pest Control a call today and we will come out and eliminate the intruders and help prevent them in the future!