How to Get Rid of Sugar Ants

The odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile), sometimes known as the stinky house ant, is a non-venomous insect that can penetrate dwellings in huge numbers in search of food, particularly after rainy weather.

In spite of their small size and lack of risk, sugar ants can be a nuisance, especially if your home or area is prone to ongoing sugar ant difficulties. This is because of their steady lines, enormous numbers, and sweet tooth.

What is Sugar Ant?

Small black ants known as sugar ants, also known as banded sugar ants, are unique to Australia and are native to that continent.

The pavement ant and the pharaoh ant, both common household ants, come to mind when we hear the term “sugar ants.” Pharaoh ants are yellow or light brown, but pavement ants are black or reddish brown with pale legs.

These ants are drawn to sweets, as well as to all kinds of sugary foods and leftovers. They also consume proteins, lipids, and pollen from plants in addition to other insects. When they locate a food source, they bring food back to their nest for the colony as a whole.

What Do Sugar Ants Look Like?

Ants can be quite difficult to identify, and there are many different kinds that could appear inside your house (or car).

A microscope and a skilled eye are sometimes the sole reliable tools for identification. Even if you see ants scavenging for sweets, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a sugar ant infestation.

Sugar ants have the following characteristics:

little, 2.5–3.25mm long, and black to brown in hue
possess 12 unique antennae segments that when crushed provide a characteristic,
“rotten-coconut” odor.

Remember that it’s quite simple to identify ants incorrectly. Despite having these traits, sugar ants (also known as odorous house ants, or OHAs), are frequently mistaken for other species.

It might be preferable to get in touch with a local Integrated Pest Management pest treatment business if you want a firm identification (IPM). They can offer guidance on the most effective course of action and assist in identifying the problem.

Types of Sugar Ants

There are various kinds of sugar ants, some of which like to reside and forage within your home while others prefer to live outdoors and come inside to eat.

Acrobat ants, false honey ants, and rover ants are examples of outdoor sugar ants. Carpenter ants, pavement ants, and pharaoh ants are some typical indoor sugar ants.

From whence do sugar ants originate?

The majority of sugar ants are exterior to your house. They can sense food and follow scent trails through cracks, crevices, vents, and other openings in your home and foundation because they have four to five times as many odor receptors as other insects.

Finding an entrance requires only one ant. An ant leaves a pheromone trail, or simple scent trail, after it locates a source of food or water for other ants to follow.

Sugar ants can also be found in your home’s existing colonies. Usually, they build their nests in quiet places like basements or inside walls.

How to get rid of sugar ants

Finding the sugar ants’ visible path will assist you find their entry point into your home and provide a starting point for remediation, so do this before attempting to get rid of them.

After finding the route and entry site, choose whether you wish to employ a natural or chemical approach. Here are a few methods of ant management:

1. Block them off

When possible, try to close any gaps that could invite pests like sugar ants into your house.

This might entail caulking in places like:

near windows
in restrooms
close to outside doors
between baseboards

Additionally, check to see if the window screens and external door sweeps are securely fastened, well-fitted, and free from damage.

Tip

Consider the history of pests in your home. Have sugar ants invaded your property year after year? If you have a persistent indoor ant problem in your home, sealing up cracks and crevices is very crucial.

Read : How to Get Rid of Wood Roaches

2. Limit Your Food Sources

Eliminating potential food sources that pests might be able to access is a crucial element in any pest control program. It is so effective for get rid of sugar ants.

As their name suggests, sugar ants have a serious sweet taste. They will go to great lengths to find the sweetest possible treats. If you see sugar ants in your house, be sure to clean up any food spills right away and completely to prevent food accumulations that can draw in more ants.

Honeydew, which is abundant on the branches of deciduous trees where aphids are plentiful and create plenty of honeydew for ants to enjoy, is a favorite food of sugar ants as well.

Ask your regular pest control company if they offer dormant oil treatments in the winter. These remedies can lower spring aphid numbers, which in turn lowers ant activity nearby.

When sugar ants (odorous house ants) discover a food supply, they let the other ants in the colony know that it has been positively recognized.

Try to follow an ant trail that is particularly thick as it moves inside to determine what they might be eating. Even a few crumbs under the couch could be the cause.

3. Bait ants with

Over-the-counter sprays are a no-no when it comes to sugar ant activity, but over-the-counter baits like TERRO stations are acceptable. Recognize that baits might not be sufficient to eliminate an entire colony, but they can be very useful in keeping ants away from busy areas.

Baits are designed to draw ants to them and are sweet. When choosing where to set your ant bait, keep this in mind. For instance, look around to see where the ants are coming from if you notice them trailing on your counters.

Place your station under the sink rather than on the countertop if you find that they are coming from there so that ants may eat the poison and you won’t have to see them in your cooking areas.

4. Hire a Specialist

Sugar ants are a developing kind of ant, therefore if chemical treatment is required, it’s crucial to hire a qualified expert. A specialist will not only be able to positively identify the ants you are dealing with, but they will also be aware of the particular items to employ (or not to use).

Make sure to set reasonable goals. It can require more than one treatment to get rid of sugar ants if you sprayed an over-the-counter repellent without realizing it or if the problem is really bad.

5. Be persistent

Have ants started to appear inside your house recently? If so, there might be several reasons. Has it been raining recently where you live?

Did you water your garden too much? Foraging for honeydew is a common activity for sugar ants outside. Ants are expelled out of the soil by rain or watering, and honeydew is removed from the nearby plants. As a result, sugar ants might move inside in quest of food.

Wait till the weather dries out a bit and make sure your unwanted ant guests don’t have access to any food sources. This ant activity can be transient and disappear on its own.

Natural Methods to Get Rid of Sugar Ants

Try the following natural home cures for sugar ant infestations if you wish to avoid using harsh chemicals:

1. The sugar ant trail can be eliminated using a vinegar solution.

Pour the liquid into a spray bottle after combining one part vinegar with one part water. Acetic acid, a component of vinegar, eliminates the aroma of an ant path and serves as a deterrent for these pests.

Spray around baseboards and all potential entrance paths and trails after determining the ants’ point of entry to stop them from moving along these lines.

After being sprayed, wipe up the dead ants with a paper towel and throw them away. Spray in the morning or late afternoon when ants are most busy to get the most out of this natural cure.

2. Around your house, scatter used coffee grounds.

Ants detest coffee’s aroma and acidity because it burns them. Around pet bowls and other areas where you want to deter ants, scatter old coffee grounds.

Coffee grounds can also be scattered about the outside of your house to keep ants out.

3. Lay down entire bay leaves or cloves.

Sugar ants are effectively repelled by the substances that give cloves and bay leaves their potent aroma. To keep ants away, scatter whole cloves along baseboards and put bay leaves under countertops.

4. Garlic hung in your pantry

Similar to bay leaves and cloves, garlic has a potent aroma that confuses ants and alters their course of travel. Garlic cloves can be hung from the door knobs and shelves of your pantry by strings.

5. Make your own natural bug repellent.

Add a few drops of lavender or peppermint essential oil to one part water, then pour the mixture into a spray bottle.

To prevent ants from appearing on your kitchen island and pantry shelves, spray the solution on those surfaces.

6. Put a DIY ant trap in place.

Place honey or corn syrup on a plate made of plastic. Ants will be drawn to the bait and become impaled by the sticky material. Throw away the dish and take the rubbish out of your house once the ants have died.

7. Around your house, scatter food-grade diatomaceous earth.

The crushed leftovers of marine phytoplankton are used to create diatomaceous earth, a fine white powder.

Diatomaceous earth used in food preparation poses no danger to people or animals, although it is lethal to insects.

Diatomaceous earth kills ants from the inside out by entering their digestive tracts. Spread the powder along the ant tracks, then remove it after a month.

Read : How to Get Rid of Swarming Termites

Pavement ants versus sugar ants

It can be difficult to identify an ant. Many ants, particularly pavement ants, are frequently mistaken for sugar ants. They are both brown and small, making it difficult to positively identify them unless you are aware of what to look for.

How can you distinguish between these pests? Nodes. Nodes are tiny bumps seen on the abdomen (back) of ants.

Pavement ants have two nodes, but sugar ants only have one. Although they are quite little and can be challenging to see, this is the simplest way to distinguish between these lookalikes. If you want to be absolutely certain, it is always advisable to acquire a second opinion.

Finally

Do you have any additional queries concerning “sugar ants” or other ant species that consume sweets? Tell us in the comments section below.