Small sized ants:
(Inside and Outside)
Large sized ants:
(Inside and Outside)
More Links
| |
| |
|
This native species,found throughout the United States, produces a foul odor when crushed.It smells like a "rotten coconut".
Odorous House Ant (Tapinoma sessile)
APPEARANCE:
The workers are about 1/16-1/8" (2.4-3.25mam)long There body is brown to black.
The antennae have 12 segments.
REPRODUCTION:
Females in the nest lays one egg daily. It takes an average of 24 days
for the young to reach adulthood.
The nest colonies range from 100 to 10,000 ants,
but can be driven away by invading Argentine ants.
INSPECTION:
They forage day and night
The nests can occur in a great variety of situations.
Inside, these ants usually construct their nests in wall voids
especially around hot water pipes and heaters, in crevices in sinks,
cupboards, etc.Outside, they are found in exposed soil, usually shallow,
often located beneath a board,brick , stone walk, etc.
They are most likely to enter buildings when their honeydew supply or
sweet supply of food is reduced such as during rainy weather
or with leaf fall in the autumn.
DIET:
They can feed on anything..insects, honeydew,seeds,
plant secretions, but do prefer sweets.
They are extremely fond of honeydew and attend such honeydew-excreting insects
as plntlice(aphids),scale insects, mealybugs, etc.
ANT TRAILS:
An excellent article(click on the PDF button-the top right corner
of the document)by Univ. of Florida Extension Service can be found at
.
It gives an overview of management with baits.
WHY ANT BAIT?
The use of residual
sprays or dusts will cause stress on the colonies,
causing them to split
into sub-colonies that scatter to other areas in the structure.
This is also called budding.
After spraying, your problem can be worse than at the beginning.
When you bait, you will want a slow acting bait. Quick kill insecticides
and baits will only kill the foraging ants, not allowing the foraging ants
to take the bait back home to feed the queen,nest workers and brood.
If the current ant bait that you are using is not acceptable to the ants,
if they are not visiting the bait, it is recommended that you change the baits.
Ants require carbohydrates-sugars, proteins and greases.
They find a variety of these sources in nature.
Examples are: other insects(proteins and greases), nectar, aphid honeydew ,
plant products(sugar and carbohydrates)
Choosing a ant bait would require knowing what they are currently feeding off of,
according to the nutritional needs of the colony.
To be sure that you have all the ant baiting needs met, you may want to be ready
with a sugar-carbohydrate bait, a grease-fat bait, and a protein based bait.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REMOVE ANY OTHER FOOD COMPETITION WHEN BAITING
AND LEAVE THE BAIT ALONE ONCE THE ANTS START FEEDING ON IT.
RECOMMENDED ANT BAIT PRODUCTS AND TREATMENT :
Baiting would be the preferred treatment over
typical residual spraying,
so you can eliminate the entire colony.
The recommended products for the protein/grease eating cycle would be:
The recommended products for the sugar eating cycle would be:
-
-
-
-
is an excellent choice for the outside , feeding all their dietary needs.
-
Ant bait stations such as :
small or large plastic cubes (that snap shut )that keep the gel or dry granulated bait inside, may serve to keep the baits intact.
|
|
