The key to exterminating ants is to kill the entire colony. If you just spray the ants you see, more ants will continue to reappear in search for a source of water and food that they can bring back to share with the queen and other ants in the colony. Combat® products provide the source kill you need and are a guaranteed solution! Use Combat® Source Kill Max Ant Baits in common areas where you see ants and Combat® Ant Killing Gel in cracks and crevices or places where ants might enter the home. Click here to learn more about how Combat® works to kill at the source.
Odorous House Ants live throughout the United States. They tend to be less common in desert environments.
Odorous House Ants are medium-sized ants, approximately 1/8 inch long. They are uniform brown to black in color. They can be identified by the rotten coconut odor they release when crushed.
These resourceful ants live in various nesting sites, usually outdoors. They will make shallow nests in stacks of materials, such as wood, rock, or cardboard or under rocks or boards. When nesting indoors, they usually locate the nest near sources of water; for example, in the kitchen and bathroom.
Odorous House Ants feed mostly on sugar water in the form of nectar from plants and honeydew from plant-sucking insects such as aphids, scales, and mealybugs. They also feed on both live and dead insects. They forage for food both day and night.
To help protect your home from invasion, keep plants and piles of debris (where odorous house ants like to nest) at least 1 foot away from your home. Seal exterior cracks where ants could enter. To discourage ants from coming indoors, repair water leaks, do not over water plants, clean up food spills, store food in tightly-sealed containers, and don’t leave pet food out.
