Odorous House Ants also sometimes called sugar ant, stink ant, or coconut ant, is a small species of ant that is native to North America. Their range spans from northern Mexico, the continental USA, and southern Canada.
Odorous house ants are a common house hold pest. They enter structures to forage for food, water, and heat. (Typically become apparent after strong rain storm and/or cold weather conditions). Unlike many other structural pests, house ants do not cause damage to your home but are considered a nuisance pest.
Odorous House Ants are a small species of ant that range in size between 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch in size. Though color varies they are typically black or brown in color. Their name derives from the foul-smelling odor they produce when crushed, often described as smelling like rotten coconut, leading to their common nickname, Coconut ant. Workers are fast moving and move in single file lines while foraging for food and water. Colonies are usually found outdoors under rocks, wood piles, boards, or yard waste. Their colonies also contain multiple reproductive queens that will quickly separate and reproduce if the foul-smelling odor is detected, (so don’t crush them).
House ants typically feed off of honeydew produced by aphids, nectar, rotting fruit, or anything with a sweet taste, (hence their other common nickname sugar ant).
When in structures, they are usually found near areas high in moisture, (i.e., drains, under sinks, water heaters, and dishwashers), near sources of heat, or close to sweet food sources.
