It is truly astonishing just how many ants are alive on this planet. There are more than enough ants to outnumber humans many times over, and they exist all over the world, save for the frigid continent of Antarctica. Among the most common ant species in the United States is the odorous house ant, whose dark-colored workers only grow to around 1/8 of an inch in length. Despite their size, these bugs are notorious for getting into human homes and causing a terrible odor, which they are sure to leave behind if squished.

Odorous House Ants: Nuisance Or Threat?

For some pests, determining if they’re a nuisance or a threat is fairly easy and consistent. Cockroaches are threats. Crickets are nuisances. Ants aren’t as easy to categorize. With over ten thousand ant species roaming this planet, it’s only natural for some to be nuisance pests, while others are legitimate threats. The odorous house ant gears more toward the nuisance side, as they pose little direct risk to human health or property.

Indirectly, the odorous house ant does still pose a risk to you and your family’s safety. Like almost every ant species, they love to forage food from humans for the good of their colonies. They are known for their foul odor, but are also particularly dirty ants, meaning they are likely to contaminate any surfaces they touch with bacteria harmful to human health. If they end up crawling over your food or preparation surfaces, your family faces consuming these same dangerous contaminants.

Tips For Preventing Odorous House Ants In Your Baltimore Home

Sure, the odorous house ant isn’t as dangerous as, for example, the home-eating carpenter ant, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a proper pest treatment plan. Need some help putting yours together? Look no further! Take a few tips from the experts at Pest Czar for preventing these obnoxious intruders in the future:

  • Keep your kitchen clean. Even if your kitchen is clean, it doesn’t mean it can’t still provide sustenance for wandering ants. Perhaps there are spare crumbs lying around that you have missed in the past, so faint in smell that only a hungry ant can pick it up. Scrub your kitchen thoroughly and regularly.
  • Store food properly. Removing food smells will take more than just a strong scrubbing. Any dry food kept free in your cupboards can be appealing to ants. Seal all food in airtight containers.
  • Control moisture issues. After you take away sources of food, you must also reduce sources of moisture. If there are leaky faucets or similar sources of moisture nearby, don’t hesitate to fix them.
  • Close off access. You don’t want ants wandering freely into your Baltimore home, but you might be allowing just that with the free space available under every door frame. Remove access by installing door sweeps around the property.

Any species of ant is hard to get rid of, especially on your own, and the odorous house ant is no exception. If you want to keep your Baltimore home smelling clean and ant-free, contact the professionals at Pest Czar for unrivaled service and treatment strategies specialized to your property and situation.