Odorous house ant in Home Repair & Improvement http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20415536 en Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:55:44 EDT Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:55:44 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427710 madylarian : We were told not to put large planters right on the ground, but rather to sit them up on bricks so they would not provide cover for the ant colonies. Unfortunately, Rx, they seem to be endemic in our part of the world.

mady
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Honi soit qui mal y pense]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427710 Sat, 03 May 2008 20:35:55 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427359 Rxdoxx : No help from me, just passing on some info/experience.

Two years ago, had a landscaper do some work, and she put down the 'cloth' weed block in the 2 flower beds that cover the front of the house (broken by concrete steps).
Last year saw termite swarmers and got treated. When the guy was trenching around the house for chemical, he pulled back a couple of foot section of the weedblock and it was a carpet of ants under it! I'd guess he showed me a 12 sqft area and it was solid ants.
There was a significant ant presence in the house, and I had been treating the hosta bed that runs along the side of the house (with the kitchen window) figuring the problem was there. May have been there also, and probably was part of the problem, but nothing like the ideal living conditions that were created for them along the front of the house.
Got most of the weedblock up last year, and the problem decreased considerably.
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Was a Cruise Fanatic, one cruise on Princess cured me. Bleah]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20427359 Sat, 03 May 2008 19:05:10 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20426060 aurgathor : Pharaoh's are easier to deal with.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20426060 Sat, 03 May 2008 13:47:26 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20424551 madylarian :
said by aurgathor See Profile :

Spraying the perimeter is utterly useless if they're already resident in the house. As for baits, they don't work too well with well established odorous ant colonies, unless you can pinpoint all their locations. And when you "see the occasional ant", that's most likely just the tip of the iceberg.

I thought they were mostly gone until I did some work on my ceiling one day... :uhh:
Well, it's worked for me. Since we started doing both treatments I have not had the ant trails all over my kitchen counters and basement floors that I used to have. I think what we have are Pharoh/ferol/whateverthey'recalled ants. Still, I know it's an ongoing battle. They may still be in the house but as long as I don't see them....I can live with that.

mady
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Honi soit qui mal y pense]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20424551 Sat, 03 May 2008 01:48:42 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20423270 aurgathor :
said by madylarian See Profile :

They spray around the entire outside perimeter of the house several times a year as you have to try to keep the ants from getting in. They also use enclosed poison baits inside. We still might see the occasional ant but at least there are no more swarms.
Spraying the perimeter is utterly useless if they're already resident in the house. As for baits, they don't work too well with well established odorous ant colonies, unless you can pinpoint all their locations. And when you "see the occasional ant", that's most likely just the tip of the iceberg.

I thought they were mostly gone until I did some work on my ceiling one day... :uhh: ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20423270 Fri, 02 May 2008 20:06:58 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20419419 madylarian :
said by aurgathor See Profile :

I've had them before, and they can be exceedingly difficult to get rid of without a full house fumigation. They're fairly small.
We've been fighting them for years. They are usually found around water, so we most often see them in the bathroom and kitchen. We've has to contract with an exterminator who comes around on a regular basis. They spray around the entire outside perimeter of the house several times a year as you have to try to keep the ants from getting in. They also use enclosed poison baits inside. We still might see the occasional ant but at least there are no more swarms.

mady
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Honi soit qui mal y pense]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20419419 Fri, 02 May 2008 00:47:41 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20418739 NanDog : Hmmm....interesting question. Can't say I've ever noticed any such thing from our Pacific Northwest ants.

Googling "crushed ant smell" found this: »www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mantsmell.html
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See ya across the Rainbow Bridge, my good and faithful friend!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20418739 Thu, 01 May 2008 22:15:57 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20417995 DataDoc : What you smell is probably formic acid, (produced in varying quantities for protection by different species).

If an ant drank varnish, just like you, they'd die. :(]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20417995 Thu, 01 May 2008 19:17:02 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20417553 aurgathor : I've had them before, and they can be exceedingly difficult to get rid of without a full house fumigation. They're fairly small. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20417553 Thu, 01 May 2008 17:17:52 EDT Re: Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20416222 bjbdbest : Here's some info that might help rid whichever they are:

There are basically two types of ant bait, and two means of delivering that bait. For sugar ants (pavement ants), or the common house ant, generally use a sweet-based ant bait (usually a syrup) with a chemical like Borax, or boric acid. Boric acid is a naturally occuring mineral mined in California, and is the most common ingredient in ant baits used to control house ants like the Pharaoh ant, the pavement ant, the odorous house ant, and others. Terro products are a good example of Borax based ant control.
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Join Team Discovery!!~~~PROJECT HOPE]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20416222 Thu, 01 May 2008 12:41:18 EDT Odorous house ant http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20415536 Dersgniw : I'm finding random ants in my house... not swarming, not near food, just random on a wall here and there and in the bathroom. I'm on the shore of Long Island.

When I crush them, I smell varnish or nail polish remover. I've read that the odorous house ant smells like rotten coconut, but I don't actually know what rotten coconut smells like. Would these be this type of ant or could they a different ant that is drinking varnish somewhere?
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I Smell Cures! -- Our Hope]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20415536 Thu, 01 May 2008 10:23:44 EDT