Odorous House Ants
Tapinoma sessile

Color: brown or black
Legs: 6
Shape: Segmented; oval
Size: 1/16” to 1/8”
Antennae: yes
Flight: swarms in early summer

Wondering how to get rid of tiny house ants? They are most easily identified by the coconut odor that is produced when their bodies are crushed. They forage in large numbers, and when alarmed, the workers run about in an erratic fashion. Odorous house ants’ colonies can produce hundreds of laying queens and thousands of workers, creating colonies ranging in size from several hundred to over 100,000 ants.

Habitat

They usually nest in shallow soil surfaces and can be found in mulch, debris, and logs outside your home. Also, they nest under stones, wood, or anything else that can provide cover. Indoors, they can nest in walls, around hot-water pipes, and under carpet. This makes getting rid of tiny house ants a problem. A colony can become so large that it buds, splitting the parent colony into satellite colonies. The satellite colonies remain connected to the parent colony through foraging trails. The trails provide for the exchange of workers, food, and larvae.

Health Risk

They don’t bite or sting, but are a nuisance once they forage indoors in large colonies.

Property Damage

Odorous house ants cause minimal property damage, it can be difficult to locate and eliminate the colonies.

Prevention

Remove potential food sources inside your home by wiping up spills, keeping counter tops clean, and store food, especially sweets, in sealed containers.

For getting rid of tiny house ants. we suggest:

SEE ALL ANT PRODUCTS HERE

See other ant species

Argentine Ants    |    Carpenter Ants    |    Fire Ants    |   Odorous House Ants    |    Pavement Ants