Where are all these ants coming from?

The halloween decorations are coming down, the furnaces are being fired up and still you’re seeing ants around your home, why? This is a common question and one that we get a lot this time every year. Many homeowners in the area may have even gone all spring and summer without ever even seeing an ant only to see them swarming their homes in the fall. What is the cause of such a strange phenomenon? Aren’t ants supposed to go hide or something when it gets cold?

We’ll be answering those questions and more in this week’s frequently asked question.

Why are you just seeing ants now?

Ants aren’t typically a year round problem. Most people will start to see ants in the early spring and will continue to see them throughout the summer but most ant species do tend to stop coming around the home when the temperature drops. The only exception being if you have an infestation of ants, in which case they will not leave unless they are encouraged to do so.

If you were seeing ants over the summer months and you still are it’s likely the problem was never addressed properly. In that case contact a pest control company, we can recommend a great one, and have the pest handled.

If you’re seeing ants for the first time this year however, you may be dealing with a different species of ant than you’re used to. You may be dealing with the citronella ant.

Wait, Citronella, like the oil?

Exactly. Citronella ants are called citronella ants for the same reason stink bugs are called stink bugs. These ants, when squished, will give off a strong smell of citronella.

Is that how we should identify these ants, by smell?

Identifying ants is hard work and squishing an ant just to smell its guts is a strange thing to do, so let’s give you some other easily identifiable indicators to help you determine if you’re dealing with citronella ants.

Citronella ants typically have the following characteristics:

They have wings – but they do not fly.
Look similar to termites but they do not eat wood.
Stay outdoor primarily – do not typically try to come indoors.
Typically gather in swarms.

How to treat citronella ants?

Citronella ants are not typically dangerous to you or your home. They can be invasive and gather in large swarms however and many homeowners don’t like the idea of being bullied out of their yard. So as with all pests there are ways to rid your yard of these resistant ants.

Professional treatment is typically the best option given that other ant prevention options will not work on this species. You cannot simply remove their food source as they feed on honeydew, an organic soil component that you cannot remove from your yard.

If you happen to have any of our maintenance plans, treatment for these ants are included, simply let your pest control expert know that you’re having this issue. If you are not on one of our maintenance plans please call today for your free phone consultation and we can help you understand your options.

You could always just wait them out, but if you have a problem this year and it goes untreated, next year it can only get worse. Our outdoor citronella ant treatment can be applied in one day and can last upwards of 2 months, which means you will be able to keep them away until mother nature takes over in January.

For more info on our ant services:

Our ant control services.