Over the past number of years, Odorous House Ants have emerged as the one of the most common and challenging pests encountered in Western Washington. Also known as Sugar Ants, Piss Ants, or Odiferous Ants, these ants are different from others in several ways.

The Odorous House Ant gets its name from an odorous fluid they produce to fend off other insects. When the ants are crushed, a unique odor becomes detectable; some describe the smell as rotten coconut, others say it smells like ammonia.

They are polygenic (multiple queens within one colony), which allows them to grow their colonies at an incredible rate; a single colony can have as many as 10,000 workers. These colonies can be built in almost any environment: the leaf pile in your backyard, the junk drawer in your kitchen, or inside the insulation found in your walls. They are also nomadic, capable of moving their entire colony from place to place in search of food and shelter.

Odorous House Ants also possess a very powerful defense mechanism. Whenever the colony feels they are in danger they shatter the colony, that single colony becomes multiple separate colonies—this process is called budding. Using any detectable chemical against them will trigger this budding; because of this, it is not uncommon for infestations to spread throughout the home before the home owner realizes what is happening.

Complete and consistent efforts must be maintained to make sure that Odorous House Ants are eliminated and kept out of your home or business. As a professional and experienced pest control company, Rambo Total Pest Control has access to proven techniques and the proper materials to control these difficult pests. We will also empower you with fact-based knowledge to help us in this process.