Insect · Moderate risk
Odorous House Ant
The odorous house ant gets its name from the smell of rotten coconut it gives off when crushed. Very common in Quebec, it moves into homes looking for sweet food and moisture. Its colonies, which have several queens, can reach tens of thousands of workers.
2 to 3 mm · Dark brown to black
§1Distinctive features
How to identify it
Small, 2 to 3 mm, dark brown to black, with a flattened single-node petiole hidden under the abdomen. Its distinctive trait: a strong smell of rotten coconut, close to blue cheese, when crushed. The worker has no stinger and does not sting.
§2Habitat
Where to find it
Outdoors it nests in the soil, under stones and mulch; indoors, in wall cavities, behind baseboards and under floors. It is often found near kitchens and bathrooms, where there is moisture. Outside, it feeds mainly on aphid honeydew, which explains the mass invasions when that food source dries up.
§3Reproduction
Lifecycle
Left alone, the colony moves and splits, multiplying the nests in the building.
§4What to look out for
Signs of an active colony
- Ant trails leading to the kitchen or sugary areas
- Smell of rancid coconut when crushed
- Ants around pipes and damp areas
- Ants in food cupboards
§5Why act fast
Risks
- Food contamination: workers get right into poorly closed containers
- Hard to eliminate because colonies have many queens spread over multiple nests
- A repellent spray breaks the nest into several separate colonies
§6Prevention
How to avoid it
- Keep food containers tightly closed
- Fix water leaks and reduce moisture
- Seal cracks around windows and doors
- Clean counters regularly and avoid sugary residue
§7Pro method
How MW works
Inspection
Inspection: trails, entry points and sources of moisture.
Preparation
Customized plan · instructions to follow before the visit.
Treatment
Main nest and satellite nests treated with non-repellent baits: no repellent spray, which would make the colony split.
Follow-up
Control visit · written guarantee offered depending on the treatment chosen.
§8Your questions answered
Frequently asked questions
Why does it smell like coconut?
Are there several queens?
Are they dangerous?
The odorous house ant gives off a smell of rotten coconut when crushed: that is the easiest way to tell it apart from the other small black ants in the house. The carpenter ant, for its part, is recognized first by its size, which is much larger. The odorous house ant forms colonies with many queens spread over satellite nests, which makes treatment harder. Our ant team works in Sherbrooke, Granby, Magog and Cowansville.
Act before the colony splits.
The longer the colony stays, the harder it is to eliminate.
