Sugar ants invading your cabinets? We’ve got you covered with the best pest control solutions for sugar ants. Check out our guide to keeping sugar ants out of your home and away from your food.
How to Identify Them
Sugar ants range in size but typically fall within the length of 2 to 15 mm in size. Most male sugar ants are winged and black, while female workers appear to have orange colored bodies. Worker ants are also orange, with a tinge of brown wrapped around their body.
Habitat and Diet
Sugar ants are known to habitat around suburban areas, but in nature, they’re found in woodlands, forests, and heaths. The nest they build in soil features large dirt hills near the entrance. During the summer months, they can be spotted under house lights and in the streets.
Did you know that wherever sugar ants habitat directly affects the size of sugar ants? Different locations influence the type of food they eat too. In the wild, sugar ants primarily feed on nectar, plant secretion, insects and small animals, while in suburban settings, they tend to feast on sugar foods, fruit, and other sweets.
How do Colonies Grow?
Queen sugar ants begin producing eggs in late spring or early autumn. Throughout the reproduction process, these eggs develop into new queens, males or worker ants. Winged male sugar ants are black across their whole body, while female workers have orange bodies. In the fall, thousands of alates begin mating in the air, and sugar ant workers protect the colony on the ground.
Once They’re Inside
Once sugar ants have located food inside your home, they’ll keep coming back. After you spot them the first time, begin checking your kitchen, pantries and food containers for small openings. These pests seek out spills, stains and other traces of food. Keep your home clean to avoid attracting sugar ants. Worker ants are most active around dusk, moving along marked trails in search of food. They’ll return to their nest at dawn to bring food to the rest of their colony. Their nocturnal activity makes it difficult to locate their nests.
How to Eliminate Sugar Ants
Maintaining a clean home and practicing simple prevention methods is the best way to eliminate sugar ants. Begin by placeing all opened bagged foods like cereal, cookies or chips into sealed containers. Also, try not to leave sticky, sugary snacks out on the counter. Dirty dishes are also an attractive food source for sugar ants. Clean dishes immediately after use and take out the trash as soon as it’s full.
These methods will help eliminate sugar ants populations you can spot, but won’t target the colony. Contact Arrow Termite & Pest Control for long-term solutions for sugar ant prevention on your property.
