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Ants in the House

- Several species commonly enter houses in search of food and water -

Summary: A number of different ant species invade homes, especially kitchens, in search of food and water. A few species can even nest in walls and ceiling. Most of the time these ants do little damage but should still be managed because some nests can become very large and bothersome.

Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)

House ants

Certain ants, for example fire ants and harvester ants, attract our attention because they sting people and animals. Some, like carpenter ants, are important because they damage building materials. And some ants only become pests when they enter homes in search of food and water.

The last group of ants usually cause no structural damage, and pose little health risk, but are important because of their numbers alone. These are the house-invading ants or simply house ants. Common house ants are: odorous house ant, Argentine ant, pharaoh ant and a few other species.

Most ants that invade homes are yellow, red, brown or black in color, constricted at the waist, and 1/8-1/4" long. If you find ants that are larger than about 3/8" (in the US) you've probably found carpenter ants. You may also occasionally see ants with wings, these are the so called "reproductives" of the colony that are responsible for producing offspring, organizing colony activity, and establishing new colonies.
ants attracted to liquid ant bait

Worker ants feeding on liquid ant bait. Ants locate the bait and take some back to their nest where it disrupts the colony. Photo by E.A. DeAngelis.

Other common names: sugar ants, moisture ants, sweet ants.


Ant control in houses

While house ants generally cause no direct damage they can become a nuisance if the nests get too large. The safest, and best approach to ant control is to use ant baits. Baits pose little risk and some are relatively inexpensive. There is no need to apply insecticide sprays for these pests. In fact, insecticide sprays often disperse colonies and make matters worse (see Ant Control in Homes).

Use baits NOT sprays to control ants

House-invading ants should be controlled with specially formulated ant baits. Baits are simply a food that is attractive to worker ants that may be laced with a slow-acting insecticide. Workers locate bait and carry some back to the nest where it poisons the colony. Insecticide sprays are not effective because most can be detected and avoided by foraging worker ants.

How baits work

Baits work because they target the colony. In terms of life history and behavior ants are probably the most complicated of all insects. Ants are social insects and as such live in highly organized and efficient colonies. This social organization in turn allows ant colonies to grow very large but if the colony is disrupted the ants will die. Baits work by disrupting these complex colonies, often killing the egg-laying queen in the process.

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Jack DeAngelis, PhD,  , email:  [email protected]

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