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SUGAR ANTS Click here to get rid of Ants

Bugaboo Pest Control knows how frustrating "sugar ants" can be.  Homeowners often tell us that even though they sprayed several times they just keep coming back.  This is because spraying merely kills off the ones foraging for food in your kitchen.  When the queen senses that these foraging ants aren't coming back with food she simply sends out another raiding party to invade your space.

 

WHO ARE THOSE GUYS? The word "sugar ant" is a generic term that may refer to any one of a variety of tiny home invader ants.  The "crazy ant" is one such critter.  It's about I/ 10" long and dark brown.  Under a microscope you can see that their legs and antennae are much larger than other ants for their size.  They are called "crazy ants" because it looks like it never knows where it is going.  They resemble little bumper cars going back and forth.

 

Odorous House Ant WorkerOdorous House Ant (Tapinoma sessile) Description of Workers: Small workers, around 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch (2-3 mm); dark brown to black. Bitter odor when crushed - said to smell like rotten coconuts.

Habits: Most frequent structure invading ant in Washington and Oregon; nests in a wide variety of places outdoors and inside. These ants commonly construct shallow nests in soil underneath objects, such as stones, patio blocks and debris. Inside, they prefer areas with moisture such as around hot water pipes and heaters. Odorous house ants have multiple queens. The ants forage when temperatures are cool, even down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Strongly trailing ant; it tends aphids for honeydew and prefers sweets in kitchens.

 Control of Ants by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)

Also the "odorous house ant" is anther little fellow that is found in the house.  They are called "odorous house ants" because when they are crushed they give off a very unpleasant odor.  These ants plus many other small varieties are seen in homes and buildings often looking for sweets to take home to the nest.  

Another tiny ant, which is really very very tiny, is the “Pharaoh ant.”

 

WHERE'S HOME? Home is back in Kansas.  Or at least that's how it seems since finding the nest(s) can be harder than finding a needle in a haystack.  Some ants are invading from someplace outside, others might be hiding in a wall inside the structure, often with multiple nests and queens.  Identifying the type of ant by the Bugaboo man will give a clue as to where look.  It is very helpful to the Bugaboo technician if he can find some live ants when he arrives.   By experimenting on these ants we can determine the feeding habits and appetite.  We bring along a experiment kit, with a smorgasbord of bait samples.   When we find the right one, we’re off and running.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK? We have found that spraying the house with insecticide has almost no permanent affect on getting rid of the ants.  Our experience has demonstrated that the most effective method for getting rid of tiny ants, often referred to as "sugar ants” is the bait injection system.  As mentioned above the queen will just crank out a new army once she senses that nobody is coming home with food for her little ones back home.  Home owners would prefer not to have their living areas of the house spayed with stinky poisons.  Bug bombs present even more unsatisfactory conditions since they put poison sediment on counters, walls, etc and have no residual effect.  Many of our customers have found that using bait stations, (small containers containing bait) sometimes work if the trap contains the bait the ants are found of that particular day.  But most often the ants ignore it.  But even if the ants eat front the trap, the poison is so strong that the ants don't make it back to the nest.  Dead ones are often found near the trap.  Consequently the other ants back home don't get any poison bait and the queen just makes more ants.  Within a few days, the ants are back in force. Uncle Albert's Gel Bait Syringe / Boric Acid gel / thick no-drip formula for easy baiting up and away from counter surfaces, out of your sight and in areas inaccessible to children and pets. It can be used on vertical or horizontal surfaces. . This syringe loaded material controls sugar feeding ants - ACTIVE INGREDIENT: Boric Acid 1% Inert Ingredients: 99% Ideal for sugar ants. Uncle Albert's is 100% effective and the unique, non-hazardous, delayed kill formula is a great advantage for elimination of entire ant colonies.  They take it back to the nest!

WHAT DOES WORK? Ants disappear altogether when the colony is wiped out.  Our most favorite tool for this job is our "ant bait injection system".  By use of this system we use carefully selected baits injected into strategic locations that your ant will love to death.  We accomplish this without yucky sprays or toxic bombs.  We have special injection tools that put this material out of you way (Under sinks near plumbing, inside wall voids, under dishwasher, etc.) When an ant finds this material he ingests much more than he personally consumes.  As he takes it back it marks his trail with a pheromone which signals his fellow workers "Hey follow this trail and you'll find good food".  Consequently the unsuspecting colony becomes contaminated and passes away on to ant heaven.  (assuming that they were good ants).  At times spraying outside to keep outside ants from getting in is an additional step in protecting your dwelling.

IS IT SAFE?  Safety of  chemicals portion of our web site.

When the bugaboo man comes there are five things he would like to know:

  1. Do you have a ant specimen (preferably alive)?

  2. How many ants have you seen (not an exact number) but 10? 50? More?

  3. Do any have wings?

  4. When did you first see the ants?

  5. Where did you first see them and where do you observe the majority?

 

When the Bugaboo man leaves there are five things to remember:

  1. Don't use any bug sprays. This may contaminate the bait.

  2. Don't squash the ants that are taking back bait to the nest. Let them enjoy their last meal as they share it with their family.

  3. Keep things tidy. Vacuum and mop regularly. Keep counters wiped up.

  4. Pick up pet food after pet has eaten.

  5. Be patient. This method may take a little time to work