It’s hard to pass up a tasty sweet treat and sugar ants can’t disagree. These ants love to sneak inside your home and snack on sugary foods. While a few ants may not seem like a problem, they can quickly turn into an infestation. We’ve gathered information about sugar ants to help you prevent and eliminate an infestation.
Sugar Ants 101
Sugar ant is a term used to describe many ant species that share the same trait—their love of sugar. These ants enter your home searching for sweet food sources. They will eat raw sugar, baked goods, fruit, and honeydew that is secreted from other insects like aphids. Little black ants, carpenter ants, pavement ants, ghost ants, and odorous house ants are some of the ants that fall into this category. Since many species are considered sugar ants, they vary in size and color. These ants range from 1-13mm and can have a reddish-brown, brown, black, or white body. They are often spotted in kitchens, cabinets, and sinks.
Are Sugar Ants Dangerous?
Ant species that are considered sugar ants aren’t usually harmful to humans. These ants aren’t known for being aggressive and they don’t typically bite. If they do, their bites aren’t considered dangerous. Though they’re not harmful, they can cause other problems. If sugar ants gain access to your food, they will contaminate it. Their presence can be overwhelming given the sheer number of ants invading your home. They also can attract other pests that rely on ants as a food source. One species of sugar ants, carpenter ants, can cause damage to homes. These ants build their nests in moist wood. When they tunnel into the wood, it weakens it and can lead to structural damage.
How to Prevent Sugar Ants
A few things can be done to avoid a sugar ant infestation. Check out a few tips to prevent these pests.
- Seal Entry Points: Sugar ants slip into your home through small cracks and crevices. One of the best things you can do is seal potential entry points. Check for any cracks that they could use to sneak inside. Use a caulk gun to seal them.
- Remove Food Sources: You’ll also want to limit access to food sources. If they can’t find food, they won’t stay in your home. Make sure your food is kept in tightly sealed containers. Clean up any crumbs or spills. Regularly sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming will help to keep them out of your home.
- Minimize Moisture: Like other insects, ants are drawn to areas with moisture. Fix any leaking pipes, and ensure your sink is draining properly.
How to Get Rid of Sugar Ants
Even when you try your best to make your home uninviting to pests, they can still decide to invade. If this happens, you’ll want to treat the problem quickly. While the ants in your home are a problem, you can’t forget the rest of the colony. Ants communicate by releasing pheromones. These help to guide other ants to a food source. When choosing a treatment method, you’ll want a solution that will take care of the ants you see and the ones you don’t. Our No Spill Ant Kill bait contains ingredients that are attractive to ants. It is designed to allow ants to eat the bait and take some back to the colony. This will not only kill the ants that entered your home but also eliminate the entire colony. This is the best long-term solution to an ant infestation.
Nobody wants to see a trail of sugar ants marching through their home. Remember to keep your sweet treats protected and your home clean to help prevent an infestation. If you are being invaded by pests, we have your back! Check out our Maggie’s Farm Simply Effective™ Pest Control products for a more environmentally and family-friendly solution.