Odorous House Ants (Sugar Ants) in Oregon

Small Ants can be quite a nuisance and there are several species (even some species of small carpenter ants) that live in Oregon, the most common one is the Odorous House Ant (OHA), also known as sugar ants, small ants, or grease ants. The name comes from the smell it gives off when crushed. They have very large colonies, with multiple queens, that nest in soil or structures and move their colony every 17 to 23 days. OHA typically enters buildings to look for resources, most commonly food.

These ants do not cause any structural damage, but they can be quite an annoyance and are one of the most prolific pests we have in Oregon. When they invade kitchen areas, they tend to contaminate food products and food prep surfaces. We often see these unwanted pests showing up in bathrooms, living rooms, and even bedrooms searching for resources!

Odorous House Ants are also extremely difficult to control because of a couple of factors:

• They are small and hard to see. This means that they can enter through the smallest of gaps.
• Their colonies can be big, very big. They can have upwards of 10,000 individuals and multiple queens.
• They move their colonies often, up to once a month during Spring and Summer.
• In Oregon, they are active year-round.
• These little ants are persistent, and they like to hide.

Odorous house ants are an annoyance in the home because they seem to appear out of nowhere and disrupt your life. It is horrible to wake up Saturday morning to find ants crawling all over your kitchen countertops and in your cabinets. The situation can easily get out of control, with a few ants turning into hundreds literally overnight.

Good Earth is uniquely qualified because we have decades of experience battling these ants in Oregon. Our experts will inspect your home or business, find where they’re likely getting in, help identify what’s attracting them to your property, and offer a solution to get rid of them and keep them from coming back.

How to get rid of Sugar Ants?

Sugar ants or OHA can be complicated to deal with, and it is not advisable to use any over-the-counter sprays on these ants or their trails as this will potentially scatter them throughout the structure.

Here are the steps that you can take:

• First, try to clean up whatever is attracting them (food, water, etc.)
• Trim back any vegetation touching the outside of your home. This is a common entryway for small ants.
• Material application is best left to a professional, but you can clean the area to remove pheromone trails once the ants have left.

If these DIY control measures are unsuccessful, contact us for a consultation before trying anything else on your own. Call us! Our trained technicians can provide the right solutions to keep these ants out of your home or business.

At Good Earth Pest Company, we take pride in our personal, friendly, and conscientious service. We understand that dealing with ant problems can be stressful and disruptive to your daily life. That’s why we strive to make the pest control process as easy and hassle-free as possible, while still delivering exceptional results. Our tagline, “Hard on Bugs, Soft on You,” encapsulates our commitment to effective pest control that doesn’t compromise your comfort or safety.