![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
odorous house ants
May. 12th, 2026 08:43 amOne thing I wanted to relate regarding the constant and unpredictable flow of problems that come with home ownership that nobody tells you about (or you just can't understand fully) so aren't prepared for until you're in it.
In the PNW ants are a regular part of existence. I grew up with sugar ants in the house constantly, and learned from a young age what to do and not do to try to control them. I have a good handle on the sugar ant issue. Fortunately, we have none here - I think this side of town gets them less, Josh never had them growing up, either.
Anyway.
I started noticing a few trails on the outside of the house last week, and while Josh was rebuilding a section of fence, I traced them to some eaves.
This made me worried, because, while they did not look like sugar ants to me, as they were too large, they also looked fully less than half the size of carpenter ants.
But when I started to do research online, I really couldn't tell what we were dealing with.
Carpenter ants are x size but "could be" smaller. Hmm.
Google lens gave me "carpenter ant" on about 50% of my photos.
But generally carpenter ants don't move in trails, they do more of a cluster. And there was no frass anywhere.
But too big to be sugar ants.
What what what?
After a bunch of back and forth and arguing with Josh, I decided their heads weren't boxy enough and their jaws weren't big enough to be carpenter ants.
My best guess was something I found online called "odorous house ant."
These move in trails, and like to nest near heat sources, so under eaves might make sense.
House ants can be annoying but don't cause any damage. They aren't coming in the house so no issues there.
I'm fine leaving them alone, if they're not hurting anything.
But the only way to be sure they aren't carpenter ants, was to crush one and smell it.
I didn't want tooooooooooooo.
But I could not be at ease until I knew for sure.
I hate killing bugs!
Josh refused to do it!
I finally decided to sacrifice one of them, so that I could relax about it.
OMG the STENCH. It was POWERFUL. lol. From one little tiny ant! That was amazing. Bleh.
Definitely no question these are "odorous house ants" and also that they have the correct name, lol.
Glad they're not eating our house. :)
In the PNW ants are a regular part of existence. I grew up with sugar ants in the house constantly, and learned from a young age what to do and not do to try to control them. I have a good handle on the sugar ant issue. Fortunately, we have none here - I think this side of town gets them less, Josh never had them growing up, either.
Anyway.
I started noticing a few trails on the outside of the house last week, and while Josh was rebuilding a section of fence, I traced them to some eaves.
This made me worried, because, while they did not look like sugar ants to me, as they were too large, they also looked fully less than half the size of carpenter ants.
But when I started to do research online, I really couldn't tell what we were dealing with.
Carpenter ants are x size but "could be" smaller. Hmm.
Google lens gave me "carpenter ant" on about 50% of my photos.
But generally carpenter ants don't move in trails, they do more of a cluster. And there was no frass anywhere.
But too big to be sugar ants.
What what what?
After a bunch of back and forth and arguing with Josh, I decided their heads weren't boxy enough and their jaws weren't big enough to be carpenter ants.
My best guess was something I found online called "odorous house ant."
These move in trails, and like to nest near heat sources, so under eaves might make sense.
House ants can be annoying but don't cause any damage. They aren't coming in the house so no issues there.
I'm fine leaving them alone, if they're not hurting anything.
But the only way to be sure they aren't carpenter ants, was to crush one and smell it.
I didn't want tooooooooooooo.
But I could not be at ease until I knew for sure.
I hate killing bugs!
Josh refused to do it!
I finally decided to sacrifice one of them, so that I could relax about it.
OMG the STENCH. It was POWERFUL. lol. From one little tiny ant! That was amazing. Bleh.
Definitely no question these are "odorous house ants" and also that they have the correct name, lol.
Glad they're not eating our house. :)
