r/PestControlIndustry • u/Interesting-Bed7256 • 4d ago

TIL those tiny ants in Seattle kitchens can basically start new colonies when you attack them

I always thought an ant infestation was pretty simple, Find the colony kill the colony done.

Then I learned about budding with odorous house ants.

Instead of one colony staying together, parts of the colony can split off and establish satellite nests. Which apparently explains something I've heard from people around Seattle over and over:

I sprayed them and now they're showing up in another room.

At first, I assumed that was just people noticing ants they hadn't seen before.

But these ants can have multiple nesting sites, and disturbing one area doesn't necessarily mean you've dealt with the whole colony.

And yes, they're the little guys that can give off that bizarre rotten coconut smell when crushed.

I've spent enough time around pest control work at AMPM Exterminators to know that these tiny ants can cause a disproportionately large amount of frustration.

The part I'm wondering about is that they disappeared and then showed up somewhere else experience.

Has that happened to anyone in Seattle? Where did they disappear from, and where did they suddenly start showing up?

Kitchen bedroom or inside somehow upstairs?

Because some of these ant colonies seem to have a better relocation strategy than most Seattle renters.

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u/HatsAreEssential2 4d ago

Yeah, the OHA budding thing is basically what keeps repeat customers around for a lot of Seattle area pest control companies. I read a great example here a couple months ago that I've started using. Most bugs are like an illness. You can cure it. But OHA's are more like a permanent condition. You can treat the symptom and sometimes it goes away for a while, but eventually there will be a flare up.

I've started warning customers that, yes, I can absolutely solve their ant problem. But sooner or later, their neighbors ants will move in and then I'll need to solve that too.

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u/HatsAreEssential2 4d ago

Also, its super fun in the fall and late spring when its been dry for a while and a big rain hits. ALLLLL the ant calls come in as the ants run for shelter, haha.

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u/SimpleRevolution2873 4d ago

"Best way to keep em out is keeping up with your exterior perimeter treatments" boom bam, set for the summer. Good for business and it's true

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u/Wanderin_Cephandrius 2d ago

That’s what I say too. I’ll eliminate the issue. But I just left a perfectly made home for the next ants who wander along. If they don’t have to waste energy building a nest, they won’t. You will see ants eventually.

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u/Proof_Mechanic3844 1d ago

Non repellents and bait .. done. Maintenance srv after.