Don't know if we have citronella swarms or some other ant. Last spring I
noticed quite a few ants around a chink in our wood floor on the upper
floor of our duplex. There were winged ants, similar to your picture, all
over our throw rug in the same area.
The infestation lasted about a week.
In the fall, there were termites discovered in another area of our
building. They were treated by a professional exterminator.
This week, about the same time as last year, the winged ants were back.
They weren't near the chink from last year, but may have found another
chink about 6 feet away. They are all over our new throw rug.
This is in the middle of the apartment. The rooms next to the exterior of
the building show no signs of infestation. There are some ants in the
basement, but the majority are on the 1st floor of a 3 story building with
a basement.
Citronella Ants
Summary: Citronella ants live underground, so you rarely see them, but on occasion, they do find their way into homes. Citronella ants are bright yellow and have a strong citrus smell when crushed.
Citronella ants give off a pleasing citrus smell, but I doubt they will be used in perfume production any time soon, nor would I recommend eating them like mints, either.
Citronella ants are also known as Larger Yellow Ants. They are referred to as Citronella ants because they have a strong, but pleasing citrus odor, especially when crushed.
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Citronella ants build their nests underground, under logs, or sometimes under the concrete foundations of buildings. Occasionally, a swarm of winged Citronella ants will enter a building through a crack in the foundation. These winged swarmer ants are the reproductive members of the colony and have a darker, red color than the other worker ants. People sometimes think that the winged ants are termites, but it is easy to differentiate ants from termites because ants have pinched waist while termite bodies are straight. These winged ants cannot reproduce indoors and will die shortly so there is no cause for alarm. Simply clean them up with a broom or vacuum cleaner after they die. A standard aerosol pesticide like Raid will speed up the process.
Another interesting fact about Citronella ants is that they feed off honeydew, which is the waste product of aphids. Citronella ants will protect and cultivate populations of aphids, much like humans breed cows. Who knew that ants could be farmers?
Citronella ants should not be confused for Pharaoh ants, which are also yellow, but smaller and lack the distinguishing citrus odor of Citronella ants. Pharaoh ants are more disruptive and difficult to control.
 Citronella swarmer |
If you find that the Citronella ants are frequently finding their way inside, track them back to their source. The opening to the colony might have a mound of dirt around it where the ants have deposited soil from their underground tunnels. The colony will very often be in the basement, or under a log near the perimeter of your house. Seal up cracks in foundation concrete or at the bottom of basement walls and remove any heavy objects like firewood piles lying close to the building. Keep the yard clean of leaves and grass cuttings. Sprinkle a little Drione Dust, Boric Acid, or diatomaceous earth around the opening of the colony, or pour a few gallons of boiling hot water into the opening to kill the queen and the colony. You should rarely need to call a pest control operator to eliminate Citronella ants.
Click here to watch my short video on how to control ants.
Comments
Ken
29 Apr 2009, 07:56
29 Apr 2009, 07:56
Joe
29 Apr 2009, 08:56
29 Apr 2009, 08:56
When exactly do Young Citronella ants queens leave the nest in NW Ohio? Any
answer you can provide would be a huge help! Thanks for your answers Rick!
Julia
15 May 2009, 23:17
15 May 2009, 23:17
I was watering down an infestation in our yard the other day and a few
appeared I found 3 bites that look like fire ant bites on my Sholder and
unless fire ants are great Climbers or can fly, I am suspicious of the
citronella ants. Is there any way that is possible?
Thank you
Thank you
Cyndi Burroughs
21 May 2009, 00:24
21 May 2009, 00:24
Every time i wash off the cement slab around our pool large numbers of
black ants swarm out to the oint that the slab appears to have a shimmer to
it What can I do to fight them I have 3 dogs and do not wwant them to
become ill
Samantha Gibson
30 May 2009, 22:24
30 May 2009, 22:24
Do these ants bite??
B. Racine
10 Jun 2009, 09:25
10 Jun 2009, 09:25
Hi: We live in Ottawa, Ontario and our home has an upper level and a
basement level. The house is cement and parged walls all around. The
other night I could hear a sound in the wall when I put my ear against it.
On the outside of the wall there is no debris around at all. Could this
noise be ants which have a nest underground. I've noticed a few black ants
on the floor in the basement. BTW, I have pretty good hearing (lolol).
Laura
10 Jun 2009, 10:24
10 Jun 2009, 10:24
I've found piles of granual like dirt in my basement near the trench around
the wall, (we have a floating slab). I noticed what appear to me light
brownish colored ants. I got rid of them breifly in the fall by using home
defense. The trench is now filling up and with heavy rain I'm experiencing
slight flooding which I luckily caught. After cleaning up and drying out,
I noticed that there are the same mounds near my house outside. I called
an exterminator and he sprayed outside. Now they are back in the basement
near the trench again. Are these the Citronella Ants you mentioned above?
Chris101
19 Jun 2009, 22:05
19 Jun 2009, 22:05
Hi Rick, Posted this under Pavement Ants, but these sound closer, can these
churn and loosen the soil badly? hope you can help. I live in Central NY,
The ants I have are small, light gold to reddish brown are nesting under
the slab in garage, under-inside my front step concrete I see
soil-trailings coming out from lower mortar weep holes , in large colonies
it appears, recently remcved old front shrubs under window, found large
colony there, soil was churned fine by the ants, colony size 2-3', when dug
up, strong sweet smell emmited from ant colony, The soil under pavement,
sidewalks etc getting real loose due to ant churning, what should I do?
Looks like my sidewalk-driveway areas are collapsing due to colonies eeekk,
help!
Greg
20 Jul 2009, 22:09
20 Jul 2009, 22:09
Thanks for he great information Exterminator! FYI, I have these in London,
Ontario, Canada as well. There seems to be a lot of Ontarians here with
these little critters. My story isn't too different. Last summer I
noticed small brownish ants outside the house foundation by the driveway.
I then had a MASSIVE outbreak in my basement where the winged ants came out
along with the smaller ones. I found that a shop vac was a great way to
deal with them. I'd go down and vacuum them up every 10-20 minutes, and
could contain them to the outbreak point (the base of a wall). Eventually,
I depleted the nest with my shop vac and they were a non-issue.
Interestingly, I put some liquid ant killer on some wax paper, but they
seemed to have no interest in it.
This summer I had the same problem, but to a lesser extent. I've been treating the outside nests with the granular treatment and perhaps that made the internal outbreak lesser.
This summer I had the same problem, but to a lesser extent. I've been treating the outside nests with the granular treatment and perhaps that made the internal outbreak lesser.
jafsie
10 Aug 2009, 17:41
10 Aug 2009, 17:41
We had these swarmers around our concrete front porch every summer when I
was a kid. My parents called them "termites" but we knew they weren't
really termites. I always wondered what they were.
Now, 40 years later, I'm thrilled to find out the story behind those fragrant little critters things that plagued us every August! Thanks for the info!
Now, 40 years later, I'm thrilled to find out the story behind those fragrant little critters things that plagued us every August! Thanks for the info!
Lyndsey And Nancy
24 Sep 2009, 18:15
24 Sep 2009, 18:15
Thanks SOOOOOOOOO much!! we were terrified that these werre termites trying
to get into our house, But thanx to you, we now know better, and tha ants
are goneThanx again!
Dekster
21 Oct 2009, 13:27
21 Oct 2009, 13:27
I had some winged insects all over an outside screened porch yesterday. I
called our exterminator who said that Citronella ants were swarming at this
time in our area (N.Ky).
I see that your site says that they are yellow, but what I saw was black. I captured a few in a jar so I've got evidence. They said that termites weren't coming out at this time. They appear to have the wings of termites, but the body of ants.
I sprayed with an insect spray and killed several, but an hour later what didn't die went away and I haven't seen them since.
Any thoughts??
I see that your site says that they are yellow, but what I saw was black. I captured a few in a jar so I've got evidence. They said that termites weren't coming out at this time. They appear to have the wings of termites, but the body of ants.
I sprayed with an insect spray and killed several, but an hour later what didn't die went away and I haven't seen them since.
Any thoughts??