They mainly search for sweet foods and drinks like fruit, candy, desserts, and sodas.
Small in size, sugar ants are budding ants that don’t pose any particular risks.
What Is a Budding Ant?
The Spruce / Theresa Chiechi
The colony uses multiple queens as a means of reproduction and protection.
What Do Sugar Ants Look Like?
In certain situations, a microscope and a trained eye are the only means of identification.
ABimagestudio
Even if the ants you notice get into something sweet, this doesn’t guarantee a sugar ant problem.
Sugar ants have the following characteristics:
Keep in mind incorrect identification of ants is very easy.
They’ll be able to help identify the issue and advise on the best treatment options.
DanielAlbach
Is it frequent and severe, or just a few here or there?
If you notice an interior sugar ant issue in the wintertime, this is cause for concern.
This could mean that you have an ant nest that has moved inside to overwinter.
Pavement ants push mounds of dirt into the sun to warm, marking entrances to their nests.Chris Jongkind
Over-the-counter ant sprays are repellant products and poorly suited for controlling budding ants like sugar ants.
Over-the-counter sprays can cause fracturing in budding ant colonies, likely worsening the problem.
Tip
Think about your home’s pest history.
Has your property been plagued with sugar ants year after year?
Sealing up cracks and crevices is especially important if your home has had an ongoing interior ant issue.
Reduce Food Sources
An essential step in any pest control program is eliminating potential food sources.
Sugar ants will go out of their way to track down the sweetest snacks.
Clean up any food messes quickly and thoroughly to avoid accumulations that could attract more ants.
Sugar ants also love honeydew (the gardening term for insect excrement).
This honeydew can be found on the branches of plants and trees where aphids are present.
Aphids produce a lot of honeydew.
If you have a regular pest control provider, ask if they perform winter-time dormant oil treatments.
These treatments can reduce spring aphid populations and ant activity.
Use Ant Bait
Refrain from over-the-counter sprays, but over-the-counter baits like TERRO stations are helpful.
Baits may not kill an entire colony but can draw ants away from high-traffic areas.
Baits are made to be sweet and formulated to attract ants to them.
Keep this in mind when deciding where to place your ant bait.
Chemical treatment might be needed.
A professional can help positively identify the ants you’re dealing with and know exactly what products to use.
What Causes Sugar Ants in Your Home?
Sugar ants might be popping up in your home for many reasons.
Sugar Ant vs. Pavement Ant
Ant identification can be tricky.
Sugar ants are regularly confused for various ants, including pavement ants.
Pavement ants are also budding ants.
One way to tell between these pests?
Nodes are small lumps on the back (abdomen) of ants.
Sugar ants have a single node, whereas pavement ants have two.
This is the easiest way to tell these lookalikes apart, but they are tiny and difficult to see.
It’s always best to get a second opinion to be 100% sure.
In this situation, it’s probably time to call in the pros.
Sugar ants do not sting, bite, or pose specific health or structural risks to humans.
Workers and female ants can live for several years under the right conditions.
Male ants, however, die within a few days of emerging.
Ant Management in Oregon.
A Primer on Dormant Oil Applications.
Plant and Pest Advisory, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
