Tips & Resources
Ants-Citronella
The citronella ants get their name from the citronella odor they emit when threatened or crushed. They are subterranean insects that feed on the excretions of aphids and mealybugs.
Citronella ants are very common in the eastern United States and are frequently confused with termites when they swarm into the living areas of homes. The swarmers (winged ants) may vary in color from the more common light yellow to a dark reddish-yellow or light brown. The workers are typically yellow with less color variation than the swarmers.
The swarmers are approximately twice the size of the workers and have dark, smoke-colored wings. Like the workers, they can also vary in color from a light yellow to light reddish-brown.
Life History
Little is known about the inner workings of these subterranean colonies. The ants are believed to tend aphids (much as dairy farmers would cows) and collect the honeydew they excrete. They are not known to forage for other food sources. Nest sites may include open woods, pastures, gardens, lawns, and the foundation next to a house. Also, some colonies are located beneath concrete slabs and large rocks, and in and beneath rotting logs.
Swarms may occur in and around homes any time of the year. The most common swarming occurs in mid- to late summer, but swarmers have been observed during late autumn and early spring (during an above-average, warm day). These early and late season swarms are possibly an abnormality created by the warmer soils under and adjacent to heated structures. The swarm will usually only last for an hour or two.
Management
Citronella ants should be considered only as a nuisance pest species. Normally, they go unnoticed unless the swarmers enter through expansion cracks in slabs or around door openings. Although these intrusions may alarm homeowners, the ants will not reproduce within the home nor will they attack stored goods or structures.
In some cases, swarms may occur repeatedly and attempts should be made to locate the colony or colonies. Colonies typically have mounds of soil around the openings where excavated soil is deposited. These mounds can be treated by injecting an insecticide into the holes.
