Citronella ants look like ants, but the workers are yellow and 4 mm long. Queens are about 8 mm long. The ants have a strong lemon smell when crushed that gives them their name citronella ant. The nest under soil, in logs and rocks, and landscape timbers. As for your property they also nest beside foundations and inside crawlspaces. Citronella ants make mounds of soil while digging galleries. Often they nest under slabs and porches. Sometimes they will push soil up through a crack and homeowners mistake this as a sign of termite damage.

Citronella ants often build nests in wood that has already been damaged by termites or fungus. In your home the ants nest in areas with lots of moisture. If you discover a significant amount of citronella ants it might be a sign that moisture is a problem. Finding the moisture should be a top priority.

Why moisture is bad for your home.

Too much moisture in your home can lead to a collection of issues for your health. Bacteria grows in moisture. Bacterial colonies grow on damp organic matter such as wooden boards. Higher moisture can increase mouse and cockroach allergens into the the air. And these pests flourish in damp environment. Dust mites thrive in damp and warm environments. Dust allergies are quite common. Worse of all mold can make you severely sick when spores are inhaled from contaminated air.

Citronella ants reproduction.

A queen will produce new workers, winged males and females called swarmers. All of this takes place in their nest. The winged ants fly out the nest and mate. Males die soon after mating and mated females move-on find new colonies as the queen.

Signs of infestation

Lots and lots of ants especially foraging workers and swarms of winged reproductives are the most likely sign of an infestation. Also, see the earth moved from cracks in concrete could be another sign. Often citronella ants become a pain when winged ants leave the colonies to try and mate. Winged ants emerge through a crack in slab or basement can be very bad for the homeowner. Most of the time these ants will not damage anything. And a vacuum cleaner is the most effective way to remove the ants.

The life of a Citronella ant.

There’s little known about the inner working of these colonies. The ants are believed to spend most of their time collecting honeydew they excrete. They usually do not forage for other foods. Nests are found in open woods, pastures and fallow fields, gardens, lawns and next to house foundations. Swarms can occur in and around homes at any time of the year. Most commonly it occurs in mid-summer to late summer.

Goderich ant removal.

Citronella ants might not do much damage to your home, but they can become a nuisance due to their pure numbers. If you have a mass amount of yellow ants on your property contact Truly Nolen Pest Control.