The Citronella Ant

Citronella Ants. By Judy Gallagher – , CC BY 2.0,
Citronella ants (Lasius interjections) are sighted across the US and are known for their distinctly lemony scent that is released when they are disturbed or crushed (hence their name). They do not infest homes, but can infest nearby spaces and randomly wander inside. They are found in New England, Washington, Florida, and Mexico.
HOW TO IDENTIFY CITRONELLA ANTS
- Yellow in color
- Worker ants are about 4mm long
- Six legs
- Unevenly rounded, segmented body
- Dark brown antennae
- Queens are larger in size than the worker ants(8mm long)
- Swarmer citronella ants have wings – females are yellow, males are black
- Closely resemble termites
Appearance, Behavior, and Signs of Citronella Ants
- Citronella ants make colonies in gardens, lawns, under basements, foundations, concrete slabs and other areas
- They seem to prefer highly moist areas, such as soil, rotten logs and behind bathroom tiles. They often hide in piles of firewood
- The tunnels they make can produce dirt mounds that reach up to 3 feet in diameter
- They have well-established colonies, with workers and a queen
- They are nocturnal and often hard to detect (unless they are swarming)
- They rarely enter the main house, but the swarmers can create a nuisance by flying around in large numbers looking for another colony to establish
- They eat sweet honeydew produced by aphids; they also feast on smaller insects
- They are not aggressive in nature, and rarely ever bite, even when threatened
- Signs of citronella ant infestations include seeing swarmers in or around the house and seeing loose soil piles (that indicate the presence of a nest nearby)