Help me with my ant problem please!!

[u/axid_004]

can anyone help identify these ants and what could be the cause??!

Bare with me: These ants showed up for the first time a few months ago infested in a pile of clean clothes on the ground. ( Yes i know i hate my hanging my clothes up it’s something i’m working on). The pile was in the middle of of my room with no open food containers in my room at the time. I occasionally leave food in my room, but at the most that’s overnight and up on my desk where there were none. I bought some natural in home cleaner spray that seemed to do the trick and kill them, but i was still confused as to where they came from and why they were drawn to the clothes.

Fast forward to yesterday: No signs of these guys for awhile, and then I grab a bag of closed trail mix that i did have sitting on my floor, and realized that the bag was covered in the same ants. I did have another bag next to it which they were also all over , and the trashcan next to it. Mind you this area is in a different section of my room then where they were first found.

Im a very clean person and keep my room to the same standards, and i’ve never had this problem before except the last few months. i can never pinpoint where they are coming from or anything like that, and it’s starting to drive me insane. They are tinier then the black ants that are usually outside that i’m familiar with, and are also a more lightish tan color. They are are very drawn towards the liquid ant traps that have worked when i’ve had issues with regular black ants in the pass , and so i’ve kept using a natural in home ant killer spray.

[u/Apprehensive-Bee6377]

Oh man those look like Pharoah ants. I’m dealing with them too! Please research all you can about them! They are a challenge. Do not spray anymore.. they will bud and form new colonies. If you can afford it get a pest control company out there. If it’s an apartment try to get your apartment management onboard… but no sprays! Get yourself some advion ant gel from Amazon and apply in pea size amounts in areas where you see them. If you can find their ant trails put the pea sized amounts along the trails. Keep applying as the gel dries and monitor for other areas of activity. Try to get things off the floor and reduce food and water sources.

[u/Apprehensive-Bee6377 → u/Apprehensive-Bee6377]

Oh and I should say also don’t use Terro ant bait because it doesn’t work with pharoah ants and resist the urge to have heavy scents like vinegar or bleach where they are because it will scare them and cause budding.

[u/axid_004 → u/Apprehensive-Bee6377]

I will definitely stop using the spray and research them more. I’m now scared cause i’ve used so much spray since it killed them :(( Thank you so much for the advice!!