Pest Control Advice

How can I get rid of ants? Ants are a social insect that lives in colonies. Ant control treatment plans should include killing the entire colony. Just spraying an ant with a typical ant spray, particularly a repellent spray will only kill a few at best and scatter the colony. Ants may enter your house foraging for food or seek shelter. Understanding the behavior of ants will help you with the recommended ant control procedures outlined here. Ants enter through the smallest openings, foraging for water or food. They are in search of either sweet based food or protein/grease based foods. Once the ants find a food source, they will leave a pheromone trail for other ants to follow.

3 STEP TO HELP YOU WITH ANTS

Difference between Flying Ants and Termites Ants have segmented waists, and termites are approximately the same width along their entire bodies, without pinched waists. Ant antennas are bent where as Termite antennae are straight. Difference Between Ants and Termites The most important ants in the United States are Argentine Ants, Carpenter Ants, Crazy Ants, Fire Ants, Ghost Ants, Leafcutter Ants, Odorous House Ants, Pavement Ants and Pharoah Ants. Understanding their behavior patterns will help you achieve the best ant control. When in doubt of which type of ant you have, give us a call.

Inspect

To find ant nests, follow their trails. Ants lay down a chemical pheromone trail along their established routes to and from a food source so other ants can easily find the food.Inside a house, inspect along the carpet edges, doors, windows, and all areas of the kitchen. The easiest way to find a trail to the nest is to watch where ants go after reaching the food source. If you are targeting Carpenter ants, inspection at night is more effective since the larger Carpenter ant is nocturnal. You can spot Carpenter ants emerging from damaged wood inside the house, or foraging outside in woodpiles, rotted or water-damaged wood, and tree stumps.

Kill

The most effective method for controlling an ant infestation is using ant baits—set them out anywhere you see ants and expect a party. If you still see ants around the house, try a few different brands of baits until you find one that’s appealing to this particular colony.In addition to killing off any ants that feed on the sweet, sugary bait syrup, when scouts track the liquid back to the colony it kills larvae and helps control the population.If you have pets, check the packaging carefully and be mindful of where you place ant baits.

Protect

Ants feed on sugar, protein, and just about anything else they can find. Generally, a colony will send out a few ants to scout—they’ll bring back a sampling of any food they find to the colony, and hundreds will follow them back into the house. They particularly gravitate towards sugary liquids.To keep scouts from returning with hundreds of their friends in tow, quickly clean up spills, particularly things like honey, maple syrup, and soda. And keep all food in airtight containers.

Maintain

To keep them outdoors, consider the food sources outside the house. Aphids, which are little insects that live on plants, excrete honeydew, a sweet substance left on plants. Ants feed on that honeydew, but if a landscaper or homeowner sprays outdoor plants for aphids, they’re also killing off an outdoor food source for ants.That has the potential to drive them into your house in search of new sources of nutrients. Indoor houseplants, particularly tropical varieties, are very appealing to ants. Aphids that feed on indoor plants excrete honeydew, too, which resembles white scale on leaves. Wipe leaves clean to eliminate the food source for ants, and consider placing aphid-killing plant spikes in the soil of any houseplants.

3 STEP TO HELP YOU WITH ANTS

Inspect

Kill

Protect

Maintain

services

customer care

Hours Of Operation

Email Us

Service Area