Ant Control

A trail of ants across a counter is a supply line, not a wandering insect. Say where the trail runs and a licensed exterminator can come out and treat the colony rather than the trail.

(888) 217-6291

No obligation for the call.

Which ant it is changes the whole job

Odorous house ants and pavement ants come in for food and water, nest outside or in a wall void, and respond to bait. Carpenter ants excavate wood and nest in it, which means there is moisture somewhere and a structural question behind the insect. Fire ants are a yard problem with a medical edge. Pharaoh ants split their colony when sprayed, so the wrong treatment makes them worse.

That is why identification comes before treatment. A technician looks at the ant, then at where the trail goes.

Why spraying the trail fails

A visible trail is a fraction of the colony. Killing the ants on the counter removes the foragers and leaves the nest, the queen and the brood untouched, and the trail is back within days along a slightly different route.

Baiting works the other way round: the foragers carry it back and it reaches the part of the colony nobody can see. It looks slower for the first few days because the trail is still there. That is the treatment working, not failing.

What to do before the visit

Leave the trail alone. Wiping it with cleaner destroys the pheromone line a technician would follow to the entry point, and the ants simply lay a new one somewhere less convenient.

Do put food away and wipe up spills. Do not put down store-bought spray — a repellent on the entry point scatters the colony and makes baiting take longer.

What to say when you call

Where the trail starts and where it disappears — a windowsill, a baseboard, under a sink.
Size and color, and whether any of them have wings.
Whether you have seen sawdust-like shavings anywhere: that points at carpenter ants and a moisture problem.
Whether the trail is indoors, outdoors on a slab or patio, or both.

What happens after the call

1. Describe what you have seen What it looks like, where in the home it turned up, and when it started. That is usually enough to narrow it down on the phone.

2. A technician inspects the property Inside, around the outside, and in the crawl space or attic where the sign usually starts. Identification comes before treatment.

3. The treatment is quoted before it starts What the pest is, what the treatment involves, how many visits it takes and what it costs — explained before any work begins.

Ready to call

Say what you have found and where in the home it turned up. That is usually enough to narrow it down on the phone.

(888) 217-6291

No obligation for the call.

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