Ants are very social and colonies can grow large, which can really make control difficult. To add to that, there are several different common species that will invade a variety of structures in the United States. In order to control ants well, it is important to somewhat understand their behavior and biology.

Ant colonies grow very large because of their detailed attention to how each ant will play a specific role for the colony. Most colonies consist of one or several queens and worker ants. The queen(s) have just one task, which is to reproduce to build the colony. Worker ants, though, have a variety of tasks that they fulfill to grow the colony. These things include foraging for food for the entire colony, defending the colony, and also caring for the queen and the young ants inside the colony. If colonies are left alone, they can grow quite large. Some species of ants will even display a mechanism of budding to expand their colonies.

Method of control may vary only slightly when it comes to different species, but these minor changes in control methods will play a crucial part in eliminating the infestation. Thus, it is very important that you know what you are fighting against and identification of the ant species is crucially important. You can refer to our ant control page to compare and determine the species of ants, refer to the provided chart below, or give us a call at 1-800-788-4142. In identifying the species of ants, you will be able to determine several things about them that will help you control and eventually, eliminate the entire colony. These things that you may learn will include whether or not the ants are outdoor nesting ants, indoor nesting ants, if they are sweet foods eating ants, grease or protein feeding ants, or if they eat a variety of foods.

Location of Ants and How to Treat Them

Ants That Nest Outdoors

Although many ants in the environment may not necessarily need to be eliminated because they may be considered beneficial and are usually harmless, most ants become pests because they can ruin such things as lawn aesthetics and can even start to venture inside the home to forage for food. They are swift and will grow very large, so infestations can become overwhelming. Some ants, though, are also considered pests because they will use a stinging defense mechanism, which can provide health risks for people and animals.

ANT MOUNDS: Ants are able to make complex ant nests underground and over time, these ant mounds can actually be developed into extensive underground tunnels and chambers. Usually, people will not know that such extensive chambers are built underground and at most, they will really only see the ant hill or mound. These mounds in itself are pesky because too many of them will actually begin to destroy the overall evenness of lawns and can often times smother the turf that surrounds the mound.

Outdoor ants can be controlled in a few ways. Some of the things that the applicators may want to consider doing are barrier treatments around the structure and direct mound treatments. Barrier treatments are just as the name implies. Use a properly labeled insecticide to spray around the entire perimeter of the structure, remembering to target additional places like window frames and door frames, and spray so that the ants cannot enter the building. Usually, barriers will be made both on the structure itself and also on the immediate area adjacent to the structure. Mound treatments can also be done with liquid concentrate insecticides or it can be done with a granule insecticide. These labeled pesticides are applied directly on the mounds that the applicators find around the yard. For both granule and liquid concentrates, it is important to thoroughly review the product label before application.

Ants That Nest Indoors

One of the problems of ants in the United States and also one of the reason why they are one of the most common pests in the country is because their abilities to invade are not limited to just invading a house or a picnic table. They actually are able to invade a variety of locations including schools, hospitals, restaurants, and etc. Although most ant species nest outside in the ground, there are some ant species that will invade a structure and stay inside to continue to forage for food and stay out of extreme outdoor temperatures.

Barrier treatments that are made to the exterior perimeter of the structure will help you keep ants out of the house. However, once they are inside, sometimes, they can move quickly to invade a home and this can be overwhelming and very uncomfortable. To get rid of ants that are inside the house, we recommend an integrated approach that uses both the barrier treatment and also the use of an ant bait. Baits will come in different formulations. These formulations include such materials as scatter/granule bait, pre-baited stations, ant bait gels, or liquid ant baits. Many of the baits that Pest Mall offers will target both sweet food ants and protein/grease feeding ants. However, some may be specific to the type of ant, so we always recommend that you thoroughly read the product label before purchasing the ant bait. If you have questions on what ant bait will work the best against your infestation, please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-788-4142.

Common Ant Bait Products That Are Available