Ants
Finding a few ants in the house is no reason for concern, but when you see 1000’s form a conga line, time to call a professional. The ants have set up a complex system to move food from your kitchen to their nest.
Why a Conga Line of Ants
When ants form a continuous line, two wide, coming and going from your countertop and disappearing into a wall under a baseboard, it is referred to as trailing. It is the method by which ants organize and send workers (called foragers) to gather food and bring it back to the nest. Once this supply pipeline is established, the ants will be determined to keep it active. Killing off workers in a war of attrition does not work – they simply replace the workers and reestablish the conga line.
Kill the Source – The Nest
The only solution is to destroy the nest - the source of the workers and the demand for kitchen sweets. Once the nest is destroyed, the supply of workers is gone and demand for crumbs from your countertop dries up. Ant problem solved.
Ant Control is a Complex Problem with a Simple Solution
Destroying the nest requires a Sherlock Holmes intellect – keen observation, exact identification, attention to minute details, following the clues, and applying a targeted solution. The solution is often a dab of bait cleverly placed in an optimum location. The bait contains a delayed action active ingredient that doesn’t kill the worker. The worker lives to transport the bait back to the nest to kill the queen.
That is step one to controlling ants in the home.
Preventing Future Ant Infestations with a Perimeter Treatment
The second step in controlling the ants is preventing them from entering the house. Ants do not spawn in the house – they are outdoor pests that have found their way into your home to be indoor pests. The solution for preventing ants from entering the home is applying an invisible barrier around your home. This is referred to as a perimeter spray. The perimeter spray contains an insecticide applied to the exterior of your home to deter ants and other pests from entering the home.
