Pharaoh Ants

Pharaoh ants usually appear in ant trails that can be followed to some kind of food or water source. Because of their wide foraging areas, the use of sprays or aerosols will usually cause the colony to split and increase reproduction rates. DO NOT SPRAY ANTS INDOORS! Because their nests are well hidden inside walls, it is usually best to use baits to eliminate the problem. Terro-PCO or Maxforce FC are extremely effective professional baits. Place the stations at a rate of three to six per average size room wherever ants are present. Always consult the product label for more detailed information. The three rules of using bait stations are as follows:

1. Wash your hands BEFORE touching the bait.
2. Do not use insecticides or cleansers on or near the bait.
3. Once the bait station is placed DO NOT MOVE IT, except to replace it in exactly the same spot.

Treat outdoors against all exterior walls with MaxForce Fine Granule Insect Bait. This bait allows faster control because ants will often feed on both sides of an exterior wall.

If you have any questions or would like more information on these products, please contact us.

Fire Ant

If you have a problem with these tenacious creatures, you probably know by now their hallmark; huge colonies that extend above ground and a vicious sting. If you are experiencing fire ants indoors, these may be foraging from a colony outside or in the walls of your home. In any event, baiting is always a good idea for ants inside a structure. Terro-PCO or Maxforce FC are an effective general ant bait. Place the stations at a rate of three to six per average size room whever ants are present. Always consult the product label for more detailed information. The three rules of using bait stations are as follows:

1. Wash your hands BEFORE touching the bait.
2. Do not use insecticides or cleansers on or near the bait.
3. Once the bait station is placed DO NOT MOVE IT, except to replace it in exactly the same spot.

Outdoor fire ants are usually characterized by mounds extending above ground. The majority of the colony is below ground however. Some colonies are so large they can have several mounds that are interconnected underground. There are two ways to deal with this problem. You can broadcast a long-lasting residual insecticide. Talstar PL will last up to six months on fire ants. Each 25lb bag will cover 6,000 square feet or less. This sand-like granule is photo stable for longer life outdoors and is safe around children and pets. Just keep them off the yard until you have completed your treatment.

If you perfer to treat individual mounds, MaxForce Fire Ant Granules is a slow acting bait that foraging ants pass through the colony until all ants are fed including the queen. Apply two tablespoons of the product around the mound. Do not place it on the mound or water it. Do not disturb the nest. You should see results in 3-4 days. Re-apply as necessary. Refer to the label for detailed applications and instructions. If you have any questions or would like more information on these products, please contact us.

Carpenter Ants

Just as their name implies, these are pests that have an affinity toward wood and a substantial capacity to destroy it. These ants usually nest in knotty rooted trees, like oak or magnolia, or in moist, partially decayed wood, like an old pile of fire wood. Carpenter ants usually have the main nest outside and will form satellite nests in the attic or wall void of a structure. If you are seeing a few carpenter ants inside the house, your first step is a thorough inspection. Get a flashlight and head for the attic at night! Carpenter ants are nocturnal and are most active at night. Look for large concentrations of ants. If you have trees that overhang and touch the house, trim them. Also look for high concentrations of moisture. A roof or pipe leak will attract ants. If you don't see any ants besides the few that you see in the house, then these are foraging ants just looking for food or a water source. These can be treated with a residual insecticide like Suspend SC. You can spray inside and all entrance points outside to stop ants from coming in. Each application of Suspend SC lasts for months and will take care of a small problem before it becomes a major one.

If you do find water damage, repair the water source and the rotten wood (if necessary). Treat the new and surrounding wood with Bora-Care. This product is odorless, and will dry clear. It can be applied to any unpainted wood. Application can be achieved either by spray or brush and the treated wood can be painted once dry. Bora-Care will penetrate the wood and protect the treated area from any wood destroying activity for up to 40 years. 

If you do find an ant nest, either inside or outside, the most effective way of elliminating the colony is baiting. Depending on the size of the colony, this could take a long time. Be patient! Advance Carpenter Ant Bait is a granulated bait designed specificly for carpenter ants. The bait is best applied in the early evening when the ants are foraging. Reapply the bait every one to two weeks until there are no signs of ants. Refer to the label for precautions and detailed instructions. If you would like more information on these products, please contact us.

Black Ants

The little black ant. Yes, that's what they're actually called. Little black ants (Monomorium minimum) are annoying and numerous pests. A single colony can consist of more than 2,000 ants that are active both day and night. They can be found in yards and houses all over the United States, especially the eastern half of the country and southern California.

The biggest difficulty we face with little black ant control is their versatility. They will nest in almost anything. Outside they will be in the ground, in trees, in mulch, in cracks in sidewalks and driveways, in rotted wood, under rocks, etc. Inside, black ants will nest in woodwork, masonry, wall voids, and even under carpets. When it comes to food, they will eat everything. Favorites are sweets, vegetables, fruits, meats, dead insects, plant secretions, and grease. They'll even eat honeydew, which is a secretion given off by plant suckers like aphids and scales.  Following the scented trails they leave, they collect the food and bring it back to their nests. They can bring some pretty big pieces, too—up to 20 times their own weight. Despite their strength, getting rid of black ants isn't all that difficult. The problem is that it's pretty much always temporary.  Once gone, you can count on them coming back at some point.

A clean house is the first step in any pest prevention.  A little black ant will eat anything and everything, so do your dishes.  The little bits and pieces of food that get left behind on dirty dishes, pots, pans, and silverware make a nice meal for a black ant.  Clean stoves, countertops, and tables diligently after every meal or snack.  Crumbs on the floor are an easy food source too. Develop an habit of sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming.  Also remember to take your trash out regularly and to rinse out bottles and cans before ants can find them.

Protect your food products, even if your kitchen is spotless.  Little black ants can and will invade your home in search of food.  Don't give them the chance of finding unsafeguarded foods. Store everything in tight containers, preferably plastic containers with snappy lids, tin/aluminum canisters, or jars with rubber gaskets. This includes, but is not limited to, flours, sugars, pastas, cereals, chips, butter, and oils. Basically, if it's something you can eat that the ants would also like to eat it.

Before you start to kill ants, you should probably make sure you know where they're coming from. It would be nice to know if they are inside your home or if they're sneaking in from the outside. You should be able to target the colonies more effectively later. When you see ants inside, watch them for awhile and see what little nook or cranny they are retreating back into. Spend some time outside looking around for ant colonies too.

While you're looking for ants outside, if you see some, pay attention to how they are getting in so you can block that opening off. Even if you didn't see any ants out there, you'll want to look for openings anyway. Once you get this black ant infestation under control, you'll want to avoid future ones. So walk around outside with a caulking gun and fill any cracks in the foundation along with any openings that may have been created from electrical wires, cables, phone lines, plumbing, etc. 

Clean your yard and along your house.  While little black ants do sometimes live in your home, more often than not they have a nest outside somewhere.  Outside the home, look for and remove any decent sized rocks, logs, pavers, stepping stones, stumps, mulch, and anything else that looks like something black ants or for that matter, any pest might like to live under. It's also a good idea to trim back tree and shrub branches that are up against the house. Black ants will sometimes use these to get to your house.

Because black ants gather food and take it back to their nest, ant baits are probably the most effective and easy to use form of ant killer.  Ant baits don't kill ants immediately, which allows them to take it back to the nest and infect the entire colony.  Ant baits are generally applied or placed directly in the ants' scented trails. Products such as TERRO PCO, Gourmet Ant Bait Gel or Maxforce Ant Bait Stations are an effective means of eliminating the black ant indoors.

Outside control can be achieved with an application of Talstar PL. Simply broadcast like a fertilizer throughout the entire yard and garden areas. Apply Talstar Pl at a rate of 6,000 square feet per 25 pound bag. Do Not Treat Edible Plants or Trees with Talstar PL.