Ant Control

Ants that live outside and forage in the home.

Ants that live outside will travel inside the home to search for food. Some species may ultimately reside in houses. To prevent both of these scenarios, follow these procedures:

  • First, cracks and crevices should be sealed to eliminate passages into the home. If you do not seal entry points, ants will probably find their way into your house at some later time.
  • Second, scrub around entry points with a detergent (to remove the trail pheromone) and spray a residual insecticide around entry points.

Ants that live (nest) inside your home.

Yes, there are some types of ants that actually establish a nest inside your home instead of merely entering to forage for food and returning outdoors. Ants in this category may be present year round, although they will be more active in the warmer months. Common ant species include crazy ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, pharaoh ants, thief ants, and carpenter ants.. Location and total destruction of the nest is the most direct way to eliminate this ant infestation.

Carpenter Ants

Unlike other home-inhabiting ants, carpenter ants cause structural damage to wood by tunnelling and nesting inside wood structures. However, they rarely nest in sound wood, but consistently invade wood that has become wet and started to decay. Carpenter ants are large (about 3/8 to 1/2″ long) and black or red.

Best Ways to Control Ants

Ant infestation are not easy to control and different strategies should be used depending on nest location and food preferences of the ants. Ants can be controlled with a combination of good sanitation, removing pheromone trails, caulking entry points and eliminating active nests. Insecticide sprays and baits can be used to kill foraging ants and destroy nests, but strategies designed to prevent further infestations should be used in conjunction with chemical treatment.

See more information about all kinds of ants under the Pest Identification page.

When you have problems with ants in your home, call City Pest Control, Inc. at 812-847-4525