[ANNUAL ANT CONTROL ISSUE] Situational Ant Management

Editor’s Note: The PCT Field Guide for the Management of Structure-Infesting Ants has sold more than 30,000 copies since being introduced in 1992. Now in its Third Edition, the field guide — authored by renowned entomologist Stoy Hedges — has been updated to include the latest biology and control information for the most commonly encountered species of ants in North America.

Many lessons can be learned regarding the successful management of ants and other pests by examining actual situations where ants have invaded structures. What did not work to solve the infestation is often as enlightening as what did work. Each situation is different and the procedures used to solve the infestation depend in large part on which ant is involved and where it is found living. The following describes a number of cases the author has been involved with that resulted in controlling an ant infestation.
 

Case #1
An office building was experiencing an ant problem inside on several floors. The ants were identified as acrobat ants. These ants prefer to nest inside dead, decaying wood such as tree stumps, dead tree limbs or where water leaks occur inside wooden buildings. A steel and glass office building possesses none of these likely nesting sites so the invasion of ants had to be originating from outside. An inspection outside the area of the building where ants were seen inside revealed a trail of ants crawling up the side of the building. The ant trail extended more than 100 feet to the base of a large tree where the trail disappeared up into the branches above. The trail followed a structural guideline (e.g., corner, edge of a metal bracket, edge of the sidewalk, etc.) for about 85 percent of the trail.

The ant nest itself would be difficult to find (and treat) up in a 70-foot tree. The only solution was to treat the ant trail from the building to the tree to prevent the ants from reaching the building. Regular inspections were made outside to determine if the ant trails were again heading toward the building. These new trails were then treated to stop any further invasion of the building. Over several years, ants were not observed again inside the building.
 
Lessons Learned.
Knowledge of an ant’s identity and biology provided the prompt discovery of the source of the infestation and a quick solution to the problem. The identity of the ant involved is critical to success in controlling it. In addition, ants prefer to follow edges, corners, etc. Ant trails can be quickly followed by looking for ants along such “guidelines.”

Case #2
Ants were being seen in numerous apartments in many of an apartment complex’s buildings. Residents were complaining about the constant sightings of the ants in their kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms. The service professional assigned to the complex was diligently and persistently inspecting and treating every apartment that called in a complaint. Each time one apartment was treated, other apartments in the same building would call in with ant sightings within days.

The author was asked to look into this situation to help solve the problem. The ants were identified as odorous house ants — the primary ant pest in the area.

From experience, the author knew that most infestations of this ant originate from outside, although the ants may establish satellite colonies within the structure. Sure enough, when an inspection of the exterior was made, numerous vertical trails of ants were observed winding their way up the foundation of the building from the ground level. The trails of ants would then enter the building through any crack in the exterior that was present. Some buildings had 20, 30 or more of these trails.

The vertical trails on the building’s foundation disappeared behind grass and other vegetation next to the building. Pulling back this vegetation revealed that the vertical trails were offshoots of a long horizontal trail on the foundation hidden behind the vegetation. These horizontal trails were often 20 feet or longer and were traced to colonies living under items near the building, in the soil at the base of river oak trees, and even behind loose bark on the trees.

All of the affected buildings received a perimeter treatment with a wettable powder pyrethroid directly to and several feet out from the foundation. Exterior cracks accessible near the ground level were treated with a residual dust insecticide, and ant colonies located under items, in the soil and behind tree bark were treated directly with the wettable powder pyrethroid. An exterior ant bait was then applied around the foundation to help control ant colonies that may have escaped detection. The customer was asked to trim tree branches back from the building and to seal exterior cracks. Within a couple of weeks, the complex’s ant problems diminished greatly. The complex now receives regular exterior inspections for ants and exterior treatments are scheduled as necessary.

Lessons Learned.
Most ant infestations originate from outside even when large commercial buildings are involved. To focus on the interior of the structure often results in control failures and ultimately unhappy customers.

Case #3
A homeowner in Miami was experiencing a problem with tiny ants in her kitchen that were identified as ghost ants. These ants were also found in the utility room. An inspection of the exterior revealed workers foraging on the wall by the front door, the wall beside a window and a sliding glass door in the rear of the house. Pharaoh ants were found trailing on the wall by the back patio of the home.

One of the methods for finding ghost ant colonies is to pull the grass away from the foundation, search for foraging workers and then follow them back to the colony. During this process, two colonies of big-headed ants, one colony of crazy ants, one colony of trap-jaw ants and one colony of an unidentified ant were found. Nearby, a colony of Florida carpenter ants were found under a landscape timber, and a colony of crazy ants were found living inside a sprinkler head in the lawn. In all, seven different species of ants comprising 10 colonies were discovered.

The ghost ants inside and the Pharaoh ants were baited. Each colony found along the foundation was treated by drenching using a compressed air sprayer.

Lessons Learned.
More than one ant colony can be present even if the ants are not being seen inside. In most cases, it is just a matter of time until these ants enter the building.
 

“Layered” Approach to Ant Control Creates Happy Customers
Curtis Whalen doesn’t like making callbacks to his customers’ homes and businesses. Whalen, partner and chief operating officer of Blue Sky Pest Control, Phoenix, Ariz., says doing pest control right the first time is the key to customer satisfaction. That’s why it’s his company’s top objective.

The persistent pests that pose the worst control problems are ants. Given this reality, ants take on a particular importance not only as frequently encountered pest control challenges, but, quite often, as the foundation of Blue Sky Pest Control’s ongoing relationship with a customer.

“Controlling an ant infestation the first time shapes a homeowner’s perception of our ability to solve pest problems,” Whalen said. “So our ability to control ants has a major affect on our reputation and our bottom line.” Whalen and his team of 40 employ the SmartSolution for Ants from BASF.

“It’s exactly what Blue Sky needed,” Whalen said. “The SmartSolution for Ants helps us control ant problems the first time we’re called, establishing good customer relationships and generating future business. People commonly recommend us to their friends and family because they are confident we will not let them down.”

Whalen worked with Jim Truslow, sales representative with BASF Pest Control Solutions, to implement the SmartSolution for Ants, a comprehensive array of products that addresses the special challenges of ant control. “It’s unique because the products are delivered in ‘layers of treatment’ outside and inside,” Truslow said. “All take advantage of distinct ant biology and social behaviors.”
 

Layer 1:  Exterior On Structure
Termidor termiticide/insecticide is the core product of the SmartSolution for Ants and provides the most effective outdoor low-dose control of ants available, according to BASF. A Termidor treatment creates a zone of non-repellent protection around the home.

Layer 2:  Exterior Off Structure
Treating away from the structure (including trees, landscaping beds and grounds) reduces the pressure around the building, aiding control and helping to prevent new invading colonies. Prescription Treatment brand Advance Ant Baits and Prescription Treatment brand Cy-Kick CS provide a “second layer” of control for truly thorough ant control.

Layer 3:  Inside Structure
The SmartSolution for Ants includes a flexible range of non-repellent indoor ant control products and application methods that complement the exterior Termidor treatments.

Like Termidor, Phantom termiticide-insecticide utilizes non-repellent technology to eliminate ant populations within days, but is labeled for use indoors and outdoors. “The new Prescription Treatment brand Phantom Pressurized Insecticide is awesome,” Whalen said. “Its performance matches liquid Phantom, but it dries in crystals which provides a faster reaction time to the ants from the treatment.”

Prescription Treatment brand Alpine products offer many options for immediate-need interior and exterior areas and all Alpine formulations (Foam, Dust and Pressurized Insecticide) contain the non-repellent AI dinotefuran, granted reduced-risk status for public health use by EPA.
Source: BASF Pest Control Solutions