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ANT CONTROL
CARPENTER ANTS are one of the most common ant species they are. They are most commonly the larger black ants, but do come in a variety of sizes and colors. Carpenter ants hollow out dead, moist wood, firewood, and fences ,but do not ever eat the wood. They nest in wood rather and also can be found indoors in wall voids, eaves, crawl spaces, and attics. Sometimes their nest can grow to thousands of ants. Found throughout the USA , they feed on insects during the summer but often invade structures in spring and fall looking for other food sources. These ants eat sweets and are known to forge at nights. Another key identifier is that they have a circle of hairs at the tip of their abdomen. Also evidence of frass (tiny bits of sawdust material with parts of dead insects) is a good indication of a colony close by. Keep in mind it is common that carpenter ant colonies do produce swarmers (winged ants) and is another clue that the colony is close by.
The most important key to control these ants is to locate the nest. Keep in mind they will travel as far as 300 feet away from the nest. Look in places in the home such as under fiberglass insulation in attics and crawl spaces. Also around the outside such as in tree hollows and even around roots underground. Once the nest is found we recommend applying a residual directly to the nest such as Talstar One liquid or Demon WP powder. If the nest can not be found then to suppress the colony you should apply baits such as Maxforce ant granular around the perimeter of the home. If the problem is severe in the home then you should apply Maxforce carpenter ant gel bait to strategic locations in the home.
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ARGENTINE ANTS are known to be very small and light to dark brown in color. It has a single node, shiny, and no hairs on the abdomen. They are common throughout the southeastern USA and is a problem in southern California. They nest outdoors under logs, concrete slabs, mulch and even in the soil. They mostly are found indoors in the winter months. They can be identified as trailing on baseboards and along edges of carpet. Argentine ants mainly feed on sweets and could enter into homes in large numbers depending on the extreme conditions of moisture.
Treatment strategies for the argentine ant should include good inspections of infested areas. If the problem is seeing trails around the outdoors along sidewalks, foundations, and up the sides and eaves of the structure we recommend a fan spray of Talstar One. Apply along the foundation walls, eaves, around all windows and a 10 foot band around the perimeter of the home. In addition we recommend keeping them away by applying a bait around the outside such as Maxforce ant granular or Advance ant bait. If they are found indoors try to follow the forging workers back to the site where the colony is located. If you see them entering from under the wall and do not see them on the outside of the wall then they are probably in the wall. Apply Niban FG to the wall voids as prescribed. If the problem is severe inside and out we may recommend in addition to apply Terro II ant bait throughout the outside and inside of the home.
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GHOST ANTS are hard to see because they are so tiny and pale with one node. The front half is dark, the back half and legs are light. They are mainly found in Florida and Hawaii. Ghost ants usually nest outdoors, but they build colonies behind baseboards, in wall voids, in cabinets of buildings where they find food feeding on dead insects sweets and other foods..
If the problem is mainly outdoors we advice applying Maxforce ant granular as prescribed. In severe cases apply Advance ant bait too as prescribed. Indoors we recommend Terro II .
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CRAZY ANTS are small, dark brown to black ants which only have one node between the thorax and abdomen. They are recognized by their extremely long legs and antennae. The crazy ant is common in the southeastern US. They get their name from being known to erratically run around aimless with no sense of direction. They will nest in cracks, crevices, and voids inside and wander throughout the structure searching for food. They prefer to eat animal matter, grease and other insects, but will readily eat sweets.
To control crazy ants first try to eliminate any conditions of moisture that may be around any infestation. Vegetation should be trimmed away from the structure. All cracks in the outside foundation walls should be sealed. Nesting items such as bark, mulch, boards, bricks, stones, logs,and firewood should be moved away from the structure. An application of Talstar One should be applied along the whole foundation wall as well as the soil ten feet away from the structure. If the infestation is severe on the inside also try using Terro II inside only. There is no guarantee these ants will readily feed on any bait though. We can only recommend trying it.
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PHARAOH ANTS are small, yellow ants about 1/16-inch in length. They have two nodes and look very similar to the thief ant. They are found throughout the US, primarily in the southern states. Nest locations include wall voids, cabinet voids, behind baseboards, window moldings, around refrigerators and showers, boxes, and expansion joints in slabs. Their colonies can grow quite large containing as many as 300,000 workers and queens. New colonies are formed by a process called "budding" This is when the colony grows so large that some workers take some of the colony's brood to a new location.
The control of Pharaoh ants can be very difficult and may require special consultation. Close inspections and surveys are important in the managing these ants. Spraying with residuals will NOT eliminate these ants. This could make the situation worse. A baiting system must be used to suit your particular situation. Maxforce ant granular is labeled for outside applications for Pharaoh ants and possibly Niban FG could be used in wall voids on the inside. We have other products not advertised on our website that may be in more order of what you need.
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ODOROUS HOUSE ANTS are very common pest throughout the US. Workers are small brownish-black in color and range between 1/12 to 1/8 inch long. It can be recognized by when crushing it, this ant gives off an unpleasant odor. Indoors these ants nest in walls and in under floors. Outdoors they commonly build shallow nest under boards and stones. It is most common to see these ants move indoors during the cooler months.
Make sure a good inspection is done to identify all colonies that may exist inside and out. If colonies are located outside then apply a perimeter treatment of a residual such as Demon WP or Talstar One. After this a baiting system of Maxforce ant granular can be used as a preventive for long term care. Indoors we recommend Terro II applied as prescribed. These simple techniques should be all you need to clear up the problem.
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THIEF ANTS are one of the smallest species of ants known. They vary in color from yellow to dirty brown, and have a two segmented antennal club. They are found all over the US. Thief ants get their name because they often live in nest of larger ants where they may feed on the larvae of their host. They are primarily known to be grease feeding ants. They will forge inside and sometimes be found trailing on baseboards looking for foods and to nest in wall voids.
The most effective technique we would recommend would be a perimeter treatment of Talstar One. Also spraying the inside baseboards with Demon WP may be in order if the infestation is a problem indoors. After using this technique first then a bait system may be tried. Maxforce ant bait is labeled for Thief ants. Also Niban FG in the wall voids may help suppress the colony in the walls.
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FIRE ANTS have different sizes of workers and two nodes. They are commonly four species of fire ants found mostly in the southern states. They are known to be very aggressive as many know and could cause harm and sometimes death to people. They usually build mounds outdoors in sunny areas and are known to nest inside homes as well. Mostly they are identified to be red but are sometimes darker too.
It is very important that fire ants are controlled. To treat mounds in the yard we recommend drenching each mound with one gallon of Talstar One mixed according to label. Depending on the species fire ants can be baited as well. Email us describing the particular ant species you are having and we will recommend baits accordingly. Baits that are labeled for fire ants are Maxforce ant granular, Terro II, Advance ant granular bait, Talstar granular and Triad granular as well as Niban FG.
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SOURCE: Truman's scientific guide to Pest Control Operations
SOURCE: PCT ant guide and courtesy of Van Waters and Rogers.
