Team up with customers for better ant control

Andy Linares, President/Founder, Bug Off Pest Control Center

One of the core principles of IPM is that we should always make sure the customer cooperates in any pest management program we initiate. This is especially important when it comes to ant control. As with most other pests, we should ensure food and water are removed, clutter is limited and access points are sealed. Outdoors, branches should not come in contact with the structure, plantings should be neatly trimmed, and moisture sources around the foundation should be minimized.

But what is of utmost importance when it comes to ant control is that customers should be educated in basic ant behavior — and should be instructed as to why they should never take matters into their own hands. We know our default ant control position is the deployment of as much variety of bait formulations as possible in the account. This is because of the foraging behavior of worker ants and the phenomenon of trophallaxis in the colony. Success depends on those foragers returning with those ticking time bombs we set out.

Therefore, always insist customers be patient and not spray away, step on or otherwise kill or disturb those foragers. If those sterile females fail to return to the nest without the bait load, we will not succeed in eliminating the colony. Recruiting the customer as an informed ally prevents failure and complaints.