Tips to handle ants in the field

Desiree Straubinger, BCE

Ants are tricky to control, so keeping helpful tips and tricks in your back pocket can come in handy in the field — such as:

• Identification is the key to controlling any pest, but with ants it is particularly important.
• Be patient. Spend time watching trailing ants so you can determine where the colony is harboring. This will save on callbacks and ensure client satisfaction.
• Check areas like rooftops and gutters. On commercial facilities, many species will establish colonies on rooftops and gain access to the building.
• If ants are trailing outside, treat them outside! Baiting inside a structure can draw ants into view of your client. Baiting on the exterior will draw them out of the structure, and you can take your time eliminating the colony out of the view of the client.
• Use caution when choosing residual products. Many ant species will bud or disperse when treated with a repellent insecticide. It also can lock pest issues inside a structure where your client will see them. Keep it simple: In ant-prone areas, use a non-repellent liquid residual on your perimeter treatments.
• Establish clear expectations with your clients on the length of time it will take to eliminate the colony and how they can help control ants — such as food source and harborage elimination, entry point access restriction, and what treatment you performed, so they don’t clean up behind you.