[Ant Control Issue] We're Back!

It’s time to gear up for the new season. Spring is here and so are our best friends — ants! The new season offers great opportunity for creating new accounts and ensuring continued customer satisfaction in existing ones. Ants have become the No. 1 pest problem, and problems caused by ants can either make or break an account. Prompt action on ant issues can lead to increased sales via references, improved customer satisfaction and retention, and new customer accounts. In preparation for the spring season, let’s discuss some biological aspects of ants and how a PCO can use these characteristics to her/his advantage.

COLONY CYCLE. The stages of ant colony growth are the following: colony founding, growth and reproduction. In the beginning of the season these stages can go unnoticed. For example, it is common to have a homeowner complain about a sudden appearance of workers in the bathroom without noticing any ant activity outside the house. Some species are naturally inconspicuous in this way. Even species such as the red imported fire ant, Argentine ant, some big-headed ant species and pavement ants, which normally are quite conspicuous, can appear without warning in early spring. In these types of situations workers could be from an older colony “left over” from the previous year, or could be the first stage of foragers from a newly emerging colony. Regardless, such activity is a sign of ramping up.

The majority of species “re-awaken” around late April and start their reproductive growth cycle, marked by foraging and searching. Homeowners might experience individual lone foragers, or in some instances, get swamped by them.

ACT FAST. When informed by a customer of the appearance of workers, the PCO should take immediate action — the correct initial action could resolve the pest problem without the need for future callbacks. In this particular situation, the following procedure should be followed: 1) bait inside, preferably with protein bait — ants are foraging for protein as the growth stage begins (later in the season use both protein and carbohydrates); 2) conduct a crack-and-crevice application with a residual insecticide in voids from which foragers are emerging. If a particular location of intrusion is unidentifiable, spot treat the vicinity — this will leave a residual for unseen meandering workers; 3) apply a granular or liquid product around the outside of the house. This part is very important — this process eliminates founding nests and creates a residual buffer for future founding queens. It is wise to incorporate some sort of preliminary ant control program into one’s quarterly service as the warmer months begin.

FOCUS ON FORAGING. Another biological aspect of ants is foraging. Unbeknownst to most, ant foraging is not a random chaotic process without “focus,” but rather an extremely organized process, whereby workers optimize efficiency and resource allocation. Some general rules of thumb: 1) Ants will continuously forage for resources if the resources are accepted by other workers and continue to satisfy the needs of the colony; 2) workers will continue to follow trails if enough pheromone (ant communication chemicals) is present; and 3) they will continue to forage if the queen is still reproducing. In layman’s terms, ants are attracted to resources and will continue to trail to that resource until the resource itself is either removed or depleted. Furthermore, if the queen is still reproducing, then continued foraging will take place.

RESOURCE CONTROL. The first step in the control process is the elimination of resources. Water is hard to control when its source is natural condensation, but wiping counters and other surfaces dry and placing pet water bowls on stands can have a significant effect. Clearing food particles goes without saying. Servicing an account where sanitation is low and food particles are abundant is going to be tough. Remember, ant baits are competing with leftover cookie crumbs, so it will be tough to attract ants from such a good natural resource to synthetic baits. If foraging trails are thick, place baits near the trails. Do not disturb the trail. Place the baits slightly off the beaten path — the ants will find it.

If evidence of foraging is lacking, but the customer says something like, “Well, I saw them here and here and so on…,” then conduct a good wipe down followed by select placement near suspected entry points. Afterward, go back for a residual application. Foraging trails to that entry point are not likely to have been erased, and continued visits by ants are probable. The Argentine ant, for example, exhibits resource site fidelity and will return to the same locations.

BAIT PLACEMENT. Placement of baits and the amount of time allowed for feeding are important as well. As mentioned earlier, don’t place baits in the middle of foraging trails. Rather, place them slightly away from the trail and as close as possible to the entry point. This aids in preventing unsightly extended foraging trails and makes the situation less conspicuous and the customer happier. With regards to the amount of time allowed for feeding, it is best to leave baits for extended periods. I say a minimum of six to eight hours, in order to ensure that enough material is transported to the nest to decrease foraging intensity. Once foraging intensity decreases to a point whereby only stragglers are present, the baits can be removed and surfaces wiped to erase the remaining foraging trails.

The bait’s active ingredient also will have an effect on the timeline for reduction of foraging intensity. Inert stomach-poison baits tend to have a longer time lag, so periods longer than eight hours might be needed to reduce foraging activity. In my experience, residual workers still use inert stomach-poison baits after eight hours. I try to correct the situation by applying a residual aerosol product at the entry points where the foraging trail begins. Some newer transference chemicals tend to work faster, effecting complete reduction within four hours.

CUSTOMER CONCERNS. Customer needs are important in connection with bait placement and types of baits used. Inert stomach-poison baits tend to be “greener” and give the customer a warm, fuzzy feeling when placed around the kitchen or near children and pets. Containerized baits are less messy and protect the bait matrix. In my experience, “full” containerized baits are well received by customers when placed in open areas. Just know your products and the differences among them.

RANDOM ENTRY INTRUSION. Last, let’s discuss a phenomenon I call “random entry intrusion.” Random entry intrusion refers to the presence of foragers at different locations throughout the vicinity of the house. Intrusions can be single or multiple and are random with respect to location. An example of a single random entry intrusion is that of ants appearing in one location after having been treated in another location. This drives the customer crazy. Nonetheless, the simple fact is that the pest management professional is probably facing the presence of multiple nests.

This situation can be controlled by baits alone, but it could take weeks depending on the population level. In addition, related small satellite nests could be located in the wall voids. This calls for outside liquid application. If your state regulator allows for a little trenching, do it. Trenching is more cumbersome than simply applying baits, but will help the applied product to gain access to underground foraging tunnels. In addition, pest management professionals should treat plumbing pipes with a residual non-repellent product — ants use plumbing pipes to access wall voids and to pass from room to room.

For success in your ant control accounts, follow the methods described previously for baiting. And follow your instincts. For future reference, study and document the patterns that you find — problem accounts usually are associated with the same types of pest-related occurrences year after year. Happy baiting!

The author is director of research and development, Waterbury Companies, Waterbury, Conn.