how to control outside ants

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Hi,

We have hired exterminators and they have not worked to get the ant problem that we have under control. The ants are no longer in the house but as soon as the outside of the home that has been sprayed wears off they again show up in our home. We have located  numerous nests and would like to handle the situation ourselves. Can you please advise us on the products that may be most helpful to control the outside ant population. We live in an area with a few smaller trees but very few. All nests that we have located have been in the ground and 1 in a stump that has been removed since. What type of treatment would you recommend to kill ants in the outdoor nests and to control our problem? The nests have all been located in mulched areas and two main nests with multiple other satellites have been found.

Thank you,
Andy

The good news is it sounds like you’ve done most of the work needed to solve this problem. As explained in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE, knowing where nests are located can make solving problems easy. And based on your detailed message, you know there are several nests and you seem to know where they’re located. This is big.

At this point, I’d say all you need is the DRIONE, PHANTOM and TERMIDOR. Use a CRUSADER to get the Drione applied to any nest you see. This will kill the nest within minutes. The benefits of Drione are explained in our article and in this case should be able to handle 90% of the problem.

Next, spray the foundation with the Termidor. This slow acting active will get the ants by surprise. It’s non repellent and insects can’t detect it which makes it lethal. As they come to the home and start foraging over treated areas, they’ll be picking up the Termidor and ultimately bringing some back to the nests you’ve missed. Once the Termidor kicks in (which will take 3-5 days), these hidden nests will be shut down. This should take care of the 10% you miss with the Drione.

Lastly, keep the Phantom Aerosol for use inside the home. Phantom is like Termidor in that it’s slow acting and non repellent. Use it sparingly inside the home where you see ants. Phantom is unique in that it goes on dry and when applied properly, can’t be seen. I use it in my home which has nothing but hardwood floors. Even with all the shiny surfaces you can’t see anything has been sprayed.

Follow this process and you should have the problem resolved in a week. Here are direct products to the products and information listed above:

Carpenter Ant Control:  https://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Phantom:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/pt-phantom-17-5oz

Termidor:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/termidor-sc-20-oz

Crusader:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/dusters/crusader

carpenter ant damage

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I have Carpenter ant damage at my house where an old deck meets the house.  How would you recommend getting rid of them?

If you have damage you should be seeing ants. And if you’re seeing ants, trailing them to the nest would be easy and suggested. In all cases like this the first thing you need to do is dust with DRIONE. You’ll see this listed in our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE. It will provide quick control since it penetrates all spaces and voids effectively. I suggest you watch the video as this demonstrates why it’s so effective to use for spaces.

I also recommend spraying the foundation with some TERMIDOR to make sure you have a barrier in place that will get any stragglers or other nests you may have missed.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Carpenter Ant Control:  https://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

Termidor:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/termidor-sc-20-oz

large flying ants

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we have flying ants. do they bite? how to get rid of them?

Most all ants will generate “flyers”. These are usually reproductives (aka: males and females, kings and queens, etc.) with the sole purpose of leaving an existing nest to mate and start new nests. In most cases seeing 1-2 of these in the home does not mean you have a local problem. But if you’re seeing 5-10 or more, it’s highly likely there is a nest in or on your home which will need attention (chemical treatments).

Another possible insect that sends out flyers in the spring are TERMITES. These guys are very different from ants but in fact can be a much bigger problem. There are some key differences between ants and termites but the swarmers each will generate can be quite similar.

Can flying ants bite? Absolutely. The rule to follow here is based on the species. For example, pavement ants are docile and don’t sting or bite. And the swarmers they produce tend to be very similar. Fireants, however, are stinging pests. They use a piercing stinger located on their abdomen which can deliver a nasty bit of potent poison. Their swarmers can sting as well as the other members of the local colony. So the rule here is if the species you have is known to bite or sting, it’s most likely their swarmers can too.

At this point I suggest you find out for sure if you have ants or termites. Next, I’d start doing one of the recommended treatments explained in either our TERMITE ARTICLE or ANT CONTROL ARTICLE. And if these ants are large and black, it’s most likely you’ll need to do one of the recommended CARPENTER ANT CONTROL treatments.

Alternatively you could choose to do some treatments without knowing for sure. Inside the home, PHANTOM AEROSOL is effective on both ants and termites and will provide good control for the immediate situation. But if you have termites or carpenter ants, you’ll probably need to use some TERMIDOR and treat around the home where these pests are entering or nesting for a longer resolution.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Termite Swarmers or Ants:  http://www.termites-swarming.com/winged/winged-ants-or-termites-swarming.html

Termite Control:  http://www.termites-swarming.com/termite-control

Ant Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/ants.html

Carpenter Ant Control:  https://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

Phantom:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/pt-phantom-17-5oz

Termidor:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/termidor-sc-20-oz

carpenter ants in bedroom

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I have carpenter ants in my bedroom.  How can I get rid of them?

I suggest you first review our CARPENTER ANT CONTROL ARTICLE which details all you need to know about this destructive pest. As you’ll learn in the article, activity in the home means there is a nest close by. You’ll also learn they tend to have several nests all working within a “network”. These satellite nests can be located on the home, in the yard or even on someone else’s home. Treatment will vary depending on whether you know where any nests are located and in general, it’s always best to directly nests when possible. This will insure a quick kill. Alternatively, using the bait gel and longer acting sprays will work but these products take some time to work.

I also suggest you review our video’s. The one about “how to locate the nest” is especially helpful if you don’t have a clue where it might be located. Again, if you are fortunate enough to see where you think they might be nesting, a direct treatment with the DRIONE will yield fast results. But if you aren’t able to find any nests but do see them active in several locations, you can opt to use the slower working CARPENTER ANT GEL combined with the PHANTOM AEROSOL (for inside the home) and the TERMIDOR (for outside on the home). This trio of products will no doubt get any type of ant which chooses to remain active on treated surfaces and is definitely a viable option.

Here are direct links for the information and products mentioned above:

Carpenter Ant Control Article:  https://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

Drione:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page91.html

Carpenter Ant Gel:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page560.html

Phantom Aerosol:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/phantom_aerosol.html

Termidor:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/termidor_sc.html