Controlling Ants Inside and Out
Quick Facts
Problem/Diagnosis
They have been around for more than 100 million years – 500 times the lifetime of all human history. There are nearly 700 species in North America alone and they constitute an estimated 15% to 25% of the total terrestrial animal biomass on Earth, greater than that of all human beings. [1] They reached their dominant ecological status on Earth 60 million years ago and only lack wide colonization in Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, parts of Polynesia and the Hawaiian Islands. [2]
Ants. They’re smart, they’re strong, they’re organized and here to stay. And once you get them in your yard or home they can be difficult to get rid of. They are quite a force to be reckoned with. Don’t think of them as individual small insects. In fact, although not physically connected, they are often described as “superorganisms” because their colonies appear to operate as a unified entity. In the end, eliminating ants is largely impossible.
But that doesn’t mean you give up and move out when they move in. With a few good housekeeping tips and some help from Bayer Advanced, it is possible to get these pests under control in your home and lawn.
While some ants are beneficial predators of plant pests, they more often damage the plants we love. Leafcutting ants for example will defoliate shrubs. Some ants will damage plants by tunneling around the root system, excavating trunks for nesting, or killing plant tissue by secreting formic acid.
Ant mounds will be in your lawn or concealed under mulch, gravel, stones, landscaping timbers, pavement or beneath the grass edge adjoining the foundation wall of your house. They can also come inside searching for food and water.
Diagnosis of a potential ant problem can be quite simple – the presence of a single ant. Ants are excellent communicators and masters at organization. They work 24 hours a day non stop. So rest assured if you see one ant, there will likely be millions that follow if they identify a food or water source in your home or garden.
Ants all serve one purpose – to feed the colony and serve the queen. The queen can live up to 20 years in some cases and can lay around 2,000 eggs a day. She can move her colony from lawn to lawn on occasion, as queens have wings and can fly.
Solution
There are a few common misconceptions about ants. Kicking or otherwise disturbing an ant mound will not eliminate the ants. Running over the mounds with a lawnmower or drowning them with a watering hose are equally ineffective at doing anything less than irritating the ants for a few hours.
Ants are highly social creatures with a massive communications network. Just as they are able to communicate good news about food sources to the colony by leaving chemical trails behind, they are also able to mark danger. If you disturb a mound, the first act of business is to protect the queen who is often hidden deep underground – as much as five feet for some species. In times of danger, the queen is simply moved laterally, and a new mound will soon form nearby.
Another misconception is that one ant colony has one queen. This is not always true. Some ant species may have several queens capable of reproducing for the colony. So elimination of the entire colony is necessary for any long-term ant prevention solution.
If you want to get rid of ants in your yard, Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action Ant Killer Granules kills ants fast, plus 28 other outdoor pests such as ticks and fleas. It provides up to 30 days of insect protection. Just sprinkle one to two teaspoons over the ant mound and water thoroughly within a day after applying.Once your immediate problem is taken care of, prevention is the next step. Remember a new queen can easily fly over from your neighbor’s yard and start her colony in your yard the very next day. Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Granules protects your entire lawn from hundreds of insects including ants for up to three months. The granules can be applied using any spreader.
As for the interior of your home, you can reduce the chances of ants getting inside by caulking around door thresholds, windows and openings where utility pipes and wires are located. You should also check your exterior siding or wood trim – if it has moisture damage, replace it.
If you see ants inside your home, you can use Bayer Advanced™ Home Pest plus Germ* Killer Indoor and Outdoor Insect Killer Ready-To-Spray. It kills ants and other pests in seconds. Indoors, it kills insects for up to 12 months* and reduces 99.9% of the germs** they may leave behind with a single application.
Always read and follow label instructions.
12 Months* - Up to 12 month indoor insect protection for German cockroaches, black carpenter ants and house crickets on non-porous surfaces.
Germs** – Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter aerogeneses on hard, non-porous, non-food contact surfaces. No residual sanitizer action. Not for primary uses as a sanitizer.
Products Mentioned In This Article
Bayer Advanced