KEEPING YOUR HOME CLEAN IS GOOD WAY

TO PREVENT INVASION OF ANTS

Appeared Sunday, August 27, 2006 p. H3 of the Chattanooga Times Free Press Newspaper, Real Estate Section

Why did my ants return?

The larger question is why do any pests invade your home?  The acronym PEST provides guidance.  First was the P­est properly identified?  Ants differ in habitat, feeding and habits.  Correctly confirming the pest species offers guidance for control.  Exclusion is another key to controlling all pests.  Seal cracks and crevices, trim bushes, cut vines, pull mulch away from your home, and keep grass cut.  Sanitation is extremely critical.  Vacuum floors, dust ceilings and corners, keep food covered and properly stored.  Wipe counters and sweep and mop floors.  Time is the final issue.  Time intervals must be considered. Pest control is designed to reduce pest populations to an acceptable level.  Monthly or quarterly pest control may be necessary.  A one time or even a bi-yearly service is often too infrequent to be effective.
My daughter is getting married in our backyard next month.  How can we keep our guests away from stinging pests?

            For your special outdoor occasion, you may want to have your pest management professional treat your yard one or two days before the event to control mosquitoes and fire ants.  As soon as possible, eliminate any standing water in the yard, bird baths, or gutters that are potential mosquito breeding sites.  Spray nearby flowering plants with a garden hose to move insects away, prior to barbecuing or preparing food.  An oscillating fan over or near seating areas can help discourage flies.  Keep trash in a sealed container and encourage guests not to walk barefoot.  Mow your grass short and remove and piles of wood or other organic debris in the yard.

Why did my technician not want me to use sprays to kill ants in my kitchen?

Ants, like termites, are social insects that live in large colonies.  Ants are best controlled with baits.  Worker ants in the caste distribute the baited food through the colony.  The baits contain slow-acting pesticides and the ants carry them to their often inaccessible nests.  The bait or toxicant works slowly for a reason – the ants don’t die instantly so the colony continues to accept and feed on the bait.  Various ants prefer different baits so it is critical to identify the ants you see.  If you spray the ants in your kitchen in an attempt to have immediate results, you kill the foraging ant workers and the bait is not brought to the larger nesting colony.  Contact insecticide sprays may cause the colony to divide into smaller groups and further spread throughout your house.  If you spray on the outside of your home, you may even trap the ants indoors.  It is very tempting to want quick relief, but be patient and allow the baits to work.  It may take up to four weeks to eliminate some colonies. Pest management professionals now have in their treatment arsenal newer insecticides that are very effective against ants and are designed to work in conjunction with baits.

Lee A. Tubbs owns EnviroGuard Pest Solutions, Inc. in Tennessee and operates as Daisy Pest Control in Georgia.  He is among several industry representatives who are contributing columns that will appear in the Real Estate section on Sundays.  E-mail Lee at jreynolds@timesfreepress.com.