Ants: Information and resources

Ants are ‘opportunity nesters,’ meaning they will nest in the soil around the foundation and in void spaces in the interior of homes. Most species of ants move their nest every few months or in response to rain. Sometimes, ants may overwinter in void spaces and be active in the home year-round.

Ants undergo a complete metamorphosis, including egg, larva, pupa, and adult life stages. The entire process can take up to 60 days to complete. One ant colony can contain over 10,000 members and can survive for several years. Depending on the species of ant, one colony can contain more than one queen and each queen can lay thousands of eggs.

Ants are one of nature’s biggest scavengers. They will eat anything humans eat, but they prefer to feed on sweets, and are especially fond of honeydew produced by aphids. Most species of ant are omnivorous, feeding on just about everything, but there are some species that feed exclusively on plants.

Some species of ants bite. All ant species have mandibles on the front of their heads that are used to tear apart food and take it back to their nest. Certain species of ants will use these mandibles to bite if they feel threatened, like the red imported fire ants and carpenter ants.

Ants are usually entering your home through small openings, cracks in the foundation, drains, holes or openings in exterior walls made for venting or cables, or underneath doorways. Check these areas for frequent ant activity and ant trails.

A trained professional can also find the places where ants are getting in or likely to get in. Then they'll provide a treatment plan to get rid of the nest and prevent further infestations.

Vinegar could potentially kill ants if sprayed directly on them, however, there wouldn’t be much efficacy in terms of a residual that will kill the ants. Vinegar actually has a pretty weak chemical bond, so it really does not leave much residue after it evaporates.

Also, since vinegar is a diluted acetic acid, we do not recommend spraying it on surfaces such as natural stone, waxed wood, hardwoods, cast iron, or aluminum, as it could damage or stain the finish.

Ants communicate using smells and scents called pheromones, so any product that would disrupt their pheromone trails would be something that ants wouldn’t like.

Smells that deter ants can vary widely depending on the species. Some DIY solutions can actually exacerbate existing problems. However, any product that "may" repel ants will not last long as a residual. The best solution when dealing with ants is the use of baits, so contacting a pest control provider as soon as possible is key!

The best way to get rid of ants in your house is to work with us to have them removed. The ants that you see in your home are only 1%-5% of the entire ant colony, so DIY methods will not eliminate the entire infestation. Most DIY methods only work to remove the ants temporarily, and before you know it, you’ll have ants coming back into your home.

Our ant removal methods will get to the root of the problem. Your specialist will find where ants are entering your home and where they are nesting. They will then work to remove the entire colony, leaving your house ant-free.