I have this incredibly invasive species of ants, identified as Big Headed Ants. They apparently have multiple queens and can extend their base for miles. They do no structural damage (thank God) but kripes! I get up in the morning and see hundreds of dead ants along my baseboards.
I researched them and purchased a pest control product on-line that specifically is supposed to kill them. I am about to soak the ever loving hell out of perimeter around my foundation.
I had a pest control company out and all he did was squirt a bit of solution every so often
Has anyone had this problem and how did you solve it?
Good luck! I had never heard of big headed ants before. Wow! They sound like they could be a real problem.
I’m assuming that you found doyourownpestcontrol.com? I found a lot of helpful information there.
When I had a national pest control company out to do work in the attic, I had some of the product I’d ordered from them sitting on the kitchen counter. I walked out on the porch just in time to hear one of the guys ask their manager how much he paid for the product after noticing that I had the same.
It was re-assuring to learn that they really did sell me the same stuff that the pros use.
I did research it quite a bit. I’m pretty sure I ordered the same stuff from on-line that the pest control company uses… I drenched the perimeter around the foundation… but alas! It has been raining every day (grrrrr) so it is further diluted.
I’ve heard things like ammonia or vinegar are good to keep ants away but don’t want to change the PH in the soil where my plants are. They definitely are repelled by peppermint. I squirted that on my base boards so they’d run back outside. Not a good idea. It felt like I’d put a blob of toothpaste under my nose for two days.
I used to get the little ones as well. Terro is seriously AMAZING. You can put a drop down and watch them start to swarm. They send their chemical info down the line to communicate and you can literally see them change their paths to get to the Terro. (I might have too much time on my hands, lol… but the behavior is kind of fascinating to me.)
Ha, yes it does. Never the less, it is an invasion. I can be pretty sure my neighbors have them as the colony’s can extend for miles. I think we are too embarrassed to ask each other. The whole “my house is always spotless” thing
Not familiar with this type of ant, but I’ve had others and one thing that worked for me was cinnamon - sprinkle it liberally where you see them, around nests. The only caveat is that, while it is not toxic to pets, it is an irritant so you don’t want your dogs and cats to be around it, getting it in their eyes, licking their paws, etc. When the ants are gone, just vacuum up the cinnamon.
Another product to research is diatomaceous earth. (Best to use human grade, not cleaning grade.)
Get a food/bait posion that will be taken back to the colony, and eventually the queen; only way to take a really bad infestation out. They will eventually return absent this solution.
Any sort of insecticide to kill what you see or create barriers is pointless IME, works for limited times, and just spreads unneeded chemicals in and around your home.
Thank you Cynic… These things are really a pain and difficult to get rid of. Each colony has multiple queens and can network for miles. A multi-pronged approach is best, I agree. Can’t help but wonder why the pest control guy, an entomologist, wouldn’t have put bait down as well as spray.
I guess he sees another service call in his future
I had the same reaction to our pest control guy, when dealing with a very large and numerous colonies of little black ants (Monomorium minimum) that returned every summer; seems like they stay focused on perimeter sprays, and maybe that’s good for business (regular services intervals and not elimination).
If going the bait route it is best to just use it only (other poisons hinder baits, since you want them healthy and working as normal), and just combine it with reality good housekeeping (no other free food) for the duration.
