Ants are annoying! Whether invading the kitchen, digging up dirt in pavers or taking over the lawn.
But they are one of the most difficult pests to control – if you’ve ever tried to get rid of ants using supermarket products, they always seem to keep coming back!
For a lasting solution to your ant problem, give the ant experts at Hindmarsh Pest Control a call.
Every ant problem is different. We discuss the problem with you first and carry out an inspection to identify the species of ant present and make sure we understand the full extent of the problem.
Our approach and potential outcome depends on the location of the problem and the ant species present.
Indoor ant problems:
Areas treated: Inside and outside the home.
Expectation: Kill the nest causing the problem or exclude ants from the house
Warranty: 3 month service free period
Outdoor ant problems:
Areas treated: Perimeter of the home and garden beds
Expectation: Suppress ant numbers
Warranty: No warranty*
Lawn ant problems:
Areas treated: Lawns
Expectation: Kill the nests in the lawn
Warranty: No warranty*
*We are unable to offer a warranty for outdoor and lawn treatments as we cannot prevent ants from outside the treated area moving back in. However, with a regular treatment plan, we can keep the ant problems under control.
To understand a bit more about our ant treatments it’s a good idea to understand how they work (see below).
For successful ant control it is important to correctly identify the ant species present and if possible, locate the nest.
To get lasting control, it’s important to kill the nest, and to kill the nest you need to kill the queen ant, otherwise the colony can recover. Even if we cannot locate the nest we have a range of products at our disposal to eliminate the colony.
Ant baits
Ant baits are the smart way to eliminate ant nests. They consist of an attractive food to ants and slow acting insecticide. Foraging ants feed on the bait, taking it back to the nest where it is fed to other nest mates, including the queen. Ant baits are relatively slow acting so that the bait gets spread around the nest before they realise something is wrong. As they are slow acting it can take anywhere between a couple of days and 1-2 weeks to kill the nest.
Hindmarsh Pest Control can access a range of different ant baits, each designed for the differing food preferences of the various ant species.
Ant sprays
Our specialist ant sprays are “non-repellent” which means ants will walk on a treated surface, picking up insecticide without noticing. These professional non-repellent insecticides are ideal for ant control. They are little slower acting than supermarket products – which is a good thing – as it allows effected ants to transfer insecticide to nest mates, magnifying its effect. These sprays are particularly important when dealing with major ant infestations
Invasive ants
Some ant species are known as “invasive ants”. These are not native ant species and have arrived in Australia from overseas in years past. These species are particularly difficult to control as they develop “super colonies” – each colony can take over a large area (sometime tens of kilometres and consists of multiple nests and multiple queens. As you can imagine, even with efforts to control ants on your property, there are plenty more ants ready to move in from next door! In such situations 100% control is impossible. However, with a regular ant treatment program, the ants can be kept in check.
How many visits are required?
It really depends on the ant species present and the size of the problem. Most indoor ant problems can be dealt with in a single visit, as they are often a result of activity from a single nest. But infestations of the “invasive ant” species will require an ongoing treatment plan. As always, we’ll review the situation and discuss your options.
There are three types of ant problems that can only be dealt with through a pest control treatment;
However, there are few things you can do to prevent outdoor ants making their way indoors. Typically, they come inside when it’s hot or wet, looking for food, moisture or shelter.