An ant infestation is not just a minor inconvenience. When these small bugs start infiltrating your kitchen, bathroom, or yard, you hardly even question where they came from in the first place. Ant colonies can multiply fast, and once they take up residence in your home, DIY remedies might not be enough. If you’re one of those people wondering, “Can pest control get rid of ants?” – the short answer is yes, but the long answer is learning how general pest control companies go about solving the issue methodically and completely in the long term.

At Progreen Pest Control & Lawn, we use the intelligent method, layered pest control, to solve ant problems for you. This blog is about what makes professional pest control so different than store-bought and when you should give in and have a professional team take on the ant infestation in your home.

Why DIY Ant Control Fails

Homeowners often try to first fight ants with over-the-counter sprays and baits or with homemade remedies that include vinegar and baking soda. These solutions may provide a short-term improvement in the number of ants you see, but usually do not get to the core of the issue – the ant colony.

Some of the reasons why DIY strategies tend to fall flat:

• Commercial remedies are not species-specific and may not be effective for your ant variety.
• Most sprays do in the surface ants, but not the nest.
• Attempts to misplace the bait often result in the colony splitting and moving.
• Ants are extremely adaptable and learn to avoid substances that they perceive as threatening.

Ant colonies are structured entities that operate with the collective force of thousands or hundreds of thousands, all working as one toward a single aim: food survival. To target them adequately requires a better understanding of their biology and behavior.

The Type of Ant Species You Have is Important

There are more than 700 species of ants in North America, and they don’t all act alike. Fire ants, carpenter ants, sugar ants,  and pharaoh ants each have different nesting habits, food choices, and colony types.

For example:

• Carpenter ants burrow into wood and are capable of structurally damaging a home.
• Pharaoh ants are notorious for establishing satellite colonies if disturbed.
• Driveways and building foundations are popular nesting spots for pavement ants.

An expert Progreen Pest Control & Lawn technician will determine which species you have, if any, before suggesting a target plan. Knowing the species of ant can help identify the most effective treatment methods, including how to formulate a strategy for preventing them from invading your space.

So, does pest control work for ants? Certainly, but not with a single fix. The trick is to customize the treatment for the species and the environment they have invaded.

The Progreen Pest Control Solution

At Progreen Pest Control & Lawn, we’ve created a model that serves up science, business, and strategy. We’re not just treating the symptom; we are attacking the source of infestation.

Here’s a broad sketch of how we do it:

Detailed Inspection

We start with a comprehensive assessment of a property, inside and out. Activity trails, Entry points, Moisture sources, Possible nesting sites. Our professional technicians will search for activity trails, entry points, moisture sources, and potential nesting sites. This step is essential for figuring out how the ants are coming in and what is drawing them.

Species Identification

We determine the species of ant that is active, which allows us to determine the balance of treatment. Other baits, repellents, and control strategies target other types of ants.

Customized Treatment Plan

Like in your case, after we do the inspection and identify the species, we implement a plan with specific products. Those can include slow-acting baits, barriers, and a non-repellent insecticide that ants bring into the colony, effectively wiping it out from the inside.

Follow-Up Monitoring

We follow up with treated areas to make sure everything is under control and the ants have not returned. We will modify if necessary, our attack plan to make any assumptions solid and adapt to what happens.

Preventive Maintenance

We also give continued service to prevent recurrence. This could mean closing up entry points, managing yard drainage, cutting back brush, or suggesting changes in food storage inside your home.

If you’re still wondering, “Can pest control get rid of ants? It is essential to appreciate that successful control involves more than just applying any product. And it’s all about strategy, and timing, and it’s all about exactly who you’re dealing with.