Ants

There are many types of ants that will pose different challenges and problems.

Some ants can have multiple queens making them harder to get rid of and some of them have painful bites or sting making them dangerous especially to young children. Some are so small they can virtually get into the house through any gap and some like to damage wood and will come out of the ceiling.

In short its hard to know if ants are going to be just a nuisance or a real problem. It can also be tricky to snap a pic but it might be worth trying.

Outside the house they are effective at surviving. Some ants are scavengers, hunters or even farmers. Because of this varied skill set they perform a lot of tasks in the wild. One major part of what they do is similar to an earth worm. They aerate soil and move nutrients and seeds around and underground which helps plant growth. They also do an effective job of controlling other pest populations.

There are a couple of issues that you can have with ants.

Inside ants can get into food, raid pantries and create a mess. In search for food they will track all through the kitchen and crawl all over your nice meal or into your honey, sugar or anything they have a sweet tooth for. they can also make a mess when they decide to create an "ant cemetery" that, no matter how often you clean it, always has dirt back there.

Outside the main issues are with the ants that pack more of a punch. Green ants, Bull ants and Jack Jumper ants can give a painful sting and have a knack for getting into the worst places (ants in your pants!). Dealing with those nests is a good idea especially if you have young children or curious pets.

Ants can be a challenge. Due to there seemingly endless numbers and persistence keeping them out of the house they can be a real uphill battle. First step is to identify where they are coming in from or where they are most active. Once I know where they are I will treat any entry points I can find inside and outside and try my best to find where their nest is to treat directly. If they are particularly bad or a type that have multiple queens I may use some gel products that they can take back to the nest. It may take a bit of time but I generally get good results.

With the punchier ants that are just outside, their nests are normally pretty obvious and I will treat it directly.