Ant control
With over 95 years of experience in the pest control business, we understand how important it is to keep your home and family safe, especially when it comes to ants! Seeing just a few ants around your home may indicate that you have a larger problem. Whether you have a common house ant, carpenter ant, or fire ant infestation, our trained technicians will provide the best possible ant control solutions for your home or business.
Ants are one of the 25 pests covered with a Terminix PestFree365 pest control plan.
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PestFree365+ Plan
- Multipoint interior and exterior inspection and pest treatment
- Protection from 39 household pests, including 14 pests that may require specialized treatments and can be costly to eliminate
- Regularly scheduled pest treatments
- Nix Pest Guarantee which means if pests come back between treatments, so will we — at no additional cost to you
PLUS unlimited protection from out-of-pocket costs
How much does an ant exterminator cost?
Get your personalized quote for ant control here and schedule your appointment today!
To ensure the ants are no longer a problem, we'll schedule a follow-up service 7-10 days post-treatment.
How Terminix gets rid of ants
Our highly trained pest management professionals will need to understand your specific scenario before recommending any ant treatment solutions. Our ant removal process will vary depending on the species of ant present and the infestation size and location. To recommend the best solution and prevent future ant infestations, your technician will identify entry points, nests, and travel paths. They will then use a combination of residual (lasting) material and baits to help eliminate the colonies present.Ants are social insects that live in colonies. When deciding how to get rid of ants on your property, we commonly utilize non-repellent insecticides as they are undetectable to pests. Because ants are unaware of their presence, many other ants are exposed to the product, which is exactly what you want if you're dealing with social pests.
Once the ants come into contact with the non-repellent insecticide they carry it back to the colony. This is called the "transfer effect." Ants can pass the insecticide to other ants through grooming and feeding, inadvertently spreading the toxic substance throughout the colony helping to eliminate them.
What are the different types of treatments for ants?
While DIY methods can work to remove a few ants, it is unlikely that they will fully get rid of them. By not utilizing the proper ant removal methods, you're increasing your chances of developing an infestation. Save yourself the headache by contacting the professionals!Below are a few of the most common ants we see and treat. Different species require different treatment methods of ant control. When applied, ants do not sense or recognize the presence of non-repellent residual insecticides, so they do not avoid the treated area. The ants transfer the insecticide back to the nest to help eliminate the entire nest.
Common house ants treatment method
There are various ant control methods that can be used for common ants. Our technicians can apply granular or liquid ant baits around the exterior areas of your home or business where ants are typically found. A non-repellent residual dust can also be applied to cracks, crevices, and other areas where ants are entering your property.Carpenter ants treatment method
Carpenter ants are one the most destructive ant species in the United States. To remove a carpenter ant infestation, the parent colony must be treated to prevent new invasions from surrounding colonies. Terminix technicians can locate and effectively treat each colony that is found in and around your home or business.Fire ants treatment method
It is common for fire ants to create many shallow, poorly constructed mounds throughout a lawn, making them difficult to detect by the untrained eye. Fire ant bait or a residual contact product specifically for fire ants can be used to treat individual mounds. An entire yard can also be baited.Argentine ants treatment method
Argentine ants can be more difficult to control because their colonies can grow so large, and sub-colonies can be located in neighboring properties. Due to this, it is possible they can reinvade your home or business, so regular inspections and treatments are highly recommended. Sealing cracks and holes can help to prevent them from re-entering as well.Pharaoh ants treatment method
Pharaoh ants can only be controlled with ant baits. Why? Typical residual treatments can cause an ant colony to split into two or more colonies to ensure their survival. Once a bait has been set, the worker ants will return the ant bait to the colony, feeding it to other workers, larvae, and queens, helping to eliminate the entire colony.What can cause an ant infestation?
Ants are a problem in many households. There are numerous scenarios that can cause an ant infestation, but what attracts an ant to your home or business in the first place?- Ants are looking for a food source.
- Ants are consistently looking for food and water. Chances are, if you see them in your home, they're huddled around crumbs or a liquid spill. They like sugary foods, bread, pet food, damp areas, and more.
- Ants are attracted to damp areas.
- This includes any areas that contain standing water within your home or business. They'll even go as far as chewing on wet towels or clothes to get water out.
- Ants are looking for shelter.
- Ants might find suitable nesting sites within undisturbed areas of your home such as crawl spaces. Some ant species, like carpenter ants, establish satellite nests in addition to their main colony. These satellite nests can be located indoors within the structure of your home, such as in walls or wooden structures.
Frequently Asked Questions - Ant Treatments
Determining if you have a small ant problem or an ant infestation can be difficult. Seeing even just a few ants can indicate a larger problem. Ants are social insects, so where there is one ant, there are likely hundreds or thousands more waiting to invade your home. They invade without warning and can be challenging to eliminate completely without professional pest control for ants.
- Indications of a more established ant infestation can include:
- Ant trails, this can be a few ants within your home that are traveling in a line. Scent trails are a trail of pheromones that other ants can follow to find a food source. Other ants can pick up the trail, gaining access to food or water around your home. There can also be sawdust trails. This can be a serious sign of a carpenter ant infestation. If you see signs of a sawdust trail, it is important you receive treatment before structural damage occurs.
- Ant nests can look like small piles of dirt or soil that are typically hidden outside or on your property. Ant nests are large piles of dirt that indicate where ants have dug beneath the ground and created underground tunnels.
- Ant mounds, which are commonly found around your property's exterior
- Wood shavings around your home, which are a common sign of carpenter ants
- Ants crawling in and out of outlets and/or tiny gaps around your home can indicate they have found their way into your walls
Ants are difficult to remove on your own, so it is best to contact the professionals at Terminix. Our technicians will examine your property and determine the best ant removal option for your home or business.
Considering the DIY route? Over-the-counter sprays typically won’t resolve an ant infestation on their own. At-home sprays do not have any residual effects, so the ant nest and their colony will remain and continue to enter your home. Ant queens can lay up to 800 eggs a day – the faster you receive ant treatment, the better!
There are also various DIY methods to destroy an ant hill in your yard; however, most ants return because the ant colony still remains underground. To completely get rid of ant hills, you need to eliminate the queen and the colony.
Our trained technicians have extensive knowledge about pest control for ants along with their seasonal trends! This allows us to create tailored removal plans, providing you with the best and most effective ant control solutions.
Carpenter ant infestations can be difficult to eliminate because of the number of satellite colonies that may exist. Most parent colonies live outdoors in trees and landscape timbers, but they often set up satellite colonies indoors near a moisture source. The parent colony must be treated to prevent new invasions of satellite colonies. Terminix specialists know how to kill carpenter ants and will directly treat each colony found in and around your home.
Terminix's ongoing pest control services
Looking for a long-term ant control solution? Consider our regular pest control service! Ants are one of the common pests covered with a Terminix Pest Control Plan. Our ongoing pest control service will include a comprehensive interior and exterior inspection and pest treatment! All of this is supported by our Nix Pest Guarantee. If the pests come back between treatments, our technicians will, too. Our Ongoing Pest Control service helps to keep pests at bay, providing peace of mind for you and your family.
But this trust depends on our commitment to protect the health and safety of our teammates, customers and communities, and to promote a healthy and sustainable environment. We value that trust, and it’s our responsibility to live up to these commitments.
