Getting Rid of Ants - Spraying Ants:

We've all had ants in or around house. Every few years they crop up around our garbage cans near the garage and I just spray for them with Raid or something similar. Usually there is a trail that I follow to a hole in the ground and then I spray that as well. Periodically they have made it all the way into the house but using pest sprays that you buy in stores as made the difference. After a few days of spraying the ants and killing lone scouts, they disappear and go back under the ground. We recently went on a vacation and came home to about 200 soil ants rummaging through our entryway and very near to our kitchen and pantry. The last thing you want is to have ants inside your kitchen area - they will never leave. We immediately killed what we could and sprayed around the baseboards, but I could not find the source of exactly where they were coming from. I searched the outside of the house and saw no signs of an ant trail or mound. I assumed they were coming up from the crawl space below the house. I gave in and had a professional pest control company come out to investigate. I had done this a few years back so I knew what to expect and how much it would cost.

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The game came in and went to work on trying to locate the source. He went down below the house into the crawlspace and found some ants but no particular trail leading out. The pest control sevice told me they would spray in some areas, put bait out in others, and check for ant trails around the outside of the house. The spray limits their ability to come back into the house as they avoid those areas. The bait, if taken back to the colony will destroy and kill the other ants. You want the queen to die so that the colony moves on. The guy also squirted some gel down in the crawl space that seeped through the floorboards a bit. The entire process took about 40 minutes - we have a 3300 square foot house so he had to check the outside as well as the inside. He worked efficiently and seemed like he knew how to get rid of the ants. It's been 2 weeks since the initial visit and we still see a periodic ant on the floor, but nothing more than that. A few years ago when we had the same service done, the ants were gone almost within a day or two so I'm hoping we got them. Do you really need a professional service to spray for ants? Each case is different. Ninety percent of the time having a few ants around won't harm anything and you can usually take care of the problem with a can or Raid. It's those other 10% of the times where the ants are too many and they have already signaled to their colony about a new food source and it may be too late for home remedies. Getting rid of ants can be tricky, especially if you can't find the source of where they are coming from. I hate crawling around under our house so I am willing to pay someone else to do that type of work. The type of ants also make a huge difference. Sugar and soil ants are not too bad to get rid of, it's the carpenter ants that can cause real problems and get very expensive.

Ant Control Service - How Much is it to Professional Spray for Ants:

When you call up an ant control or pest control service be prepared for a long winded speech on what they provide. No longer do they just come out and spray for ants, they want to get you in a contract where they come out regularly and spray if needed. It's the new money maker for these guys. Sign up homeowners into month long contracts at $60/month and take their money. I always ask, why would I pay you to do the same service more than once. Isn't your initial visit the one that should eliminate the problem. Some offer 30 days where the ants should be gone - but they always warn you about investations down the road. Essentially, they charge you $200 up front for the spraying and then another $50 to $75 each month to make sure they don't come back. Amazingly enough they put fear into enough homeowners that this sales pitch actually works more often than not. From my past experience, I know that the first visit is enough so I turn them down. I called 2 different companies this time and the first one offered the usual - pay up front and then go with a contract for a few months. The other guy was slightly different - you pay more up front, but he returns for the first 60 days if anything comes back. Both are tricky but I went with the cheaper one up front and told them I didn't want their add-on service. Be sure to get a few estimates over the phone before you commit to anything.

Ant Spray Safe for People and Pets:

When I was a kid my dad used to spray around our house in the spring and fall trying to kill spiders and ants. I don't even think those chemicals are legal anymore, but definitely ask whatever company comes out to your home if the sprays or chemicals they use are safe for your family and pets. Many try to use ecologically and environmentally safe products to reduce the harm they would otherwise put you at risk for. Pets are a big concern for some people as they don't their cats or dogs to eat the bait and then become ill or die. Sometimes there are odors too that seem very strong and can last for days after the spray has initially been put down. Ask what is normal and what isn't so you know when to be cautious. It's better to be informed and safe than to not ask questions and assume they are using people safe products.

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