Ant Control Strategies That Actually Work

December 28, 2025 · Regional Pest Guide Team · ants control

If you’ve been spraying ants with contact killer and wondering why they keep coming back, you’re not alone — and you’re using the wrong approach. Spraying visible ants only kills the foragers. The colony, which can contain hundreds of thousands of ants, keeps producing more.

Key Strategies

  • Step 1: Identify the species — different ants require different approaches. Carpenter ants, fire ants, odorous house ants, and pavement ants all behave differently
  • Never spray foraging ants with contact killer — this makes the problem worse by causing colonies to split (budding) and scatter
  • Use bait instead — ants carry bait back to the colony, including the queen. Sweet baits for sugar-feeding ants, protein baits for grease ants
  • Carpenter ants don’t eat wood (they excavate it for nesting). Look for sawdust piles (frass) and follow trails to locate the nest

Additional Considerations

  • Fire ants (Southeast and South-Central US): treat individual mounds with approved bait, or use broadcast bait for yard-wide control
  • Odorous house ants (the most common indoor ant): they form massive super-colonies. Liquid sugar baits work best — be patient, it takes 2-3 weeks
  • Seal entry points — follow ant trails to find where they’re entering and seal with caulk
  • Eliminate food sources — clean up crumbs, store sweets in sealed containers, wipe down counters nightly

Taking Action

The key themes here are identification baiting prevention species-specific. Start with prevention, monitor for early signs of problems, and escalate to targeted treatments only when needed. Most pest issues are far easier to prevent than to resolve after they’re established.

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