Texas has Ants! Know how to identify and Eliminate them.
Customers have good reasons for relying on pest management professionals. More than likely they have tried and failed to deal with an ant infestation on their own, or perhaps they are simply overwhelmed by the scope of the problem. Lets face it, when dealing with and treating ants it is necessary to correctly identify the species. Improper identification could result in improper treatment methods thus worsening the problem/infestation.
First Response Pest Control service professionals have been thoroughly trained in the 5 step process needed for controlling structure infesting ants. Allow us to share that with you here. Before we start I need to point out that this will be a 13 series blog as we identify various ants individually, ants we will be discussing include The One Node Ants: Argentine Ant, Carpenter Ant(s), Crazy Ant, Ghost Ant, Odorous House Ant, White Footed Ant; the Two Node Ants: Acrobat Ant, Big Headed Ant, Little Black Ant, Pavement Ant, Pharaoh Ant, Red Imported Fire Ant and the Thief ant.
We will also go over the difference between Ants and Termites and how to quickly identify them.
5 steps:
1. Inspection: The first step is a thorough inspection to locate foraging trails, ant colonies and conditions conducive to ant infestations. Remember, more than one species may be found in and around a structure. When inspecting for foraging workers, pay close attention to "Lines" where ants like to travel, such as expansion joint and cracks in the driveway and sidewalks and along foundation walls, fence lines, gutters, trees and fence lines.
2. Identification: The ant species' peculiar habits and biology will help you find where the colony or colnies are located and develop the most cost-effective control strategies. If unsure, collect specimens and do you research for positive identification before attempting to treat.
3. Recommendation: Present the customer with the facts and an integrated pest management program that addresses the current problem and identifies conditions that may contribute to the infestation. Correcting these conditions helps prevent future infestations.
4. Treatment: In most cases, effective control includes a pesticide application in combination with non-chemical control procedures that eliminate conditions conducive to ant infestations, such as exclusion, trimming vegetation away from the structure, eliminating moisture problems, removing dead wood etc.
5. Evaluation: The key to long term customer satisfaction is to follow up and assess the effectiveness of your service measures.
As mention at the start of this article, we will be looking at the various species of ants and how to quickly identify them. I hope you will join us and as always if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at First Response Pest Control 214-864-0669.
