You may have heard an old saying that goes something like this: “what’s a picnic without ants?” No
one really wants these pesky insects to eat lunch with them, but they always seem to come anyway.
Ants are great party crashers that always seem to bring a lot of their friends when they come.
That’s because ants are social creatures. Find one and you’ll find many. They can’t seem to see too
much of each other, either. They’re constantly running into each other, sharing food, and
communicating with each other. Put an obstacle in their way and they’ll find a way around it. Spray
them with repellent and a few may die, but most will scatter and go on about their business.
Have you ever noticed how most ants travel in a line? It’s like they’re on a well-defined invisible
superhighway, and in a sense they are. They are following a trail of chemicals called pheromones
left by ants who’ve previously marked the route. Disrupting their travel is easy…just clean the area
with soapy water, then apply a potent smelling agent like vinegar or cinnamon to confuse their
senses. Satisfying as this might be, it’s a temporary fix for a long term issue. To eliminate an
infestation, you’ve got to remove their food source and eradicate their colony.
The first step is to locate where they live and eat. How? Just follow their trail!! It should take you to
one of these two spots. Chances are good you’ll find their food source first. You might find
something as minor as residue from a spilled drink, or something bigger like a garbage can filled with
food scraps. Remove the source and the ants will go away…for a while!
Inside, they frequently settle in hard-to-reach environments such as wall voids, gaps behind
baseboards, spaces under floors…even furniture. Ants are very stealthy creatures. They do
everything possible to avoid detection. When traveling inside they’ll often crawl along wire, cables,
and plumbing. These items make great passageways because they’re out of sight, and they pass
through holes in studs, walls, and flooring.
Outside, many species reside in shady moist areas or under debris. They love mulch because it
provides lots of moisture and protection. Other species are known for building mounds in open
areas. Be especially careful; dangerous species like fire ants may live there.
Even seasoned pest control professionals can struggle to eliminate ant infestations. First, we must
determine the type of ants we’re dealing with. Certain species will eat only proteins while others eat
sugars. A key to killing off the colony is locating the colony and bait placement. 
If ants are annoying you and you can’t seem to repel them on your own, finding the colony source is
the only way to rid yourself of the problem.