How to Control and Exterminate Ants in Bakersfield
Understanding the type and nature of ants in order to effectively control them:
All ants live in social colonies. Depending on the type of ant species, these colonies can range from a small satellite colony with a few dozen ants to the main colony with several thousand ants.
There are dozens of types of ants in this area but only five or six types typically invade structures in this area. They are:
Carpenter Ants. Large, normally black ants, 1/8 to 3/4 inch long. Nest in wood or voids, normal habitat hollow trees but will nest in homes, usually in or near rotting wood.
Odorous House Ants. Small brownish-black ants, 1/12 to 1/8 inch long. May nest indoors or outside, nest can be very large and can contain numberous queens. This is the ant you see trailing around your foundation and in your mulch beds.
Pavement Ants. Small blackish-brown ant, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long. Normally nests outdoors under stones or rocks, but is also fond of sidewalks, patios, and slabs on grade.
Acrobat Ants. Small black ants which like to nest in rotting or decayed wood.
Pharaoh Ant. Very tiny yellowish to reddish-brown ants, 1/15 to 1/12 inch. Have multiple queens in nest and can be very difficult to treat. If treated with standard pesticides, the colony normally splits into several colonies and control will take longer to occur.
It is important when dealing with these ant problems to properly identify what type of ant we are treating, so we can find the best solution for the problem. Some of these ants can be treated once and the problem will not re-occur for a long time. Other types of infestations may take ongoing services to keep them from reinfesting. Remembe,r all of these ants are naturally occuring in the surrounding areas.
