Which ants invade homes?
 There are a few species of small, brown ants that commonly invade homes. These structure-infesting ants include odorous house ant [image], Argentine ant [image], and pharaoh ant. These small ants are difficult to tell apart but fortunately exact identification is probably not necessary for effective control. Household ants generally do not cause damage and pose no particular health risk. They can, however, be a real nuisance by their sheer numbers.
All ants live in colonies dominated by an egg-laying queen. Worker ants (females) forage outside the colony for food. Typically, ants are attracted to a variety of food types including carbohydrates (sugars), proteins (meats), fats and oils. Colonies, or "nests", are located in protected places in walls, under floors, under cabinets, etc. Indivdual colonies can be quite large with thousands of ants.
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| A few drops of homemade bait on a piece of waxed paper. Ants quickly locate the poison bait and take it back to their nest. |
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Ant control with baits
Your first step toward ant control should be sanitation. Clean up crumbs, cooking oil, and sources of water. This alone will go a long way toward reducing ant problems. Also, patch holes around pipes and wires that pass into the livingspace. Ants use these "highways" to gain entry from colonies located in walls, the crawlspace, etc.
Use poison baits to eliminate, or at least surpress, ant colonies over time. Do not use conventional aerosol insecticides indoors as these can be messy and not very effective. Insecticidal sprays can actually make matters worse by dispersing colonies.
Effective poison baits are available commercially or can be homemade. The main advantage of the commercial baits is that the liquid is protected inside a pet and child-proof container. Place bait stations near where you find ant trails. If ants seem to be ignoring the bait you may need to change locations or add a little vegetable oil (see the ant bait article).
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