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2006 SPRING HOME 6 GARDEN
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(MS) - Every spring, homeowners across the U.S.-
take to the hills - the ant hills, we mean.
Defending your home, yard, and the ones you
love from a formidable enemy - the ant - can be
like a grown up game of King of the Hill. It's you
or the ant. Fortunately, homeowners everywhere
can confidently do battle using modem, effective
"weaponry" and the latest tactics against those
pesky ants. Here is an easy-to-implement battle
plan designed to defend your camp . and ulti
mately win the war.
"There are two basic ways to get rid of ants,"
says Stewart Clark, technical director of Senoret
Chemical Company, makers of TERRO® brands,
the country's leading ant control treatments.
"Aerosol sprays will show immediate results, but
the ants will quickly return because the colony
has not been destroyed. Using liquid bait delivers
a more long-term solution because you are using
the ants as a 'delivery' system to attack the queen
in her nest."
Liquid baits are surprisingly simple in the way
they work. TERRO liquid baits are made from a
natural ingredient, Borax, which has a very low
toxicity, but is deadly to ants. As the ant foragers
from the colony look for food, they are attracted
to the sweet liquid in the baits. Unwittingly, they
consume the liquid and carry it back to the colony
to share. The result is the elimination of the colony
- and your ant problems.
There are more than 550 species of ant in the
United States. Depending on the species and
their age, ants will seek out a variety of sweets,
grease, starch or protein. Some varieties even feed
on other insects. Ants are usually just a nuisance,
but there are some species that can create bigger
problems, such as the destruction of wood or the
painful sting of the fire ant.
Inspecting Your Barracks (looking for ants around
your home): Start an inspection in the area where
the ants are first noticed. Common indoor loca
tions of ant activity are the kitchen, laundry room
and the bathroom. These rooms tend to cater di
rectly to what the ant is looking for: moisture, food
and warmth. Once an ant is found, the hunt is on.
Instead of killing the ant, follow it. Since worker
ants are sent out from the main colony in search
of moisture and food to bring back, following an
ant is a sure way to find out how they are entering
the house. Look for ants that are carrying small
bits of food, or ants that are leaving a placement
of bait. For this, a bright flashlight and patience
are needed.
During the "search" phase, make sure to store
all food in airtight containers, wipe up crumbs
and keep counters clean. Ants will find a way into
your pet's food, so create a "moat" by putting the
pet's bowl in a larger, shallow saucer of water to
prevent the ants from gaining access to the food.
Set a Trap for the Enemy (use liquid bait inside):
The first, and sometimes the only, treatment step
needed to control ants is to bait the ant with liquid
ant bait (available at most hardware and home
improvement chains). The small plastic trays
filled with sweet liquid
attract ants quickly. This
liquid is then distribut
ed to other ants, includ
ing the queen. Baiting is
the best way to control
ants - the ants do the
work, and there is no
need for exposure to
harsh chemical sprays.
Place a liquid ant bait
station close to where
ants are located indoors.
Using the bait station
eliminates the prob
lem of the bait drying
out, and gives the ants
a continuous supply of
liquid, day and night.
Liquid ant baits are spe
cifically designed to kill
the worker ant in two
or three days. This slow
kill is needed to allow
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time for the foraging ants to make several trips to
the bait, and deliver enough bait to the rest of the
colony. On days four and five, there should be a j
significant decrease in the number of ants #
visiting the bait. \ ™
Inspect Your Camp's Perimeter (look out- I
side your home for sources of ants): It's im- I
portant to eliminate easy, obvious places I
where ants can enter the home. Seal any
noticeable cracks or holes where ants are
entering the house, especially large
carpenter ants. Remove any fire
wood, bricks, branches or other de- J3M
bris that are close to the foundation /
outside. These serve as harborage \-g
sites for ant colonies. Trim all f
trees or shrubs that are close to the
house. Remove or repair all outside sources
of moisture such as leaking gutters, hoses, faucets
and faulty sprinklers.
When searching for ants outside the home, look
for "ant highways" or foraging trails. These trails
are simply a line of marching ants that leads from
their home to yours. Often, these trails are most ac
tive during the morning or evening. Walk around
the perimeter of the house and carefully check for
ant trails. Pull back the garden mulch, turn over
rocks, or look under pieces of wood in order to
locate activity. Inspect
around all potential
entry points including
windows, doors, ex
haust vents, faucets,
sliding glass doors and
driveway cracks. Also
check for ants trailing
up the sides of the build
ing or along gutters. Re
member: leaves and tree
limbs in contact with a
house are always special
hot spots for damaging
carpenter ants.
Still Marching One by
One? (if the ants con
tinue to march): Since
most ant infestations are
linked to a colony that
is actually located un
derground outside the
house, setting up a pre
ventive barrier around
a house may be needed
to keep a home ant-free.
Once a house has been
baited inside for at least a
week, begin applying an
outdoor granular or ant
dust product around the
perimeter of the house.
The TERRO Outdoor
Ant Killer is packaged
in a three-pound shaker
bag and is designed to
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J allow the granules to be dis
f tributed in a five
foot band around
B 3 the typical house. No
' ■§'■ / spreader is needed.
m "Whatever you do,"
J sa y s Clark, "try to mini
-4 rnize any disturbance
J*** t 0 the nest itself.
When there's an out
■*mm side threat to a colony, the
I colony may split into sev-
Wf m eral colonies, which can
" *I m \ make the problem harder
Big to resolve. Remember,
V also, that there are no im
mediate fixes for an ant
# / problem, but patience and
/ diligence can pay off."
/ Call in Reinforcements (ask the ex
-3 perts): If ants are still present, it may be
helpful to determine what species they
are. The most commonly found ants in the United
States are on TERRO's Web site, www.terro.com.
Or you can mail a sample ant to the company and
they will identify it at no charge and help you de
termine an action plan.
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