Ant control in Grenada
The ants you see on the counter are only a small part of the colony. The nest and the queen are somewhere else, which is why spraying the trail clears them for a few days and then they come back. We use bait that the ants carry home instead.
Why they keep coming back
- The ants walking along your counter are workers out looking for food. The nest, the queen and the eggs are elsewhere and are not affected by a spray.
- Some of the species here react to being sprayed by splitting the colony in two and moving, so one trail turns into three.
- Ants follow a scent trail. Until that trail is cleaned off and the nest is treated, new workers keep following the same route in.
Most ants here are a nuisance and a food hygiene problem rather than a danger. Little fire ant is the exception. Its sting leaves a burning welt that lasts, it affects pets badly, and a bad infestation can make a garden unusable.
How to tell you have a problem
- Lines of ants running along a counter edge, a skirting board or a window frame.
- Ants gathering around pet bowls, the bin, or anything sweet left out.
- Small heaps of soil pushed up at door thresholds and in wall cracks.
- Winged ants at windows and lights, usually a day or two after heavy rain.
- A faint rustling sound in a wall or ceiling at night, which suggests carpenter ants.
- Sharp stings when you weed or brush against a hedge, which suggests little fire ant.
Common species here
Small and dark, with very long antennae and a fast, wandering run. The most common ant found indoors here.
Tiny, pale orange and slow moving, but it gives a sting far worse than its size suggests. Lives in leaf litter, planting and hedges.
Very small and yellowish. It nests indoors and is a problem in kitchens. This is the species most likely to split if you spray it.
Large, and mostly active at night. It nests in damp or rotten wood rather than eating it, so finding one often means there is a damp problem too.
How we treat it
We work out which species you have, because the right treatment for one is the wrong treatment for another. Then we follow the trail back to find the nest.
We use bait matched to the species. The workers carry it back to the nest, where it reaches the queen and the eggs. Where the nest is outside we treat the nest itself and the ground the trail crosses.
We clean off the scent trail, seal the gaps they are using, and tell you what to change about planting, damp or food storage.
What you can do yourself
None of this replaces a treatment, but it makes the treatment work better and last longer.
- Try not to spray the trail. With some species it makes the problem bigger.
- Wipe the trail down with hot soapy water or vinegar to remove the scent, then leave the ants alone until we come so we can follow them to the nest.
- Lift pet bowls between meals and rinse them, rather than leaving food down all day.
- Keep sugar, syrup, honey and open packets in sealed containers.
- Cut back planting, hedges and overhanging branches from the walls and roof. Ants use them to get past anything you have done at ground level.
Common questions
Not covered here? Call us on (473) 403-7251 and we'll talk it through.
The spray only reached the workers. The colony is somewhere else and is unaffected, so it sends more. Bait works differently, because the workers carry it back to the part of the colony you cannot reach.
That is a mating flight, and it usually happens in the day or two after heavy rain. Winged ants indoors normally mean there is an established nest in or very close to the building, so it is worth getting it looked at.
Yes. It takes more than an indoor ant treatment, because the colonies are spread through the leaf litter and planting rather than sitting in one nest, and it usually needs repeat visits. Tell us the size of the area when you call and we will give you a realistic idea of what is involved.
We put bait in housings and in places pets cannot reach, and we show you every one before we leave. If your dog gets into everything, tell us and we will plan the placements around it.