UGA Cooperative Extension

Bryan County Extension
Agriculture & Natural Resources

Ants, Ants, Ants

In one of my recent news articles, I wrote about deer in the landscape and how I moved to a second story apartment to avoid the inconvenience of various pests. Moving to an apartment may NOT be the answer. You may be able to get away from several pests, but there is always another irritating bother to take its place.

Do you know anything about Argentine ants? They are the most cunning little creatures that have the ability to seek and find food by invading a kitchen on the second story of a building. When I woke up this morning and found Argentine ants all over my kitchen, scurrying around to find any small morsel of food, I started an all out war to alleviate these little monsters. I proceeded to search and find out how they could possibly get past all the blockades set before them. The apartment was new, well constructed, and, I thought, pest proof. Boy, was I wrong. The ants went up the wall on the patio, into the ceiling, repelled down through a small crack beside the stove vent, and by passed the chemical barrier set down each month by the pest control company. Yes, they are a worthy adversary. Argentine ants' biological habits coupled with the fact that they have few natural enemies, make them one of the most bothersome and most difficult ants to control in the U.S. A single colony can consist of hundreds of thousands of individual assailants.

The main food of the Argentine ants is sugar. In trees they feed upon the sugary honeydew secretions from aphids and scale insects. In homes they feed upon any sugary liquids, such as syrupy residues left over in soft drink cans or the spilled syrup from this morning's pancakes.

Mulched flower beds around the house are a common nesting site. Moisture is one of the three necessities of all living organisms. Lodging and food are the other two. Because of this, one of the most preferred nesting sites of Argentine ants is in mulches, especially pine straw. Pine straw not only provides adequate moisture for survival, but the small space between the pine needles provides an excellent micro habitat for ants to build their nest.

Pest management professionals have always had a difficult time controlling Argentine ants in urban situations. The common control methods used to eliminate these ants inside the home provide only temporary (30 to 45 days) relief. Areas on the outside of the home where ants live, such as mulched flower beds, can be sprayed in order to kill or repel ants. Toxic baits may also be placed in areas where the ants are plentiful. But, research has shown that sprays provide only temporary relief against these ants, because they do not penetrate deep enough into the mulch where the ants live, and the sprays also break down quickly when exposed to intense sunlight, heat, and irrigation. Sprays also kills many non-target, beneficial, garden insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and ground beetles. Also, professionally available ant baits have shown great inconsistency in their ability to eliminate whole Argentine ant colonies.

There are some non-chemical practices that can be performed that will make your grounds more inhospitable for ants to nest and more difficult for them to enter your home.

1.  Thoroughly rinse all empty containers (soda cans) before placing them in the garbage or recycled bin.

2.  Do not let garbage sit for long periods of time.

3.  Keep all vegetation (limbs, branches) from touching the outside wall of your home. Branches in contact with the outside walls allow ants an easy, direct access into your home.

4.  Avoid over watering mulched areas, and try to keep mulched areas as aerated, and dry as possible. Keep mulch about two to three inches deep.

5.  Control honeydew producing insects on ornamental plants and trees such as crepe myrtles.

6.  Seek the advice of horticulturists in selecting plant species that are less susceptible to aphids, scales, whiteflies and other honeydew-producing insects.

7.  If ant problems persist, seek the advice and services of a pest management professional.

And believe me, don't move to an upstairs apartment thinking that you will be able to leave the pests behind!!