In urban environments, Argentine ants literally overrun homes and other structures in large numbers, and in addition, protect insects that attack garden plants and other landscape growth.

In agricultural areas such as California and Florida, argentine ants have a serious negative impact because they protect aphids, mealy bugs and scale for the purpose of harvesting their honeydew. Another trait is that neighboring argentine ant colonies inter mingle and do not come in conflict with each other. During the winter, the colonies sometimes join together to winter over. Their colonies are fast growing and generally contain more than one queen. They have no soldier caste, all of the workers are aggressive predators.

Large sums of money have been spent not only in the United States but also abroad, in Australia, France, South Africa and New Zealand among others. The bulk of the monies spent have been delegated to broadcast pesticides which have long lasting negative effects on beneficial insects, wildlife and the environment as a whole.

Argentine Ant Control

Use baits and bait stations with Gourmet Liquid ant bait.

Argentine ants generate strong pheromone trails when foraging. They can be easily tracked. In many areas, you will see them pathing three and four abreast. When Ant Pro, filled with the appropriate liquid ant bait, is placed where the ants traverse, the bait is irresistible and continually available to them. Ant Pro ant bait stations are the smart choice to get rid of this pest.

MORE TIPS FOR CONTROL:

As mentioned earlier, this ant can be nearly impossible to control, especially during midsummer in areas such as Southern California. Regular treatments hold the ants at bay, keeping as few ants as possible from entering the home or business. Without such efforts however, the numbers of ants seen inside can rise into the thousands. You can help avoid these ants with the following steps:

• Eliminate piles of lumber, bricks or debris from the property.
• Keep landscape mulch to a minimum of 2 inches thick.
• Ensure that the sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the home's foundation.
• Seal up as many cracks on the outside as possible.
• Treat the perimeter with a liquid or dust insecticide monthly.
• Use Terro Ant Liquid Baits indoors on colonies that are invading.
• Use spray around door frames and window sills to kill and repel invading ants.
• Use Termidor SC to treat the perimeter of the structure during the summer.