· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Pest Control
Ants on a kitchen counter are foragers — a small fraction of a colony living elsewhere. Killing them changes nothing about the colony, and with some species spraying causes it to split and multiply.
Identify before treating
Odorous house ants are the common Middle Tennessee nuisance ant, and they respond well to baiting. Carpenter ants are larger, nest in damp wood and indicate a moisture problem.
Fire ants are an outdoor problem with a genuine sting. Pharaoh ants split their colonies when sprayed, which makes the infestation worse.
Why baiting beats spraying
Bait is carried back and shared through the colony, reaching the queen and the brood. That is what actually ends an infestation.
Contact spray kills foragers and leaves a repellent barrier that can cause budding in some species — the colony divides and you get several instead of one.
- Identify the species before choosing a method
- Bait rather than spray indoors
- Stop cleaning the trail until the bait has worked
- Remove food sources and fix moisture
- Seal entry points once the colony is gone
Carpenter ants mean water
They do not eat wood but excavate damp, softened timber to nest. Finding them indoors usually means there is wood somewhere that has been wet long enough to soften.
That is often around a leaking window, a failed shower pan, or a roof leak. Treating the ants without finding the water leaves the conditions in place.
Keeping them out
Trim vegetation away from the walls, since branches touching the house are a bridge. Seal gaps around pipes and wiring, and keep mulch back from the foundation.
In Middle Tennessee, ants come indoors most in spring rain and in late-summer drought — both times when outdoor conditions push them to look elsewhere.