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CONTROL. A thorough inspection both inside and outdoors is crucial to determine ant nest location(s). Inside look primarily near moisture sources (sinks, potted plants, etc.) and secondarily near food sources (sweets stored in cabinets, etc.). Check carpet edges and shoe moldings. Inspect electrical outlets and telephone jacks, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. Check walls around possible entryways (window and door frames, utility lines, weep holes, etc.) for trails of ants as well as along edges and corners. Follow any trails of ants back to their nest. If the ants are associated with an outside/perimeter wall, then go outside and look for ants trailing along the wall on the opposite side.
If the nest(s) cannot be located, it may be necessary to prebait with sweets such as jelly in short pieces of soda straw to draw the ants out. Place such prebaits where ants have been seen, in electrical outlet boxes, along carpet edges, in food cabinets, etc. Check these prebait placements in 24-48 hours for activity. If ants cannot then be found coming in from outdoors, use one of the commercial baits for control. Try both protein-based and sweet baits.
Outside, inspect along the foundation wall, patio, and sidewalks by pulling back the grass and/or mulch. Then pull back any mulch at the base of trees and shrubs with a rake. Check debris in tree/shrub crotches using a screwdriver because fire ants also nest here. Turn over any stones, bricks, logs, firewood, and debris on the ground especially near the foundation; as much as possible such items should be eliminated. Check any branches of trees/shrubs in contact with the structure; these should be trimmed back to eliminate contact. Follow trailing ants back to their nest. Treat nests with an appropriately labeled pesticide. If there is continual ghost ant invasion from the outside, a perimeter treatment using a microencapsulated or wettable powder formulation of pyrethroid should be applied.
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