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Ant Baits
How to choose the correct bait for ant extermination.
This page will help you decide which bait to use for different situations.
Each pest management job can require one or more bait formulations. Every ant
infestation can require a different method of baiting, one or more specific attractants
and one or more formulation types (bait stations, granular bait, liquid bait or gel.)
Seeing a particular ant species listed on the label
of an ant bait is no guarantee that the bait will eliminate an ant
infestation. There is also no guarantee that the ants will accept the
bait. Identify and research your particular ant pest carefully.
(There might even be more than one species of ant in the same location.)
Choose your bait or baits carefully. Every species is different and each
ant colony has its own particular needs at any given notice.
Consider an ant colony as an amazing organism. Every day, the colony
will need a certain amount of food. The type of food needed by the colony
can vary - without notice. While some ant colonies diet will vary between
different protein and sugar food sources, others will rely on sweets the
majority of the time.
But even the sweet feeding ants have variations in their diet or can become
"hooked" on a certain sugar source. Carpenter ants are notorious
for choosing honey dew from an aphid on a particular plant while ignoring the
aphids on another, nearby plant. This is because there are differences in
the sugars produced by each plant and these differences can be detected by the
ants in the aphid honey dew. Advancements in technology have given us
great ant baits designed specifically for use in eliminating carpenter
ants. The "secret" attractants in these baits included materials
that mimic the honey dew produced by aphids. However, if alternative food
sources are not eliminated you can easily have a failure in controlling the ants
with a bait.
Before choosing a bait, you should decide if an ant bait is suitable for the
job. There are certain ant species that rarely accept baits while other ants will
accept or take your bait without eliminating your infestation. For example:
- Pharaoh Ants respond to baits far better than contact
insecticides.
- Crazy Ants will initially accept several types of baits
but soon desert the material once the insecticide contained in the bait is detected by the
colony.
- Argentine Ants will also accept professional baits
but their colony system (at times) can be too over whelming to handle with an outdoor
baiting program; baiting indoors sometimes helps remove localized
colonies but will not stop ants from migrating indoors from other
sources.
- Carpenter Ants will readily respond to the newer
carpenter ant baits (Advance Carpenter Ant Bait and Maxforce Carpenter Ant Bait Gel) but follow-up
treatments with the use of pesticides are usually needed to prevent re-infestation of the
pests.
The next step in making an ant bait decision is exactly which formulation or
combination of formulations is best for your problem. There are five basic
combinations currently available for use:
- Solid Ant Bait Stations: These disks
(containing special ant baits) are often called "ant traps" by consumers, but
they do not trap ants. These disks are merely plastic stations filled with a
material made up of attractants and a very small amount of an insecticide. Ant bait
stations are widely used by professional pest control operators and do-it-yourselfers for
large, indoor ant populations. Stations can be placed in areas where ant trails are
seen inside buildings. The newer professional stations (Maxforce FC Ant Bait
Stations, etc.) have "see
through" containers that make for easier inspection. If you find that the ants
have consumed all or most of the bait, replace the station immediately. Do not allow
the ants to run out of bait! Continue to replace the stations until no ant activity
has been noted for at least 3 weeks. In the case of
white-footed ants, Pharaoh ants or Argentine ants, bait stations are sometimes left in place to
help monitor populations or to watch for re-infestations.
- Granular Ant Bait: This ant bait
formulation is used primarily for scattering in attics, crawl spaces beneath homes and on
the ground surrounding homes or other structures. There are several pest specific
baits to choose from: Ascend Fire Ant Bait, Extinguish Fire Ant Bait, Amdro, Maxforce Fire Ant Killer Bait, Advance Carpenter Ant Bait. These baits are designed for
eliminating ants, fireants or carpenter ants. Maxforce
Granular Bait and
Niban G are baits with a broader pest range, used to eliminate roaches, ants,
silverfish or crickets. Each of these baits work well in different pest elimination
programs and are very useful in Integrated Pest Management (IPM.)
Note: Do not confuse granule ant baits with granular
insecticides! Ant baits are used dry; granular insecticides (which are a contact
kill for pests) have to be "watered in" to release the insecticide into the soil
or flower beds where they are applied. Watering an ant bait will destroy its
effectiveness.
- Fine Granular Bait: Products such as Niban FG are easier for small species of ants to
pick up and transfer; bait can also be applied with a hand bellows
type duster for better application in hard-to-reach areas.
- Ant Bait Gel: This is the newest weapon
in our fight against ants. (A few Boric Acid ant baits have been on the market for
some time, but professional specialty baits are just being introduced.)
The gel formulations of ant baits make baiting in hard to reach or small areas easier than
with conventional baits. Application is simple: apply small spots (about the
diameter of a regular pencil eraser) to areas where ant trails are seen or in holes or
cracks where worker ants are seen entering or exiting the structure. The ant bait
gel you choose might very well list ways to bait outdoors but you should remember that
heat, sunlight, rain, etc., can easily break down these baits. A gel is usually the
consistency of toothpaste and is made up of attractants, a tiny amount of ant killer and
moisture - lots of moisture! This moisture is part of the attracting quality of the
bait and it can easily be lost or diminished by the elements and extreme temperatures.
The most popular ant baits in gel form are Maxforce
Ant Killer Gel, Maxforce Gel Carpenter Ant
Bait and Intice
Smart Ant Gel Bait.
In many cases, gel formulations are best used in conjunction with a granular bait or bait
stations. Use granular or bait stations for volume; use gel in hard to treat
areas. An excellent example of this one-two punch is seen in carpenter ant
elimination. Our customers have achieved great results by combining Maxforce Gel
Carpenter Ant Bait with Advance Carpenter Ant Bait when dealing with large or stubborn ant
infestations.
- Liquid Ant Baits: This old standby
has been with us for many years and is seeing service in many ant elimination
programs. The best example of a liquid ant bait is Liquid
Gourmet.
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