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Ron from Thousand Oaks / Newbury Park, Ca writes

Bought the Advion bait gel and have seen no effect on little black ants. Is there another bait product I should use?

Live in Newbury Park, CA. (Thousand Oaks, CA area) Have these little black ants that come in (maybe to get away from heat or too much water). Advion gel did not work. Was this the wrong product? What would be a better general prdiuct for them to take back to colony to wipe it out?

Answer:

There could be a couple of different reasons why the Advion Ant bait may not seem like its working for you. If they are going to it a little but you are still seeing activity of ants, it is likely because the product has not been down long enough for an entire colony to be eliminated. It can take at least a month if not longer for you to see an ant colony diminish or be gone from your home completely. If you aren't sure where the ants are coming from there could be multiple colonies or satellite colonies that are utilizing items in your home including the bait as a food source to sustain themselves which will take longer for the whole population of ants to be eliminated. Another possibility is if you are only using a bait gel (which is a sugar based bait) and the ants are looking for a protein right now (which is normally a granular bait like Advance 375A) then they will pass by that gel all day long if that is not the nutrient they need. Now their nutritional needs for the colony to grow can change on a day to day or week to week basis. This is why we normally recommend putting down both a sugar and a protein bait at the same time to accomodate any needs the ants have and want. We go over this and other recommendations and tips in our Ant Control Guide. If for any reason the ants dont go to a gel or a granular bait then you would need to get the type of ant you have ID'd. There are certain types of ants that do not readily accept baits because they make their own food. We recommend that you get the small ants identified to see if this may be your problem. You can contact an entomologist through your local cooperative extension office to get an insect identification. If you do have a species of ant that doesn't accept bait you can always use a product such as Termidor SC. Termidor SC is a non-repellent product that is picked up on the fine hairs of an ants body and then inadvertently spread through the ant colony by normal social interaction. Most people notice that the entire ant infestation is gone in 1-3 weeks. The only downside to Termidor SC is that it is an outdoor only product. If you need to treat indoors you can use Phantom. Phantom is a lot like the Termidor but it does take a little bit longer to see results and it can be used indoors.

Answer last updated on: 01/28/2016

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Advion Ant Bait Gel

Advion Ant Bait Gel

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