Dealing with Outdoor Ants
Ants outside your home – in your yard, your garage and even your car – can be as pesky as those who venture inside. The tips below can help you deal with outdoor ants.

In Trees: Specific treatment measures are needed to control ants without affecting trees and the fruit they may bear. Some products cannot be safely used around fruit trees, so their use is restricted. A certified pest management professional can help you determine the best way to control ants in trees.

Often, a bait formulation that combines a food source and an ant-control chemical may be helpful. However, different species are attracted to different food sources, so identifying the specific ant type is crucial before selecting a bait product. Some ants may even change their food preference in a single season.

A Professional pest management professional not only knows how to identify specific ant species – they understand various ants’ behavior and habits, and can provide the most effective treatment.

On Driveways or Sidewalks: Ants often build mounds in cement expansion joints or cracks in driveways and sidewalks. Usually, these nests belong to pavement ants. Under certain conditions, these ants will seek food and water within a home. Learn more about pavement ants.

In Cars: Ants often enter vehicles when foraging for food. Controlling them can be tough because nests may be well hidden. Prevention is the best strategy.

• When parking your car, make sure the windows are completely rolled up, and doors and trunks are tightly shut.
• Remove food and drinks from cars, and clean up any spills and garbage that could attract ants.
• Avoid parking vehicles under tree canopies. Ants often feed on “honeydew” produced by other insects that forage on trees. The honeydew may fall to the ground – or onto your car. If you can’t park somewhere else, regularly rinse vehicle surfaces.

Certified pest management professionals have specialized equipment for treating vehicles and products that aren’t readily available to homeowners.