Ant Controlthat goes after the colony.

Ants are among the most prevalent pests in households. They're also found in restaurants, hospitals, offices and warehouses, and other buildings where they can find food and water. On outdoor and sometimes indoor plants, ants protect and care for honeydew-producing insects such as aphids, soft scales and whiteflies — which increases the damage those insects do.

Ants do useful work too: they feed on other pests like fleas, caterpillars and termites, on dead insects, and on decomposing material. In the landscape they remove huge volumes of dead material and aerate the soil. They only become a problem when they move in where you live.

The most common ant around California homes and gardens is the Argentine ant — the small black ant that moves its entire colony into your house. Carpenter ants also invade buildings; they don't eat wood the way termites do, but they hollow it out to nest, and that can cause considerable damage.

Ant management takes diligence and a combination of mechanical, cultural, sanitation and often chemical methods. Trying to totally eliminate ants from an outdoor area is unrealistic and impractical. A professional can save you the exhausting effort of trying to keep a house ant-free on your own.

We monitor for ants near attractive food sources and moisture — under sinks, in cupboards, along pipes and electrical wires — looking for large trails or just a few stragglers searching for food or nesting sites.