Residential service
Ant Control
The ants on your counter are maybe five percent of the colony. Spray them and the queen keeps producing — target the colony and the problem actually ends.
Our approach
Ant control fails for one predictable reason: treating the trail instead of the colony. Worse, over-the-counter sprays on certain species trigger 'budding' — the colony senses the threat and splits into several new colonies, turning one kitchen trail into a house-wide problem. Getting it right starts with identification, because a sugar-feeding odorous house ant, a wood-nesting carpenter ant, and a soil-mounding fire ant demand three different strategies.
Our technicians identify the species, then follow the trail the other way — to the nest. Treatment uses targeted baits the workers carry back to the queen and non-repellent applications the colony can't detect and avoid. It's slower-acting by design (the bait has to make it home), and it's the difference between ants gone for a week and ants gone.
Because ants re-invade from outside, lasting control includes the perimeter: entry-point treatment and barrier applications. We'll also point out the conditions ants love — mulch against the foundation, tree limbs touching the roof, moisture at the sill — so they don't get a second chance. Ant service is included in our recurring home protection plan, which is how most customers keep them gone year-round.
What's included
- Species identification — the strategy depends on it
- Colony-targeted baiting, not just trail spraying
- Non-repellent treatments colonies can't detect and avoid
- Perimeter and entry-point barrier applications
- Carpenter-ant wood and moisture inspection where warranted
- Covered year-round under the home protection plan
Ant Control questions, answered straight
Why do the ants keep coming back after I spray?
Store sprays kill the workers you see and warn the rest of the colony away from the treated spot — the queen, safe in the nest, keeps laying. Some species respond by splitting into multiple colonies. Professional baits work oppositely: workers carry them back and the colony collapses at the source.
Are carpenter ants as bad as termites?
They're a different kind of serious. Carpenter ants don't eat wood — they excavate moist, softened wood to nest in, so they're often a symptom of a moisture problem (a leak, wet sill, damp deck) as well as a pest. Large black ants indoors, especially with piles of fine sawdust-like frass, deserve an inspection.
What are these tiny ants in my kitchen and bathroom?
Most often odorous house ants — crush one and it smells like rotten coconut. They nest in wall voids and under slabs, love sweets and moisture, and are notorious for budding when sprayed. They're the classic case where baiting succeeds and spraying backfires.
How long until the ants are gone after treatment?
Expect normal or even slightly increased activity for a few days — that's workers taking bait to the colony, which is the plan working. Most infestations collapse within one to two weeks; we re-treat at no charge if activity persists.
Our service guarantee
Unlimited free re-services, same or next day. If covered pests come back between visits, so do we — the same or next day, at no additional charge, as many times as it takes. That promise is in writing on every service report.
100% money-back guarantee. If we've been out three times for free re-services and your covered problem still isn't solved, we refund your last service payment. Clear terms, in writing.
The Web-Free Guarantee®. If we see a spider web on your home, we knock it down — every visit, every home. It's a small thing that tells you how the big things get done.
15,000+ customer reviews across our branches. Read them.
Get your ant control quote
Tell us what you're seeing. We'll call you back promptly during business hours. Or call (888) 605-4101.
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- You request your quote. Two minutes, no obligation.
- We call you back — a real person from your local team, not a call center.
- Your first service is scheduled at a time that works for you.
Ant Control where you live
Pest pressure is local — climate, soil, and housing stock change the job city to city. See how we handle ants in your market:
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Ant Control in Atlanta, GA
Humid subtropical under a dense tree canopy — hot sticky summers, mild winters, among the heaviest pest environments in the country
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Ant Control in Austin, TX
Central Texas heat — triple-digit summers, mild winters, drought-and-downpour swings at the edge of the Hill Country
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Ant Control in Bentonville, AR
Ozark highlands — humid summers, storm-fed springs, real-but-mild winters that push pests indoors instead of killing them off
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Ant Control in Boston, MA
Four hard seasons — cold winters drive rodents indoors; short intense summers concentrate insect activity
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Ant Control in Dallas, TX
Hot — triple-digit summers, mild winters, spring storm systems; drought-and-deluge cycles
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Ant Control in Greensboro, NC
Piedmont humid subtropical — hot sticky summers, mild wet winters, red clay that holds moisture against every foundation
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Ant Control in Knoxville, TN
Humid, sheltered ridge-and-valley Appalachia — warm wet summers, mild winters, woods on every side
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Ant Control in Chattanooga, TN
Ridge-and-valley humidity — the Tennessee River gorge and the valleys between Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, and Missionary Ridge trap moisture that keeps pests productive most of the year
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Ant Control in Louisville, KY
Ohio Valley humidity — muggy summers, damp gray winters, moisture that never fully leaves basements and crawl spaces
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Ant Control in Nashville, TN
Humid subtropical — long muggy summers, mild wet winters that rarely knock pest populations down
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Ant Control in Raleigh, NC
Humid subtropical where the Piedmont meets the coastal plain — long muggy summers, mild winters, pine woods in every direction
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Ant Control in Richmond, VA
Humid subtropical at the fall line of the James — hot sticky summers, mild winters, plenty of rain
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Ant Control in Tampa, FL
Gulf Coast subtropics — hot, humid, a daily-thunderstorm summer, and winters too mild to knock any pest population down