• PEST LIBRARY
Ants
Ants on the counter or a trail along the baseboard, usually in summer.
• WHAT YOU SEE
Ants on the kitchen counter, a line of them crossing the floor by the trash can, or a trail heading straight for the dog's bowl. They show up fast, often in a single afternoon, and they follow the same crack in the baseboard every day after that. Spraying the ones you can see feels like the obvious move. It almost never is.
• WHAT WE SEE
The ants on the counter are workers, not the colony, and the colony is almost always somewhere else: a gap at the foundation, a bed of mulch against the siding, sometimes under the slab itself. Odorous house ants and argentine ants both bud when they're threatened, splitting one colony into several if you spray the trail you can see. Carpenter ants are a different problem: they nest in wood that's already gone soft from moisture, usually near a leak or a low spot on the roof, and a trail indoors can mean the nest is inside a wall. We follow the trail back rather than treat the end of it.
• HOW WE FIX IT
We bait rather than spray. Workers carry bait back to the colony, which reaches ants a spray on the counter never will, including the queen. Outside, the quarterly perimeter barrier handles the trail at its source, three feet up the siding and three feet out from it, and we seal the entry point if we can find it. Carpenter ant nests, when we find one in a wall or a soffit, get treated directly rather than baited, because that colony isn't feeding at a bait station the way the other two do. Nothing goes on the counter itself.
• WHEN THEY SHOW UP
Ants show up most from late spring through summer, when colonies are active and foraging outside gets easier. Odorous house ants and argentine ants both tend to come inside after a heavy rain, when the soil they're nesting in floods them out. Carpenter ants are less about season and more about moisture: a nest that's been building in a damp sill or soffit can produce indoor activity any time of year. The kitchen and the foundation are where we look first; a trail near a window usually traces back to the living room wall it came through.
• WHAT THE PROS KNOW
Odorous house ants smell like rotten coconut when crushed. That is how a technician tells them from the ones that only bait a different way.
Odorous house ants
Small, dark, and the ones most likely to show up on a kitchen counter in Chicago and St. Louis. Crush one and it smells like rotten coconut, which is how we tell them apart from other small ants in the field. They nest shallow, often in mulch or under a slab, and they bud into multiple colonies if the trail gets sprayed instead of baited.
Argentine ants
Argentine ants move in enormous, loosely connected colonies rather than one nest with one queen, so a single trail can be feeding a much bigger population outside. They follow moisture and will trail for long distances along a foundation or a fence line to reach it. Bait works on them for the same reason it works on odorous house ants: the workers carry it home.
Carpenter ants
Carpenter ants don't eat wood, they excavate it, hollowing out galleries in anything that's stayed damp long enough to soften, usually near a roof leak, a rotted sill, or a soffit that's held water. A trail of large, dark ants indoors, especially at night, is worth a real inspection rather than a bait station. Finding the nest and treating it directly is the only fix that holds.
• WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY
The technicians are the reason people stay.
We have been very pleased with Clae Pest Control. Robby is particularly great to work with. Not only is Robby personable and friendly, he is very knowledgeable and has many tricks up his sleeve. He also has followed up to make sure that his services are working appropriately which has been such a relief. Communication is also fantastic, and they can text to confirm/change appointment times. 100% would recommended.
Great experience so far. Called due to hearing some sounds in the wall of our old OP house. Fast and responsive, did a thorough inspection, no high pressure sales. They didn't find definite evidence of mice, and even though I offered to just pay for service they insisted on putting out baits for free to see if I actually needed anything. The baits have caught a mouse so will be having them come back for full service.
Clae Pest Control is exceptional! They responded quickly, their team was knowledgeable and friendly, and their eco-friendly treatment effectively resolved my pest issue. Their transparent pricing and helpful prevention tips made the entire experience hassle-free. I highly recommend Clae Pest Control for top-notch service!
I am extremely happy with the service I received from Clae Pest Control. Robby is very professional, thorough, and friendly. I also received a detailed account of the services provided, and he arrived on time. The product really works, I no longer have problems with ants and spiders, all for a very reasonable price. I highly recommend them.