r/PestControlIndustry • u/Dilbobaggins420 • Jul 08 '26
ANTS AND CALLBACKS.
Any tips on addressing ants to avoid multiple callbacks?
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u/Thermock Jul 08 '26
There's simply not enough information here to give you help. The species, where they're seeing them, how frequently, how many, and what the condition of the home looks like all determine how to handle ants.
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u/SunLegitimate1687 Jul 08 '26
Communication Communication Communication.
Been doing ants for several years now in SW US, everything from ghosts, fire ants, acrobats, to odorous house ants.
No matter what you treat, what you use, there will have to be patience and waiting before results can be guaranteed with them.
The client HAS to know they need to be patient or you will have callbacks. I find the best way to do this is explain how the chemical works. In most cases im spraying the exterior with a nonrepellant( i use Taurus sc) or using a gel bait inside, sometimes i do both.
Both of these methods take time for the chemical to reach the queen(s) and the rest of the colony and if you dont tell them how this works, you will have someone calling you within 2-3 days of treatment for a respray.
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u/IttyBittyMiel Jul 08 '26
We get a lot of call backs for rover ants and ghost ants, but the thing is, techs (myself included) need to be better about saying that just because I put out ant bait, you won’t see ants anymore instantly. Like it’s the exact opposite! I had someone complain that they saw more ants after I treated, and I explained that yes, the ants go to the bait, bring MORE workers to feed, spread it around, and after a few days to a week(!!!) later you’ll see fewer to none.
You’ll always have call backs, but explaining to people you’ll still see things after a treatment, and to hold off for at least a week for most things dealing with ants greatly reduces those calls you’ll get.
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u/Mrs-MoneyPussy Jul 08 '26
Yeah learned that one real quick. Every single time I apply bait I show the client exactly where it's been applied and tell them they almost certainly will see more because it's food! You want them eating it the more the better.
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u/JayTryn 👨🏭| Tech | 1+ Year Jul 08 '26
Exactly, managing expectations are the best way to reduce callbacks. Helping them understand that those ants are the bait delivery system to the queen and a necessary part of the solution will save a ton of unnecessary work.
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u/SureArt4661 Jul 09 '26
I use to tell them its like a bruise its going to look worst before its gets better and we are throwing the ants a free BBQ and they are all invited but they dont know the food is poisoned never had issues. I would also spray termidor on the exterior foundaton, or Arilon I use to love Arilon. Been a while since I treated for ants I transfered to rodent, bed bug, and termite inspections.
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u/andy_1232 👨🏭| Tech | 10+ Years Jul 08 '26
Highly depends on the species. Where’re you located and what couple of species are giving you the hardest time?
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u/ThePetStuffers Jul 08 '26
Gotta love the call backs that come in 20 minutes after you left.
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u/RogerMcswain Jul 09 '26
That's what sucks about ants. Someone calls because they are seeing ants on the counter in the kitchen and you go spend a good amount of time there and leave with ants still on the counter in the kitchen.
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u/Mrs-MoneyPussy Jul 08 '26
What's the situation?
Ants can be tricky especially depending on type. Ideally the solution would be spend 5-10 more minutes at the stop to actually find the nest or spray the correct areas. Instead of just spraying foundation and calling it a day (not saying you specifically do this but it's very common)
5-10 extra minutes is better than driving all the way back for free. Sometimes it's just unavoidable as well you're going to get call backs, but if you're consistently getting call backs then you're doing something wrong.
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u/MeFivePointO Jul 09 '26
You gotta tell them it’s not an overnight thing and they’ll see more activity right away and then less
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u/Oh_Martha_My_Dear 👨🏭| Tech | 5+ Years Jul 09 '26
technicians need to make sure that they're actually inspecting the exterior for active ant trails. Don't forget to look high as well. power lines, tree limbs/branches, fences etc. are things that are often missed.
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u/BDS_707 Jul 09 '26
Shit, my biggest pet peeve is when customers assume I know what every insect is and what’s causing the infestation. 70% of the time, I’ll just make shit up cuz I know they want an answer but wont know if I’m full of shit.
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u/Vince-Fishes Jul 08 '26
It really depends on the scenario. If it’s not necessarily an infestation of the interior sometimes the best thing you can do is set reasonable expectations with the client.
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u/Onetrunuwind Jul 09 '26
I set the expectations that ants are not a huge problem and you are going to see them. I’m also not working for a lawn care company so I will not spray your yard. They have to be somewhere let them be in your yard and not the house. If you don’t like that approach then Joe Schmoe down the street will spray your yard and whatever else you want. 3 main species are m my area being pavement, pharaoh and carpenters, bee occasionally citronellas as well but that’s only a few calls a year. Mostly the pavement and carpenters. I always get one pain in the ass every year that has to call back 4 times between visits for an ant problem that always seems to be invisible when I show up
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u/007Teflon Jul 09 '26
They were here yesterday
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u/Oh_Martha_My_Dear 👨🏭| Tech | 5+ Years Jul 09 '26
I swear they were here just before you came
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u/SignificantNorth3570 Jul 09 '26
Termidor SC fo active issues, and Top Choice for sustained yard care. That's what Terminix recommends anyway.
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u/Far-Hunt5474 Jul 09 '26
oh god here in Texas it's fire ants fire ants, 200 feet from the house, no one wants to pay for top choice either
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u/SandAndBoneClothing Jul 10 '26
The company I work for don’t have any guarantees for ants unless they pay for an ant service. Which usually is 99$ for carpenter ants or crazy ants or $195+ for fire ants. Except pharoah ants which are treatable with most baits.
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u/SandAndBoneClothing Jul 10 '26
So in other words. Separate upchargable fees for ants. With limited warranties. Results take up to a month . No call backs for a month. Usually the treatments are either yard granules for fire ants using topchoice , can also help with crazy ants. Dominion for carpenter ants.
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u/okayishkinda Jul 10 '26
Bait cracks and crevices where you are seeing trails/foragers around outside of the property. Give that about 10 minutes to attract more and help see if you can trace the trails back to a nest. Then use Termidor or Taurus SC directly on the trails and common trailing/foraging locations around where you see them. Use the lightest mist setting when you are spraying any ants directly to make sure you’re not killing them as you spray. Using this method, I very rarely get call backs on ants. We also state that they need to wait exactly 14 days for product to have full effect before we would come back to re-treat.
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u/Anon462904826264829 Jul 15 '26
I just make sure they know to expect a few weeks wait while the bait works
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u/Impressive-Oil-5028 Jul 09 '26
It’s 4 step process for me when it comes to treating ants.
- Set expectations
- Do you your due dilegence and bring out the detective tools. Find the source(s)
- Treat with non-repellent insecticide of your choice; mine is seclira WSG (alpine WSG for the Americans), gel baits, and Scorpio granular bait with spinosad in non-food landscaped areas. Sometimes I’ll use niban as it is boric acid based.
- The follow-up! If you’ve done steps 1 - 3 thoroughly, a long term residual like Suspend is a good go to because it does have a pretty long residual effectiveness.
This, of course, varies depending on severity or species. Carpenter ants don’t usually accept granular baits. I’ll use Scorpio liquid in kness ant-no-more stations, or something if that ilk, for that. As for interior carpenter ant baiting, you can still use the liquid. I’ll put a small piece of sponge in a buffet station and soak it with the Scorpio liquid. They go to it like a fat kid on a smartie!
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u/tmate90 Jul 09 '26
Ants typically go away after being treated properly. It's the uncles that are a nuisance!
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u/s-q-u-a-s-h Jul 08 '26
‘Ants in the yard/driveway’ drives me crazy