Ants are the most common call we get from Bacchus Marsh between October and March. The dry, clay-heavy ground around the valley cracks in summer and the colonies move toward moisture, which means your kitchen tap, the dog bowl and the bathroom. Spraying the trail you can see kills a few hundred workers and does nothing to the nest, so we do not do that. We identify the species first, because black ants, coastal browns and Argentine ants all respond to different baits, then place gel and granular baits the workers carry back to the colony.
Around the outside we treat the slab edge, paving joints, garden bed borders and any mulch against the house, which is where most Maddingley and Hopetoun Park nests sit. For bigger infestations we come back after a fortnight to check the baits have been taken and the trails have stopped. We also show you the simple things that keep them out, like fixing a dripping outdoor tap or moving the compost bin off the slab.
