Jun 6, 2008 7:13 pm US/Eastern
Ants Are Surging In Maryland Homes
MARYLAND (WJZ) ―
Ants are on the move in Maryland, and they're moving in with us. Pest control businesses are reporting more calls than usual from homeowners.
Alex DeMetrick reports you can blame the invasion on the weather.
A Fallston house is more than just home to its owners. It has also become the front line in an invasion of ants. In this case, tiny odorous ants have been finding a way past brick and mortar.
"They're in the bathroom, and they're in the foyer. I tried treating it, and it works for a day, but the next day they'd be back," homeowner Stanley Carter said.
So Carter called in the big guns, professional pest control that uses pumps and spray rigs. Businesses like Home Paramount report a surge of calls in Maryland. Here's why.
"We had a mild winter this year. Mild winter translates into larger colonies that actually survive," Jim Fredericks of Home Paramount said.
Winter was followed by a very wet spring. Rains in May hit just as those stronger than normal colonies were emerging.
"All that water could actually be driving these guys out of the ground where they're living and into the houses," Fredericks said.
Once out of the ground, the hunt is on for shelter. From flower pots to any convenient crack leading to drier digs.
Outside treatments can work, provided the ants haven't found a way to live between the walls. Then, the invasion becomes more of a siege, requiring escalating pest control tactics against an army on the march. And as the ground dries, ants are likely to become less obvious inside homes, unless it dries too much. When that happens, ants will go on the move again, looking for moisture.
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