Ant Control in Spokane and North Idaho
If there is one pest every home in Spokane and North Idaho gets, it is ants. The small ants in the kitchen are the most common call; carpenter ants are the ones that can cost you money, quietly tunneling in the damp wood of decks, eaves, window frames and the trees beside the house. Pavement ants nest under slabs and sidewalks and are the small ones you see in the kitchen; field ants build mounds in lawns. All of them come in for water first and food second, which is why the kitchen sink and the dog’s bowl are ground zero.
Or call 208-889-9222. Monday to Friday 9 to 5, emergency call-outs available.
What we see in Spokane and North Idaho homes
Most ant calls start in the kitchen. It begins with a few scouts, and before you know it they’re running highways: along the plumbing walls, through cracks, and through the small gaps every house has where the trim, slab or siding doesn’t quite meet. No house is bug-proof, no matter how well it was built. Outside, they come up through cracks in the driveway, sidewalk and patio.
Why ants are a problem here
We live in the pines, and carpenter ants live in wood. The parent colony is usually outside, in a stump, a dead tree or a woodpile, and it sends satellite colonies into any moist wood it can reach: a deck post, a leaky window frame, the eave where the gutter overflows. Our wet springs keep that wood damp enough for them. Store spray makes things worse: you kill the foragers you see, the colony senses the threat, and it relocates or splits into new satellite nests inside the walls where you can’t reach them.
How we treat ants
We find the hot spots, inside and out, then use slow-acting baits and non-repellent treatments so the workers carry the product back to the colony, including the parent colony out in the yard. We treat the foundation and entry points outside, and inside as needed; we would rather stop ants at the foundation before they ever reach the kitchen. It is a little slower than a can of spray, but it is a solution, not a bandage on a bigger problem. Pavement ants, field ants and the other small ants are covered on every plan, and the Property Shield Promise applies: if they come back between visits, so do we, at no charge. Carpenter ants are a targeted service; see how we handle them.
Mistakes we see
- Repellent sprays from the store. Ants avoid them, so the colony splits and sets up new nests around the treated spot. We call it cloverleafing: one problem becomes three or four.
- Diatomaceous earth (DE). It’s sold as the natural fix, but it does a poor job on ants in a home, and where it could work, people usually put down many times more than the label calls for. Breathing the fine dust isn’t good for you or your pets either.
- If your first try didn’t work, get some help. Tell us what you used and when. That shows us how the colony reacted, so we can solve it faster for you.
What you can do
- Fix drips and wipe up standing water; ants come in to drink.
- Keep pet food in sealed bins and pick bowls up overnight.
- Trim shrubs and branches off the house; ants use them as bridges.
- Seal gaps around pipes, windows and the slab edge.
- Skip the store spray; it scatters the colony, or worse, pushes it to start several new ones.
Plans and prices
Small ants (pavement, field and the like) are included in every Property Shield plan; carpenter ant infestations are inspected and quoted separately. Most homes do best on the Quarterly plan, four visits a year at $150 each (about $50 a month); Tri-Annual, Bi-Monthly (essential oils) and Monthly plans are on the Pricing page. No sign-up fee. Not sure? Try us once at the Quarterly price. The Property Shield Promise: if a covered pest comes back between visits, so do we — NO charge.
Questions we hear about ants
Why do ants come back every spring?
Because the colony lives outside, under the slab or in the yard, and only sends workers in when it is warm and wet. A quarterly plan treats the colony, not just the kitchen.
Are these carpenter ants?
Carpenter ants are big (a quarter to half an inch), usually black, and you often find piles of what looks like sawdust, called frass, below where they are working. See our carpenter ant page. Small ants in the kitchen are almost always pavement ants.
Is the bait safe for my dog?
Yes. We place baits where pets can’t reach them and follow the label, and we ask about your pets when you book.
Ready to be done with ants?
Or call 208-889-9222. Serving Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum, Sandpoint and the Silver Valley.