Common bug problems (apartment complex, tenant, house, landlords)

[Lacerta]

So, a question to all landlords and tenants in here.

In my area this year, ants are a problem. We tend to get one type of insect each year that makes its presence felt. Over the years, its been mosquitoes, houseflies, wasps, earwigs, etc. This year, it is ants. Regular, plain old black ants, not the red biting kind, just the annoying kind.

I have them at my house, my mom has them at her house. They are all over the valley this year, in large numbers. If you keep the floors clean of food spills inside, the pretty much stay outdoors, but they do venture inside occasionally.

Over the last month, I have had 8 different tenants call up to complain. The problem is that spraying doesn't do any good when they are this widespread. It helps for a few days and then they come back.

We have tried many methods to get rid of them, and found that the best is those cheap little ant bait things. You know, the flat little hexagon shaped, black plastic with ant bait inside.

I've told my tenants to go pick up a few and scatter them around where they see a problem. If they have issue, we agree to let them deduct from rent (they are like $1 a piece, woohoo). Anyway, most of the tenants are fine with that, do it, and it does help substantially.

Every now and then, though, someone gets mad and wants to insist that we spray, even though we know from experience that it doesn't do the job as well as the cheap traps, and is far more expensive.

Do you, either as a tenant or a landlord, think we are being unreasonable by insisting on the traps?

[virgode]

I see nothing wrong with the traps if it does the job. What I would suggest you do is purchase a quanity of the traps yourself, when you get a call instead of asking the tenant to do the purchase, just have maintenance take one to the tenant, this way they don't feel like your making the ant problem their responsibility.

[Sudcaro]

I don't think you are unreasonable since you are 100% sure that is the best solution!

[Babytarheelz]

I agree that you should keep the traps on hand and place them in the units yourself. It sends a better message that you're trying to take care of the problem. And placing traps typically is the best solution for ants. We had a policy that we would only spray once every 2 months. If a tenant wanted it done more than that, we would tell them that it was not healthy to spray more often than that (per our pest control company's recommendation) and if they wanted it done more frequently, they would have to take on that responsibility themselves. Once they heard it was potentially unsafe, they usually wouldn't pursue it.

[Paula Lynn]

Hire a professional exterminator and have him spray the exterior of the building and in all the units. Problem will be done. Or, better yet, contract with a exterminator and they will come out once a month to spray and you are allowed to get a few units free each month.

[Babytarheelz]

Originally Posted by Paula Lynn

Hire a professional exterminator and have him spray the exterior of the building and in all the units. Problem will be done. Or, better yet, contract with a exterminator and they will come out once a month to spray and you are allowed to get a few units free each month.

She already sprayed as noted in her post. There are some insects that resist the spray. Ants are one. The exterminator we used hated spraying for them, only did it for insistent residents. He agreed the ground traps are much more effective.

[Lacerta]

Originally Posted by Paula Lynn

Hire a professional exterminator and have him spray the exterior of the building and in all the units. Problem will be done. Or, better yet, contract with a exterminator and they will come out once a month to spray and you are allowed to get a few units free each month.

We've used Orkin in the past, both for individual treatments and for two properties on a contract where they come out quarterly and spray.

It has not solved the problem. The ants go away for a few days and then come right back. We cancelled our contracts, and put out traps. Voila, no more ants, as long as the traps are out and have active bait.

Spraying is expensive and ineffective, that was my point. You said "the exterior of the building and in all the units". Unfortunately, these are single family houses and some duplexes, not apartment complexes. They are spread all over town. The complaints are about ants in the grass, and the driveway and the garage, moreso than inside the house, although inside occasionally as well.

I can go along with supplying the traps, we were already agreeing to pay for them.