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I know I will sound paranoid here but bear with me
I just moved into a really nice quiet condo. After I was there a few times I noticed a few gnats flying around...no big deal, everyone gets them...so I bought a trap.
Then when I was doing a wash of clothes, I saw a tiny tiny little any on the wall by the washer/dryer? I know the landlord mentioned that they spray for insects (ants and sliverfish)....but does this mean the building has a problem? I have never lived in a building before so this is all new to me.
I've dealt with ants before though in the private houses I rented but I understand building infestations can be different (if that is what this is-again I don't know)....
any advice would be appreciated...and forgive my ignorance on the topic.
You saw one tiny, tiny ant and are wondering if this is going to be an infestation problem? I'm seriously confused and I swear I only had one glass of wine with dinner ... unless Christmas and New Year's have already long passed and this is April Fool's Day!
You saw one tiny, tiny ant and are wondering if this is going to be an infestation problem? I'm seriously confused and I swear I only had one glass of wine with dinner ... unless Christmas and New Year's have already long passed and this is April Fool's Day!
thanks
Where I am now, I saw a few only in the kitchen and it turned into an infestation, I bought Terro and it got ride of them but they were coming out of the wall in DROVES. ugh
That one little ant is the scout. Wait till he gets back to the nest and tells everybody else about your great kitchen lol!
If the landlord has a regular contract with a pest control company who comes out to spray, they may include any additional problems/spraying for free. My daughter rents out a SFH and that's the deal with the company she contracts with. They will come take care of any problems for free - included in the price.
Spraying the line of ants usually doesn't work. The rest of the herd comes to drag the bodies away, while continuing to check out your pantry.
If you're going to do self-help, get the child/pet proof ant bait and put it next to the line of ants, then leave them alone. Pretty soon you'll have a swarm of them around the bait and they will take it back to feed everybody at home.
I used to just get regular ant stakes that you use outside, break it open and take out the jelly-like square of bait and place that next to the line. I didn't have any kids or pets to worry about at the time. They completely cover that bait and usually by overnight, no more ants.
As far as where there are more problems - I've had more problems in SFH or condos on the first floor by the yard/lawn areas. In Davis, where I used the bait trick I mentioned, they were considered cement ants. They live under sidewalks and patios, etc. When it rains, they get flooded out and start checking out the neighborhood for a new cozy home.
Ug we had such an ant problem in our last place that when a spider moved in we let it stay... It actually got rid of all the ants for us better than traps did. And we didn't want to spray because of our pets...
I always say if you see an ant wipe the area down!
I have had ant problems in the last two places I rented too.....in my last apartment, they would come in through the window in the kitchen, but I only saw them there and was able to get rid of them fairly easily.....the place I am leaving had them everywhere and that took a little more diligence, especially since I have a cat, but the Terro worked unbelievably well.
I only asked this question because this is the first time I am living in a building, so I know bug issues can be worse in buildings due to so many people living in one place, so I when I saw the ant, I said "oh no"...lol
In general, I would say where there's one teeny tiny little loner ant, the rest aren't usually far behind!! lol. I had a major ant problem in my old place, despite everything being brand new/very clean, I made the mistake of opening my window one night and woke up covered in hundreds of ants in my BED. Yea. The stuff nightmares are made of. There was a giant line of them coming from the window (tiny crack along the screen), down across the wall, and for some disgusting reason, they decided my bed was a nice destination. I now have 2 ant traps in every room, and I keep a can of Raid on hand just in case (although I don't usually spray because of my kitty, so it's designated for ant emergencies only). I would probably just put a couple child/pet proof ant traps around where you saw it just to be safe. In my current place, I saw one when I moved in, killed it, and didn't think much of it.. but later more showed up. They seem to come from the walls and come up from the cracks between the carpet and floor, or a tiny gap in the caulking in the bathroom. It's a new building and they spray every now and then, but it's inevitable in CA cause they're so teeny tiny they get in anywhere. Gross. I laid out traps the week I moved in and so far, so good.
You can call and have them treat the unit, but one ant normally isn't a problem. It just means you need to be careful about food, water and other things that attract them.
We get 'ghost' ants....tiny little ants that look like sugar ants....about twice a year we have to have them come an re treatment the unit and in a few days they're gone.
Just make sure your food is secure and spend time getting crumbs out from under the stove/fridge and other appliances. No food, no ants. Sugars and protiens are their main foods depending on the time of year. If you keep this in check, then you should be ok.
Carpenter ants are what i'd worry more about. They nest in rotting wood. Rarely do you find them in dwellings as they tend ot resist pressure treated lumber unless it's in contact with moisture and rotting out.
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