entry 01 · Heaviest March–September; indoor trails spike after the first warm rain.
Ants
Tapinoma sessile · Camponotus spp.
Odorous house ants trail to moisture and sweets; carpenter ants tunnel into damp wood. The fix is baiting the colony, not spraying the trail.
One-time treatment from $189
Baseline: detached house, 1,500–2,500 sq ft, low severity. Includes the follow-up noted below. Exact price in writing on site, before work starts.
Price my situationfield signs
What you're probably seeing
- Trails in more than one room
- Activity for more than two weeks
- Fine sawdust (frass) near sills or joists
- Winged ants indoors
The instant quote asks about these same signs — the more of them you're seeing, the higher in the range your price lands, and we'd rather show you that math than surprise you with it.
treatment approach
How we treat it
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01
Identify the species
Odorous house ants and carpenter ants need opposite treatments. We confirm the species before anything is opened or applied — a wrong guess with repellent spray splits colonies and makes it worse.
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02
Find the trail, not just the ants
We trace trails to entry points and, where possible, to the nest — moisture sources, wall voids, landscaping timbers, that fir stump by the fence.
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03
Bait and non-repellent treatment
Slow-acting baits the workers carry back to the colony, plus a targeted non-repellent band at entry points. Interior work is crack-and-crevice, not baseboard fogging.
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04
Close the moisture story
Ants follow water. You get a written list of the gutters, drips, and grade-level wood contact we found, because fixing those matters more than any product.
Covered year-round?
Yes — ants are covered on the Foundation plan ($69/visit, quarterly), including free re-treats between visits.
before we arrive
Your prep checklist
Ten minutes of prep does more for results than an extra gallon of anything we could spray. Here's the whole list — nothing hidden until the confirmation email.
- Don't spray store-bought repellents for 48 hours before the visit — it scatters the trail we need to read
- Wipe up visible trails with soapy water the morning of the visit is fine
- Clear under the kitchen sink and pull small items away from the worst wall
- Note where and when you see the most activity (photos help)
- Keep pets off treated exterior bands until dry — usually 1–2 hours
the honesty block
What to realistically expect
- Baiting looks slow on purpose: activity often increases for 3–7 days while workers carry bait to the colony, then collapses
- Most odorous-house-ant jobs resolve in one visit plus the included 30-day recheck; carpenter ants sometimes need a second visit
- If we find carpenter-ant frass, we'll recommend a closer structural look — and tell you if it's a carpenter or a contractor problem
next step
Get a number, not a pitch
Six questions, real arithmetic, and a range your technician confirms in writing before any work starts.
or call (503) 555-0164 — Mon–Fri 7:30 am – 5:30 pm · Sat 8 am – 1 pm