White Footed Ant Management
Pestproof™/ Antman® Information & Safety Sheet
Details of treatments and likely observations afterwards
Treatment Details
External Residual Spraying
This treatment will control the ant colony in the structural cavities of the building. The treatment consists of an application of a non-repellent residual insecticide to all ant trails outside the building. The material used; Termidor SC or equivalent.
Internal Residual Spraying
This treatment is optional and free of charge if carried out in conjunction with an external treatment. It is only necessary if you don’t wish to wait for the results of the external treatment, and if you don’t mind chemicals in your living or work space. The treatment consists of selective internal spraying of an insecticide barrier around the skirting, some window sills, affected cupboards and entranceways. The material used; Demand SC or equivalent.
What you may notice after the treatment has been applied
1. Sudden ant falls – dead ants on your window sills or floors.
2. Outside ant trails may stop and start.
3. Large numbers of ants clustering or immobilised on an external or internal wall.
All of these signs are quite normal and are nothing to be concerned about. They show that the treatment is working, and that the chemical is being transferred between the individual ants in the colony.
If after 2-3 weeks you do see active trails inside or outside, please do not spray them or use ant sand on them, just call us as soon as possible. It is a good idea to place a sweet substance out for the ants to keep them busy prior to our arrival to enable us to treat them effectively with our special products.
Report any ant trails after 2-3 weeks
External Ant Trails
Internal Ant Trails
External Ant Clusters or Immobilised Ants
Internal Ant Clustering or Immobilised Ants
Internal Treatment Checklist
Before the internal treatment
Kitchen
- Fully clear out any cupboards where ants have been sighted.
- Clear out pantry if ants have been sighted there.
- Remove all food stuffs from kitchen bench tops, tables or exposed surfaces.
Note: All kitchen items when removed from the cupboards can be stacked on / under a table or similar space away from the sprayed surfaces.
Bathroom & Toilet
- Cover or put away toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, face clothes, towels and similar items.
Offices, Lounges, Bedrooms & All Other Rooms
- Clear all items away from the skirting boards. Ideally create a 60cm clear band right around the room. No need to move heavy furniture.
Pets
- Let us know in advance if you have pets.
Note: All our insecticides are very toxic to fish, bees and monarch butterfly caterpillars. Please let us know if you have any on your property.
If you are using ant bait inside your living or work space please stop its use immediately.
After The Internal Treatment
- Ventilate the area by opening windows and doors for a few minutes.
- On the day of the treatment, avoid direct skin contact with treated surfaces. Do not walk in bare feet.
- You may wipe down the cupboard’s shelves before placing food and crockery items back. Please don’t wipe the sides or the tops of the cupboards.
- Avoid washing the skirting, windowsills and external walls for as long as possible after the treatment.
- Infested pot plants should be removed from the house.
- It is essential that no food (including pet food) is left out. If it is necessary to leave pet food out, build a moat around the pet food to stop ants getting to it. You can buy ‘anti-ant’ pet feeding bowls.
External Treatment Checklist
Before the external treatment
- Report beehives, fishponds, monarch butterflies caterpillars and pets.
- Avoid disrupting the external ant trails by abstaining from carrying out the following activities at least 24 hours before the treatment day.
What NOT TO DO before or after external treatment:
External construction or painting jobs
External house or window washing
Landscaping
Mowing the lawns
Watering the garden (light watering is OK after treatment)
Weeding the garden
Spraying insecticides or other chemicals
Expected results from ant treatment
Pestproof cannot guarantee the total elimination of ants after the initial treatment, but we will continue treatment if the problem persists. The White-footed ant is an extremely difficult pest to control due to the large size of its colonies and its feeding and nesting habits. However, effective control can be achieved.
More information about the external treatment:
To control the White-footed ant colony, a special residual insecticide band must be applied around the base of your building and on the ant trails around the section. This needs to be done on a fine day which is followed by at least one more fine day. The foraging ants crawl over the insecticide carrying minute amounts of it back to the nest.
From then on the ants’ housekeeping behaviour gradually transfers the insecticide around the colony. With the insecticide circulating, colony collapse will gradually follow. We may also apply an ant bait around the foundations, especially where there are strong trails. You should notice that within a few days that strong ant trails around the foundations of your house dis-appear. An occasional weak ant trail may be sighted, which shows that the once strong colony is close to collapse.
It should be emphasised that control of an ant colony using this method is a gradual process. If it is a strong colony, or if vegetation is touching the building, the treatment may need to be repeated in six months or less to control the remaining ants.
Remember that your building probably has other ant infested buildings close by. Your current infestation may have spread from a neighbouring building and an eventual re-infestation is a real possibility. You will need to monitor ant activity on boundary fences with your neighbours, on your external building walls and inside your building. If it increases, or the occasional weak trails intensify, then the insecticide band may need to be re-applied.
If ant trails persist indoors, we can apply an internal spray to the affected areas, or inject an insecticidal dust into cracks and crevices from which the ants are emerging. Internal baiting is also an option in these cases.
And finally, if you are not entirely satisfied tell us. Pestproof will fix the issue. If you are happy with the results, please mention to your neighbours that your building has been successfully treated and suggest they have theirs treated. If you are surrounded by ant free properties, the risk of re-infestation is greatly reduced.
