Marlborough
Ant Control

Marlborough has always been an industrial center, but humans aren’t the only industrious animals developing with the changing times. From the newest construction to the oldest building, you are sure to find ants that adapt with whatever changes occur around them. Staying ahead of the ant brigade takes strategy and vigilance, Rove Pest Control can help with your ant control needs in Marlborough.

Just like we like to head out in pairs and groups to the 110 grill to grab some grub, the ants go marching two by two to gather food for themselves and the colony. The earliest ant arrivals don’t necessarily have a finite destination in mind but are just on the hunt for food worthy of recruiting. Once they find it, they share bits of that scrumptious food booty with other ants they pass on the way back to the colony. This process called trophallaxis motivates other ants to follow their pheromone trail to the food source and aid in the gathering.

In some cases, this food may be something that dropped in a crack or behind an appliance. In other cases, it may be sweet honeydew secretions from aphids hanging out on the plants outside of the home. Depending on what the colony is in need of, they may be seeking:

• fats and oils
• proteins
• sugars and complex carbohydrates

Go figure – we aren’t the only industrious species around and we also aren’t the only species that pays attention to macros from time to time.

While there are hundreds of ant species bouncing around Marlborough neighborhoods, there are a handful that are worth paying attention to.

Carpenter ants – while these ants don’t consume or digest wood like a termite, they are just as quick to harvest softened or damaged wood to make a nice gallery to live in. This may be in a tree near the home, or inside in inconspicuous locations such as a curtain rod or wall void. Targeting the queen is key in these ants, but that can prove difficult considering she stays well protected and they are prone to setting up satellite colonies at a considerable distance from the main. These Marlborough menaces are recognized by a smoothly rounded thorax and a single petiole.

Little black ants – are well known in kitchens and picnics alike. They have an incredible ability to pick up on smells from large distances. This is tied to the number of odorant receptors they possess. Ants have been found to have genes that make about 400 distinct odor receptors. If this doesn’t shock you, it may help to know that fruit flies only have 61 and mosquitoes are in the 70-150 range depending on species. With their small size that can find the tiniest entrance and their incredible smell, these ants will show up just about anywhere.

Pavement ants – it doesn’t take 20 questions to figure out where you are most likely to encounter these Marlborough mound makers. These little insects love to populate areas that provide overhead stability and protection along with a crack for coming and going. They build up colonies under sidewalk sections, garage slabs, rocks, etc. They seem like a relatively small issue at first, but once established, they take quite the concentrated effort to stop. Surprisingly, those small entrances may be home to 10,000 workers.

Acrobat Ants – similar to Carpenter ants, these are likely to seek out moist or rotting wood (often from fungal decay) to shelter. They also enjoy the tasty treats created by aphid secretions. These have a distinct abdominal shape and get their name from habitually raising their abdomen high above their head and thorax. Unfortunately, they don’t have regular trapeze shows.

Pharaoh ants – these are most likely to be noticed inside. They are quite small and light in color. They prefer existing voids for building nests. If they are treated with the wrong products or methods, they are quick to hedge their bets on survival through a process called budding. This is where the ants withdraw into the colony and split into multiple colonies. As you can imagine, just one instance of budding can really add complexity to the control process.

With each ant species having unique characteristics, correct identification of the species or species that need to be eliminated is vitally important. If you don’t know which species you are dealing with, the ant experts at Rove Pest Control can provide the needed direction along with the keys to achieving long-term control.

Once the ant species have been identified, control measures customized to that specific biology can be implemented such as:

• habitat alteration
• food source reduction
• exclusion
• bait
• spray
• dusts

Each category has a host of variations available. Whether you are dealing with one or multiple ant species, ant control Marlborough technicians from Rove Pest Control can customize the treatment plan and needs for your home or business.