Pull up a portion of the edge of the carpet, just enough to look underneath. Start with a carpet edge that is along an exterior wall, especially in front of a patio door or fireplace. If you find ants in a carpeted room, use a pair of needle-nose pliers to carefully pull up the edge of the carpet. Many indoor-nesting ants like to trail along walls just under the edges of carpeting. Inspecting Under Carpets: You’ll Be Surprised by What You Find But in many cases, you’ll have to locate ant trails and aim your controls at the foraging ants. If you find the nest, you can treat it directly. Check outside directly opposite the point where the trail disappears to see if you can pick up the trail continuing to an outside nest.Find the ants. But it’s also very likely they’re simply foraging inside from an outdoor nest. The ants could be nesting inside that wall void, inside a hollow door or in a window frame. If you find an indoor ant trail that seems to end abruptly, look closely for a point where the ants enter a wall void, disappear through a crack in the slab or exit under a door. Placing spots of non-toxic food baits like jelly can help locate areas where ants are actively foraging. You may not find foraging workers during the day. Remember that some ants (carpenter ants, for example) are most active at night. Other places to check for evidence of ants indoors include window sills, inside switch plates, along electrical lines and pipes running inside voids, bath traps and subslab heat ducts.Look for small piles of soil on the floor where ants have pushed it out of wall voids up through a crack in the slab, or out from under door thresholds or patio door expansion joints.In carpeted areas, ants like to trail under the edge of the carpet next to the baseboard (see related story on page 90).Use this same technique when checking for ants under door threshold plates. This will bring out trailing ants that can’t be seen. In uncarpeted areas, slide a knife or a piece of paper along the gap between the bottom edge of the baseboard and the floor.Look inside cabinets, especially the back edges of cabinets containing food packages. In kitchens, look for ant trails along edges and corners of baseboards, countertops, stove and cabinets. Other inspection tips that have proven successful include: Like cockroaches, ants tend to trail along man-made edges such as countertop backsplashes and floor baseboards. Follow edges along baseboards, around tubs, at the base of toilets, and along pipes and appliance cords. If your customer hasn’t provided any leads, start your search by checking areas where ants are attracted to moisture – bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, boiler rooms, etc. Sometimes random trails that make no sense at first will direct you to a common nest site once you see them mapped out on paper. This is especially useful to pinpoint active sites for a baiting program. Mark areas where ants are actively trailing. Work with a floor plan or sketch of the building. In fact, a child may take you right to the nest. They notice things (like ants) that adults may overlook. Where have ants been seen? When? How often? Are there any areas of the home that have had moisture problems or leaks? If calling on a residential account, ask any children in the home. To control ants indoors, whether with crack and crevice treatment or baiting, you first need to Editor’s Note: This article was adapted from Techletter, a biweekly publication from Pinto & Associates, Mechanicsville, Md.
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