There is a new resource available to anyone that has dealt with ants. It is a website called Got Ants? Get S.E.R.I.O.U.S.! It is as they say on their website “a collaboration of public agencies, educational institutions, pest professionals, and nonprofits working to promote environmentally sound ant management and to protect water quality.” You may or may not know that the pesticides commonly used for ant control are some of the most prevalent and damaging in our waterways. People spray them on their own or hire companies to do it for them. The truth of the matter is that spraying is not the most effective or cost effective means of controlling ant invasions. The Got Ants folks have put together a very simple system for dealing with ants. Their acronym S.E.R.I.O.U.S. stands for:
S – Spot where ants are coming in.
E – Eliminate crumbs, messes and spills
R – Rinse with soap and water
I – Isolate food and water sources
O – Obstruct entryways and seal cracks
U – Use baits if ants don’t go away
S – Stick to it to keep ants away
In addition to strategies for handling ant invasions the Got Ants website asks you to make a pledge “to use less toxic practices (or hire a company certified to provide less toxic IPM services) the next time you have an ant problem.” I’ve added my name to the list. I encourage you to do the same.
By the way, if you want to read a synopsis of a study done by Stanford researchers that indicates that ant invasions, and more importantly, their retreat are due to weather, I'm including the link. As stated in the article; "People spend a lot of money on year-round pesticides," says Deborah M. Gordon, associate professor of biological sciences and lead author of the study, "but it's not the pesticide that keeps ants out of your home, it's the weather."
