Ant control that treats the nest, not the trail

Why DIY ant killer makes it worse

Surface sprays and ant killers from the supermarket kill the ants on the trail and leave the nest untouched. Worse, with several common species, spraying triggers "budding" — the colony splits and sets up satellite nests to escape the threat, so one trail becomes three. You knock the visible ants down for a day or two, then they're back in more places than before. Coastal brown ants, one of the most common around here, are especially quick to do this. Trails are just the supply line. Unless the treatment reaches the nest and the queen, the colony keeps producing, and the foragers you see are only a fraction of what's actually there.

Common ants in Southern Sydney homes

Black house ants

Small, shiny black, the ones marching across the kitchen bench and into the pantry. They nest in wall cavities, under paths and in garden beds, and they're after food and moisture.

Coastal brown ants

Small and light brown, they leave little piles of excavated soil between pavers and along path edges — a giveaway. Common right through the Shire and St George. They bud readily, which is exactly why spraying spreads them.

Sugar ants

Larger, often orange-brown and black, and mostly a night-time forager drawn to sweet food. They nest outdoors in soil and under logs, then trail inside to the pantry and the bin. More of a nuisance indoors than a structural worry, but a persistent one once a trail is established.

Green-head ants

Metallic green-black, usually outdoors in lawns and gardens. These ones sting, and it hurts — a sharp, burning sting rather than a bite. If you're getting stung in the backyard barefoot, green-heads are a likely culprit, and their stings can trigger a reaction in people who are sensitive to them.

How we treat ants — and what it costs

Ant control starts from $189 for a standard home. We identify the species first, because the bait and the approach change depending on what you've got — a sweet-feeding sugar ant and a protein-feeding coastal brown want different things. We follow the trails back toward the nest, and use transfer baits the workers carry home to the colony, along with targeted treatment of nest sites and the entry points around the slab and weep holes. Because baits work with the colony's own behaviour instead of against it, they clear the nest rather than splitting it. It can take a little longer than a spray to see the trail disappear, but it stays gone, and we'll point out the moisture and food sources drawing them in so they're less likely to return. Every job is covered by our Return & Re-treat Guarantee.

Ants in kitchens, bathrooms and pavers

Ants come inside for two things: food and water. Kitchens draw them to crumbs, spills and the pantry; bathrooms and laundries draw them to moisture. Timing plays a part too — colonies often push indoors after heavy rain floods their nests, and again in the peak of summer when it's dry outside. Outside, the colonies often sit under pavers, driveways and along the house slab, then follow the warm edge of the building in through weep holes and gaps. We treat the inside trails and, just as importantly, the outside nests and the perimeter they cross, so you're not clearing the kitchen while the colony sits happily under the patio.

We treat homes across Sylvania and Sans Souci, where damp ground near the water keeps ant pressure up, and everywhere in between. Dealing with cockroaches or spiders on the same visit? We handle them together on the one job, so you're not paying for two call-outs.