Ant Control in Oxnard, CA

Why Argentine Ants Keep Coming Back After You Spray

A single Argentine ant colony can stretch across several yards, with nests under pavers, in potted plants, in mulch beds and along irrigation lines. What you see inside is a foraging trail from one of those nests. That is why the ants seem to come back the next day from the same crack.

Ants Oxnard Homeowners See Most

Argentine ants

Small (about 1/8 inch), uniform dull brown, and they move fast in wide, busy trails. No strong smell when crushed. They come in for sugar, grease and water.

Odorous house ants

Similar size, darker brown to black, and they give off a rotten coconut smell when crushed. They often nest in wall voids near moisture and under loose siding.

Pavement ants

Dark brown to black, with fine grooves on the head. They nest under slabs, driveways and sidewalks and push small piles of sand out of cracks.

Carpenter ants

Much larger, black or reddish, and less common in Oxnard homes. They nest in damp, damaged wood. If you see large ants or coarse sawdust (which looks different from termite pellets), mention it when you call.

What Triggers an Ant Invasion

• Hot, dry weather. In late summer and early fall, the outdoor food supply (mainly honeydew from aphids and scale insects) drops and the soil dries. Ants come in looking for water and sugar.
• The first heavy rains. Water floods ground nests, and ants move the whole colony, eggs and all, into walls and indoors.
• Plants that host aphids and scale. Argentine ants farm these insects for their honeydew. Citrus, roses and hibiscus next to the house often carry large ant populations.
• Food and water indoors. Pet food bowls, fruit on the counter, sticky spills and leaking faucets keep trails active.

How Our Ant Control Treatment Works

1. Follow the trail. We track the ants back from where you see them to where they enter the house, and outside to the nests. This is why it helps if you do not spray or wipe out the trails right before the visit.
2. Indoor baiting. Slow-acting gel or liquid baits go where the ants feed and travel. Workers carry the bait back to the nest and share it, which reaches the queens.
3. Exterior treatment. We apply a non-repellent product around the foundation and at entry points. Ants do not avoid it, so they pick it up and carry it back to the colony.
4. Source reduction. We point out the conditions feeding the colony: plants loaded with aphids or scale, branches touching the house, mulch piled against the wall, leaks at hose bibs.

Expect to see more ants on the baits for a few days. That is the bait being carried back. Trails usually drop off within one to two weeks.

What Changes the Price of Ant Control

• Where the ants are. One kitchen trail takes less work than activity in several rooms and inside walls.
• Yard size and landscaping. Heavy planting, irrigated beds and lots of hardscape around the house mean more exterior area to treat.
• Species. Carpenter ants in damaged wood need more investigation than Argentine ants.
• One visit or ongoing. In yards with constant Argentine ant pressure, scheduled exterior treatment may cost less over a year than repeated one-time visits. We will tell you which makes more sense for your home.

How Irrigation and Dry Summers Keep Oxnard Ant Colonies Going

Oxnard gets most of its rain between November and March. The rest of the year, the only reliably moist soil in many yards is where the sprinklers and drip lines run, and that is usually the planting bed right against the house. Argentine ants concentrate there. So the dry season puts the largest part of the colony a few inches from your foundation, next to the gaps where plumbing and cable lines enter the stucco.

This is common in newer neighborhoods with young, heavily watered landscaping, like RiverPark, but it happens anywhere there are irrigated beds along the walls. Adjusting sprinklers so they do not soak the foundation, pulling mulch back a few inches from the stucco, and trimming plants away from the walls make a noticeable difference.

What to Do Before Your Ant Treatment

• Leave the ant trails in place if you can. Wipe up food, not the ants.
• Stop using store sprays for a day or two before the visit.
• Note where you see ants and at what time of day.
• Clear the area under the kitchen and bathroom sinks so those spots can be checked.

Ants are the most common reason people call us for residential pest control in Oxnard. Ant trails also bring in the insects that spiders feed on, which ties into our spider control work. If you are seeing winged insects and are not sure whether they are ants or termites, our termite page explains the difference.