Liquid or Granular?

Q: Several different liquid ant baits are beginning to show up on the market. We have been using ant bait stations and granular-type ant baits for some time. I would like to try the new liquid baits, but I am unsure as to whether the liquids and granulars can be used together. Or, should they not be used at the same time for a particular infestation? (J.R.)

A: There is some evidence that foraging worker ants tend to specialize in the types of food they acquire and return to the nest. For example, some worker ants may search out and return only solid food materials to the colony while other workers may specialize in acquiring liquid foods. To exploit this tendency and possibly increase the speed of control, you may want to consider using both liquid ant baits and granular ant baits at the same time. This strategy would probably be best suited for the exterior perimeter of homes and other buildings and not for general use indoors.

However, there is one indoor pest ant that may be susceptible to this combination strategy — the Pharaoh ant. Carefully placed liquid ant bait in small quantities could be used in conjunction with bait stations for addressing indoor Pharaoh ant problems.

Another benefit that may result from this approach would be increased efficiency in redirecting ant activity outdoors. If a customer is experiencing indoor ant problems and these same ants are found around the exterior of a building, then it is likely that you can attract the ants to the exterior liquid bait placements and possibly completely eliminate their activity inside where customers most commonly encounter them. This approach would not only shorten the distance the ants must travel to acquire the baits, but it also eliminates the need for application of the baits indoors.