Yellow ants captured in commercial facility glueboard - Ant control services in Saddlebrook, NJ
Challenge
On a weekly basis, I service a commercial customer in Saddlebrook, New Jersey that owns and leases commercial space in two office buildings. The facilities management company that oversees the maintenance of these buildings commenced a “green” initiative with the objective of reducing the overall environmental impact of these buildings. Cowleys was asked to help with this initiative by instituting a green pest management program. The foundation of any green pest control program is an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan. IPM is best described as an environmentally friendly approach to controlling pests that focuses on effective, prevention-based pest control. Pesticides are only used as needed. In contrast, with traditional pest control, pesticides are routinely applied. IPM is the EPA’s “gold standard” of pest control. Here in New Jersey, IPM is actually the law when it comes to pest control in schools.
An effective IPM plan cuts back on pesticide use significantly, often by more than 90%. The IPM approach, which goes beyond getting rid of current pest populations, focuses on preventative measures. We find and eliminate those environmental factors that allow pests to reproduce and thrive, using environmentally friendly pest control methods. These methods may include the use of barriers and traps, a preference for low toxicity baits that stay localized instead of airborne dusts or sprays, and chemicals that specifically target insects, but are completely safe for humans and animals such as Insect Growth Regulators, which inhibit the life-cycle of an insect, and boric acid. If pesticides need to be used, they are applied judiciously to select targeted areas so the quantity put down is minimized. Whenever possible, we use those applications that are considered safer and more environmentally friendly. If this more conservative approach is unsuccessful in controlling the pest populations, we notify management for their consent and approval before implementing stronger measures.
During a routine inspection of one of the buildings, I checked a glue board that I had set up on a previous service call. It was loaded with citronella ants. (See pictures.) These yellow ants get their name from the citronella odor that they emit when threatened or crushed. Because the board had so many ants captured on it, I knew that there was a large subterranean colony nearby. Zone monitors and glue boards are important monitoring devices that provide me with notice of an ongoing ant infestations. They are my eyes when I am not there. In a blow-up picture, you can see a winged ant. Winged ants are often confused with swarming termites. There are some easy ways to tell the difference between the two. Swarming termites have straight antennae, equal wing length and a straight waist. Winged ant have bent antennae, unequal length wings, and a pinched waist.
Solution
Since Cowleys was using IPM protocols to control insect populations for this customer, we limited ourselves to a list of environmentally safe pest control products that had already been approved by the management company. For these ants, I used a granular ant gel bait containing orthoboric (boric) acid as the active ingredient. Boric acid, which is completely non-toxic to people and animals, is one of the oldest inorganic compounds that has been used to treat a variety of nuisance insects like ants. This mineral kills insects by attacking their nervous system. It also works as a drying agent to their exoskeleton. Boric acid has proven to be so safe that it can be used in household kitchens. We even install insulation that has been treated with boric acid, acting as a pest control barrier for your home! I especially like this product because the ants carry the bait back to the colony, killing the queen. With the queen dead, the entire colony is soon eliminated. Killing a few foraging ants will not stop the infestation. To successfully resolve an ant or other insect infestation, you must kill the colony.
