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Yesterday, I talked with Dovid David, the Director of A # 1 Pest Control, of Baltimore. I asked Dovid, what he recommends for getting rid of pesty ants. Dovid started out by lamenting the fact that in America most of the really strong pesticides are banned. In other countries, he said, where they still use the good old stuff, they don't have as many problems with bugs.

But, in any case, he said, ants are easy to get rid of. You have three choices, sprays, gels, or powders. If you are spraying, or when Dovid does a treatment, its important to spray around the baseboards. There are all purpose sprays which can be used in cabinets as well. However, if you have ants in your drawers, or areas where yo store food, then you should uses a gel.

If you have a long term ant problem, Dovid recommends you go out and invest in a plastic pump sprayer. You can get one for 15 dollars, buy concentrated spray, and spray once every couple of months. The pesticides, which Dovid recommends are Combat and Max force. Actually, Dovid added, they are the same thing. The inventor forgot to patent the spray and some one else got hold of it.

What doesn't work, Dovid made a point of noting, are the things you plug into the wall socket, which supposedly kill the bugs by emitted electrical waves. They don't do a thing.

Dovid reminded me that there are two basic types of ants that invade the house, those that go for honey and those that go for salty foods. You can test which type you have by putting out a little honey and seeing if the ants go for it. The type of ant you have is important to known, because most of the gels are a combination of boric acid and a sugar. The sweet loving ants will eat the gel and die, but the salt loving ants won't eat it, and won't be affected by it.

The gels and powders are slow working, and the sprays are quick. One good thing, ants are susceptible to general all purpose pest control, so while you're killing the ants, you will be killing all other crawling bus infesting your house, such as roaches, spiders and crickets.

Dovid explained to me how the spray works. The poison is water based, and as soon as it hits the floor the water begins to evaporate leaving the poison stuck to the floor. When the bugs crawl through the poison, it adheres to their body. The bugs, as it turns out lick themselves clean much like cats do. Only now, they will get a mouthful of the poison and die. And this is why general all purpose bug spray does not work on flying insects. The treatments are really effective, Dovid emphasized. When he is called to a house, he sprays once inside and outside, and that usually gets rid of the pests.

Thanks for reading this report, and have a pest free day!