Priority Service – Moisture Ants

Review paperwork, both in your phone and on your service route log at the beginning of your day

and before you travel to the service location. Confirm the service to be performed and pay attention to COW notifications, client’s concerns, or any other special remarks.

1. Park with the flow of traffic on the street. Do not block driveways when possible.

2. Review the Order Instructions and Location Instructions. Review your route log for hand-written notes. Time into the account via PestPac or on paperwork. Make sure to check the history on this account, looking for any signs of an ongoing small ant issue. If the house has a history of issues, then it may be best to speak with an experienced Technician or your manager before proceeding.

3. Grab all necessary equipment needed: Flashlight, boot covers, ant bait box, gloves, and inspection mirror.

4. Ring the doorbell or knock; step back to give personal space.
   1. Greet them, introduce yourself, and identify that you are with Good Earth Pest Company.
   2. Ask where they are seeing the SA. If it is inside, ask if you can enter and see what they are seeing. Some customers prefer us to only inspect the exterior of the structure.
   3. Address their concerns and explain what you are doing. Remember, we are a service company. Always make sure that the client’s needs and expectations are being met.

5. When inside, start in the area where ants have been observed. Speak with the client to gain valuable information:
   1. When did the activity start?
   2. Did they show up in response to a food source?
   3. Has the activity been sporadic, or have they formed foraging trails?
   4. Has the client applied any material or cleaner? Watch to see if they seem affected.
   5. Has there been an issue with moisture in the past (flooding, pipe leaks, roof leaks, etc.)

6. Get a positive id for moisture ants. If this requires getting a sample and bringing it back to the office that is fine. Be sure to get samples of all castes available. (workers, winged females, winged males)

7. Look for signs of leaks, soil wood contact, sill plates drawing moisture from a below grade concrete slab.

Example Situation: The client has winged ants coming from a closet that also houses the water heater. There are large and small winged ants as well as small worker ants active around the water heater.

8. Inspect the interior of the closet looking for obvious moisture, rot or even moisture ant carton nest. If the water heater is obviously leaking advise a fix and replacement that also includes removal and replacement of the rotten wood and the drying out of the area.

9. If for some reason moisture abatement isn’t an option and there are ants actively trailing, a non-repellant residual can be applied to the baseboards. MA workers will also respond well to bait so include that in your treatment to increase traffic over your residual treatment.

10. If there is a wall void or other inaccessible area that you suspect the MA are nesting in a duct can be applied to that void, ideally a non-repellant like alpine d or a dust bait like microflow.

11. Note: MA have been known to swarm or trail from a subterranean nest in the soil under the home. Keep this in mind when performing your inspection, and consider it before recommending any destructive control measures.

12. Return to your vehicle when done and secure all equipment and make sure it’s safe to travel.

13. Reconvene with the client and report all your findings, including the measures you took to address them. Also, make sure to set expectations for the improvement in activity that they can anticipate. Any chemical treatment for moisture ants is a band-aid at best and true control can only be achieved by addressing the source. If the client is not home and you need to communicate with them, please call or send them a text. Make sure to leave a door hanger so the client can confirm that you were onsite.

14. Enter all required information on material applied into PestPac Mobile. Also enter notes on the service provided today as well as any client concerns, observations you made, or necessary environmental changes (see PS.102 Entering material information and notes into PestPac Mobile). Your service record should tell a complete story of what you observed and accomplished while onsite. Remember: Clients have access to your notes so they should always be professional and appropriate.

15. Check off the account on your service route log.