Ants come into Ballarat kitchens once the ground dries out in late spring and keep coming through the summer, when the colonies under the paving, the garden beds and the slab edge head for the kitchen tap and the dog bowl. Black ants and coastal browns are the usual suspects, and the new estates in Alfredton, Lucas and Delacombe with fresh mulch and paving against the slabs get the heaviest trails. In the denser unit and townhouse pockets Argentine ants run as one connected colony across several properties and cannot be dealt with by spraying one trail.
We identify the species first because the baits differ, then place gel and granular baits that the workers carry back to the queens. Outside we treat the slab or subfloor edge, the paving joints, the garden borders and the mulch against the walls. Bigger infestations get a return check after a fortnight. We also point out the simple fixes, like keeping mulch a hand-width off the wall and fixing the dripping outdoor tap, because those are what stop it coming back next summer.