Top Pharoah Ant Extermination Richmond VA

Pharaoh ants are some of the hardest pests to get rid of in Richmond. These tiny, yellow ants almost always live inside buildings. They don't just stay in one spot; they can spread through a whole house or apartment building quickly. At Optimal Termite & Pest Control, we know these aren't just normal ants. If you treat them the wrong way, you can actually make the problem much worse.

Most ants are just annoying, but Pharaoh ants can actually make you sick. They carry bacteria like Salmonella and Staph.

The reason they are so dirty is because of where they hang out. These ants crawl through trash cans, dumpsters, and even sewers to find food. Because they are so small, they can get into almost anything. They move from a piece of rotting trash outside directly onto your kitchen counters or your toothbrush. They track germs from the filthiest spots in town right onto your clean surfaces.

The most important thing to remember is: Do not use store-bought bug spray on these ants. Pharaoh ants have a trick called "budding." If they smell a harsh spray or feel like they are in danger, the colony doesn't die. Instead, it splits up. The ants will scatter in different directions and start four or five new nests in your walls. This is why many people who try to fix the problem themselves end up with even more ants a week later.

In Richmond neighborhoods like The Fan or Church Hill, these ants love old houses. They use the electrical wires and pipes inside your walls like a private highway. They like warm, wet spots, so you will often find them:

• Near hot water pipes and heaters.
• Behind kitchen cabinets.
• Inside wall outlets and appliances.

Since these ants are smart and picky, we use a special plan to stop them:

• No-Smell Treatments: We use professional products that the ants cannot smell or see. They walk right through it and carry it back to the heart of the nest without knowing.
• Sweet Gel Baits: These ants love sugar. We use a special sweet gel that they can't resist. They eat the bait and share it with the rest of the colony and the queens.
• Wall Treatments: We put a special powder inside the gaps in your walls. This stays active for a long time and hits the ants right where they live and travel.

Pharaoh ants are smart, so the goal is to trick them. We don't use any sprays or heavy powders. If these ants feel like they are being attacked, they will just move their nest to a different part of your house and make the problem twice as bad.

Baiting the Walls

These ants spend most of their time inside the empty spaces in your walls. Instead of a spray that might scare them off, we use a special granular bait made just for them. We put this bait into the wall gaps and behind outlets. The ants find it, think it’s food, and carry it back to the heart of the nest.

Using Gel Baits

We may also use a sweet gel bait in combination with the granular baits. Pharaoh ants are very picky, so we use a specific brand that they actually like to eat. They take the bait back to the queens and share it with the rest of the group.

Why This Works

By only using baits, we keep the ants calm. They don't realize they are being treated, so they stay in one place. This is the only way to make sure the queens are knocked out and the ants don't just move to another room. It takes a little longer than a spray, but it’s the only way to make sure they are gone for good.