You can have an ant problem all year round in the Bay Area, if you don’t take some precautions. Richard Estrada, owner of ATCO Pest Control, a Diamond Certified company, says the first step is “getting rid of fruit, garbage, sodas and other food items that attract them. They love the same things we do!” Mr. Estrada doesn’t recommend spraying store-bought repellents because that just scatters the ants. What you want to do is apply bait primarily to the areas where the ants originate in order to get things under control.
Inspecting the outside of your home is also a good idea. Mr. Estrada says maybe a bush or tree touching the house is infested with ants. By cutting those limbs back, you’ve shut off the ants’ path into your home. While ants are valuable to the environment, you want to keep them outside by being proactive instead of reactive.