Ants in Panhandle homes
Ant control for Amarillo-area homes
Ants come inside looking for food and water, and Panhandle weather gives them plenty of reasons to try. Non-wood-boring ants are covered by your Home Protection Plan, with a technician visit about every two months, all year.
Overview
Why ants show up, and where we start
Most ants you see indoors are workers out foraging. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension explains that some species nest indoors while others nest outside and come in only for food or water, and that a colony may move inside when the weather turns abnormally hot and dry or very wet. On the Texas High Plains, summer highs average in the low 90s and most of the year’s precipitation falls between April and September, so both conditions come around often.
Spraying the trail you can see rarely settles it. AgriLife notes that treating ant trails kills only a few foraging workers, does not eliminate the colony, and can sometimes make things worse by splitting one colony into several. Our technicians typically start where ants actually get in: the foundation line, door and window frames, patios and other entry points around the outside of your home.
Ant control is part of your Home Protection Plan, so your home is visited on a regular schedule rather than only after ants have reached the kitchen. The plan covers non-wood-boring ants. Carpenter ants, which nest in wood, are available as a separate add-on.
What is covered
Ant control is part of your Home Protection Plan, with one distinction that matters:
- Non-wood-boring ants: included in your plan
- Carpenter ants: available as an add-on, priced separately
- Interior liquid application: a free add-on to the Home Protection Plan
Not sure which kind of ants you have? Describe what you see when you call (806) 209-4849 or request your quote, and we will tell you how they are covered.
The Home Protection Plan at a glance
One year-round plan covers most of the pests on this site, so you are not booking a separate visit for each problem. Here is how it works.
- Visits about every two months, year-round: six a year, each within about 15 days of its target date
- Covers rats, mice, spiders, wasps, carpenter bees, earwigs, non-wood-boring ants, millipedes and centipedes, American and Palmetto roaches, stink bugs, pill bugs and silverfish
- Add-ons: carpenter ants, voles and exterior fleas and ticks, priced separately, plus interior liquid application at no extra charge
- A 100% warranty: free re-service if covered pests return between visits and, if the same activity is verified to persist after two free re-services, a refund of your last charge and the end of your plan with no cancellation fee
- A 12-, 18- or 24-month initial commitment: 3 business days to cancel after you sign, and an early-termination fee if you end it sooner
- After your commitment ends, your plan continues on the same schedule until you ask us to stop (at least 30 days before your next scheduled service)
Signs you have ants
Ants are easy to spot once you know where to look. These are the signs homeowners tell us about most.
Trails along baseboards, counters and windowsills
Foraging workers of some species leave scent trails so other ants can follow them to food and water. A steady line heading to a sink, a pet bowl or a crumb is a trail, and it usually leads back to the spot where the ants are getting in.
Ants around food and moisture
Sweets, grease, pet food and damp areas under sinks and around dishwashers draw foraging workers. Ants that show up after a long, hot, dry stretch are often looking for water.
Tiny tan ants that go after sweets and grease
Pharaoh ants are very small and light tan to reddish, and they feed on sweets and greasy foods. AgriLife calls them the ant most often seen indoors in Texas, and notes that they nest in wall voids, cracks and potted plants and like warm places close to water.
Lines of ants at the foundation, patio or door frames
Some house-invading ants nest in the soil around foundations and in cracks beside sidewalks and slabs, then forage indoors. Ants entering at the same spot day after day are showing you an entry point.
Winged ants indoors
AgriLife notes that winged ants swarming inside a home usually mean a colony is nesting somewhere inside, while winged ants around porch lights outdoors are usually not a concern. If you are unsure what you are looking at, call (806) 209-4849.
Sawdust-like shavings below a tiny hole
Carpenter ants excavate wood to nest but do not eat it. Small piles of shavings, called frass, beneath a tiny opening in trim, a door or a window frame can point to carpenter ants. They tend to nest where wood is damp or damaged, so a leak worth fixing may be nearby. They are an add-on rather than part of the plan.
How it works
What a typical ant visit looks like
A typical visit starts with the outside of your home. Your technician adjusts the work to your home and what they find.
Inspect the outside
Your technician may walk the property, checking the foundation line, door and window frames and patios for ant activity and for the entry points ants are using.
Treat the perimeter and entry points
Using a backpack or hand sprayer, your technician typically treats around the perimeter of your home and in the cracks and gaps where ants get in.
Add the inside if you want it
If ants are also showing up indoors, ask for interior liquid application. It is a free add-on to the Home Protection Plan.
Repeat about every two months
Visits come around about every two months, year-round, so ants are addressed in the months when you see them and in the months when you do not.
Seasons
When ants are active in the Texas Panhandle
Ants are a year-round possibility in a home, but what you notice changes with the weather. According to the National Weather Service, the average last freeze in Amarillo comes in mid-April and the first freeze around October 20, which leaves a long warm season for outdoor foraging.
The Home Protection Plan runs all year, so visits continue through the cold months. AgriLife notes that indoor treatment can be needed in winter, when outside treatments are less effective. If you see ants inside in winter, ask for interior liquid application.
Season by season
Late winter and spring
Carpenter ants are often first noticed in late winter and early spring, and winged carpenter ants swarm in spring and early summer, according to AgriLife.
Summer heat
Hot, dry stretches push ants toward water and food indoors. Amarillo summer highs average in the low 90s and top 100 degrees about five times in an average year (National Weather Service).
Storm season
About three-quarters of Amarillo’s precipitation falls from April through September (National Weather Service), and very wet weather can also send colonies indoors.
Winter
Ants that nest indoors, such as pharaoh ants, like warm places close to water, so they can stay active all winter. Tell your technician where you see them and ask about interior liquid application.
Ant control questions
Have a question that is not here? Call us and we will answer it.
Call (806) 209-4849Are ants covered by the Home Protection Plan?
Non-wood-boring ants are included. Carpenter ants are available as an add-on, priced separately. If you are not sure which ants you have, call (806) 209-4849 and describe what you are seeing.
Why am I seeing ants in the middle of winter?
Some ant species nest indoors, where warmth and moisture keep them going through winter, and foraging workers are drawn to damp spots near plumbing and appliances. Tell your technician where you see them. Interior liquid application is a free add-on to the Home Protection Plan.
Can I just spray the ants I see?
You can, but it rarely settles the problem. Spraying a trail reaches only the few foraging workers you can see, not the colony, and it can sometimes cause one colony to split into several. Treating the entry points around the outside of the home is where our technicians typically start.
What is the difference between carpenter ants and other ants?
Carpenter ants excavate galleries in wood, usually wood that is damp or damaged, and leave small piles of shavings called frass. They do not eat the wood. Other ants nest in soil, under slabs and in other places. Non-wood-boring ants are part of the plan, and carpenter ants are an add-on.
What happens if ants come back between visits?
Call us at (806) 209-4849. Your plan includes a 100% warranty: if pests covered by your plan return between visits, we re-service your home at no charge. If the same activity is verified to persist after two free re-services, you receive a refund of your last charge and your plan ends with no cancellation fee. Full terms are in your service agreement.
How often will you visit, and is there a commitment?
Visits come about every two months, year-round, six a year, each within about 15 days of its target date. Plans start with a 12-, 18- or 24-month commitment, then continue on the same schedule until you ask us to stop. You have 3 business days after signing to cancel. If you end your agreement before your commitment is complete, an early-termination fee applies and is explained in your service agreement. Request a free quote to see what fits your home.
Service areas
Where we work
We serve Amarillo and nearby communities across the Texas Panhandle. Choose your community to see what is active there through the year.
Talk to us about ants at your home
Request a free quote and we will confirm your plan and schedule your first visit, or call us at (806) 209-4849 and describe what you are seeing.