Question
Hello Sir. Me and my mom were in the living room watching TV. I had a plate of nachos, and I put them down. And within a couple minutes, they were swarming on my plate! Weve never had ants like that before. Are they really that fast? Seriously, I freaked out how fast they were inside and all over my nachos. Ive never seen anything like it before. And what can we do besides poison(cause we already did that)to keep them out? Just incase they come back. Thank you.

Answer
Nathan,

The best way to control large ant nests is with baits. Baits are food that ants are attracted to that has been laced with an insecticide. There are many different baits available for ants (see http://www.livingwithbugs.com/ant_bait.html for info about ant baits). Insecticide sprays don't work well and can even make the situation worse. If the nests are very large it is sometimes necessary to treat wall voids (inside walls) or the ceiling with insecticide dusts as well. This is usually done by an exterminator. See http://www.livingwithbugs.com/ant_control.html for additional info about ant control. Ant control with baits takes time and you must ensure that the ants are accepting the bait. Post a follow up if you have questions.

Jack DeAngelis