Spraying the ants you can see is the most common mistake going. It kills a few hundred foragers out of a colony of thousands and, with some species, splits the nest so you end up with two problems. Ant control works by identifying which ant you actually have and baiting to suit. Black house ants take a sweet gel. Coastal brown ants, the ones throwing sand up between pavers and along driveways, want a protein bait. Argentine ants run supercolonies across several properties at once, which is why one house on a street can never win on its own.
In Geelong the calls spike after the first warm rain in spring, then again in February when it dries off and they come inside hunting water. Kitchens, bathrooms and the area around pet bowls are the usual entry points. We bait the trails, treat the nest where it can be found, and run a band around the perimeter so the next wave stops at the wall. Numbers drop within a day or two and keep dropping across the week as bait moves through the colony. Pulling the bait out early is what causes the bounce-back.
