Rover Ant Control: How To Get Rid of Rover Ants

This page is a Rover Ant control guide. By using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Rover Ants. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Rover Ants.

One of the most common ant problems that can occur in a home is an infestation by Rover Ants. Unlike other species of ants, Rover Ants can be particularly difficult to control because of their adaptability and resistance to most pesticides.

Rover ants are very small and can range from pale blond to dark brown in color. They look slightly different from other ants in that they have 9 segmented antennae and an uneven thorax.

Rover ants are able to easily enter homes by traveling through pipes, cracks, windows and doors or by climbing over tree branches close to the home. Indoors, they are common in areas that are high in moisture, such as bathrooms or around plumbing and water heaters as well as kitchens.

If your home has become infested with Rover Ants, our DIY guide below can equip you with the professional-grade products and knowledge to eliminate the infestation yourself. Keep reading below to learn the best-recommended products for Rover Ant Control and the best strategy to tackle these nuisances.

Identification

Before proceeding with a treatment program, you need to make absolutely sure you're dealing with Rover Ants. Careless identification can lead to using the wrong products which will be ineffective and cost you time and money. Below are some characteristics of what Rover Ants look like for easy identification.

• Rover ants are very tiny, between 1 to 3 mm in size. They are typically reddish-brown in color with lightly colored mandibles and antennae which are a brownish yellowish color.
• Because of the Rover Ants small size and color which is common with a number of different ant species, the Rover Ant has often been confused for many other ant types such as Little Black Ants.
• Some other distinguishing traits are their large eyes and hair all over their body and antennae which have 9 segments.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed that you are dealing with Rover Ants, you will need to perform an inspection to find out where the Rover Ants are nesting.  During the inspection, you will focus on finding "hotspots" where Rover Ants are active and also try to locate their nest.

Where To Inspect 

Begin your inspection outdoors. Search in your yard especially in rotting wood and in the soil. Inspect logs, rocks, bricks, woodpiles, leaf litter, and general clutter in the yard. Indoors search in crack and crevices and near areas where moisture collects. Inspect, in utility rooms, near bathrooms, near water heaters, kitchens, and attics and basements if leaks develop in these areas.

What To Look For

You're looking for Rover Ants and their foraging trails. Examine closely any Rover Ants that are traveling about and make note of the trails they are on. If you have the time, you can even follow the ant until they head back to their highly concentrated activity areas and possibly their nesting site.

If the trail isn’t made obvious, use a harmless bait like peanut butter and wait for ants to come to it and you will then notice their ant trail. Once you have followed their ant trails and have identified their colonies, nest, or trails, this is where you will apply treatment.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Rover Ant activity it is time to begin treatment. Remember to read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Our top recommendations for Rover Ant Control is conducting an outdoor treatment with Supreme IT Insecticide to create a barrier that will keep Rover Ants out of your home structure. Indoors, use a combination of Ant-Trax Ant Bait and Fipro Foaming Aerosol.

Step 1 - Barrier Treatment with Supreme IT Insecticide

Supreme IT is a powerful insecticide that will target more than 75+ insect pests and that will be perfect to use as barrier treatment on the exterior of the home as it both repels and kills ants and prevents them from coming inside the structure. It also has a residual (or long-term effects) that will last for up to 90 days.

Mix 1 ounce of Supreme IT with a gallon of water inside a pump sprayer. This application rate will treat 1,000 square feet. Treat the perimeter of your home with Supreme by simply spraying 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation of your structure all the way around. While spraying in this manner, also spray window frames, door frames, eaves, soffits, rain gutters, electrical/plumbing penetrations, and cracks and crevices. 

If you're able to find any colonies outdoors do a drench treatment. To do this spray all around the diameter of the opening of the colony. Next, open the cap of your pump sprayer, and apply the finished solution of Supreme IT directly into the colony until it is completely drenched.

Do not let people or pets enter areas treated until 2 to 4 hours have passed.

Step 2 - Indoor Baiting With Ant-Trax Ant Bait

Ant-Trax is an attractive ant bait product that comes in a convenient syringe for easy application. Ants will not be able to resist the formula and will take the bait back to their nest to share with the colony, and eventually, the whole population will be exposed to the poison. 

To use, simply press on the plunger. Apply a pea-sized drop in areas where Rover Ants have been observed. Separate each application by at least one foot. Apply in countertops, in kitchens, and bathrooms, near appliances, near baseboards, and anywhere where Rover Ants have been most prevalent. If you followed the ant trails during the inspection and these lead you to cracks and crevices in the home, apply bait in these areas.

Step 3 - Treat Cracks and Crevices with Fipro Aerosol

Fipro Foaming Aerosol is a foaming insecticide that comes ready-to-use in an aerosol can. It contains the lethal active ingredient Fipronil and is perfect for reaching Rover Ants in the tight spaces and crevices where they may be hiding.

To use, simply inject the tube straw and apply to cracks and crevices where Rover ants have been most prevalent. Apply under sinks (where plumbing penetrates walls), in cracks and crevices in utility rooms, close to water heaters, in window frames, near door frames, and anywhere where you have noticed Rover Ant activity.

Prevention

After treatment has been conducted, your Rover Ant problem should be controlled shortly thereafter but you will need to implement preventative measures to make sure they don't make a return.

• Start by reducing moisture issues around your home or property. Eliminate any standing water, fix leaky faucets, repair leaks, and fix faulty plumbing. This is will go a long way in reducing their water sources, which will force them to move, and look for other areas that provide them with moisture. 
• Maintain a regular cleaning schedule this means vacuuming regularly, sweeping, cleaning countertops, and picking up spills and food crumbs that develop. This will make it harder for Rover Ants to find food sources in your home.
• Finally, remove any yard debris that might be creating harborage areas for Rover ants especially decaying wood. Get rid of woodpiles, logs, rocks, bricks, leaf litter, and general clutter from your yard. 

Key Takeaways

What are Rover Ants?

• Rover Ants are a nuisance species of ant known for creating large colonies and trespassing inside of homes to forage for food.

How to get rid of Rover Ants

• Our suggestion to eliminate Rover Ants is an outdoor perimeter treatment with Supreme IT Insecticide and indoor treatments of Ant-Trax Ant Bait and Fipro Aerosol.

Preventing Rover Ant Reinfestation

• Prevent future infestations of Rover Ants by reducing moisture and limiting leaf litter and yard debris.