Ant Exterminator in Georgetown, TX

Which ants invade Georgetown homes

Ant	What it looks like	Where you find it	Stings or bites?
Red imported fire ant	Reddish-brown, mixed sizes in one colony	Domed mounds in sunny lawns, along sidewalks, in AC units	Painful sting that forms a white pustule
Tawny crazy ant	Small, reddish-brown, very fast and erratic	Huge numbers under debris, in walls, in electrical boxes; no mound	Bites but does not sting
Carpenter ant	Large, black or red-and-black	Damp or damaged wood, sawdust-like piles	Can bite; no sting
Odorous house ant (“sugar ant”)	Tiny, dark brown; smells like rotten coconut when crushed	Kitchen counters, bathrooms, along baseboards	No
Pharaoh ant	Very small, pale yellow	Kitchens and bathrooms, inside walls	No

Fire ant control in your yard

Red imported fire ants arrived in Texas decades ago and now cover most of the eastern two-thirds of the state, Georgetown included. They thrive in exactly the conditions this city creates: open, sunny lawns, disturbed soil and irrigation.

Why mounds appear after rain

Fire ant colonies live mostly underground. When soil is saturated, the colony moves its workers, queen and brood upward, building fresh mounds within a day or two. That is why yards look worst after the May and October rains, which are Georgetown’s wettest months, and why treating a dry, flat yard in August can seem pointless. The colony is still there, just deeper.

New sod and clay soil

New sod in places like Wolf Ranch and Riverstone often comes with fire ants, or attracts them quickly, and east-side clay holds moisture that colonies like. Expect mounds along sidewalks, the edge of the slab and around AC pads.

The two-step method

Texas A&M AgriLife’s fire ant program recommends a two-step approach. First, broadcast a fire ant bait across the whole yard when ants are foraging, so workers carry it back to many colonies at once. Then treat individual mounds that cause trouble near play areas, walkways or doors. Treating only the mounds you can see tends to make colonies relocate a few feet away.

Tawny crazy ants: the ant that ignores store-bought bait

Tawny crazy ants, Nylanderia fulva, have been confirmed in Williamson County by the Texas Invasive Species Institute. They behave nothing like fire ants:

• They do not build mounds. They nest under rocks, mulch, landscape timbers, potted plants and anything lying on the ground
• They move in fast, jerky, random paths rather than neat trails
• Populations can reach millions, pouring over patios, walls and the inside of the house in warm months
• They pack into electrical boxes, AC units and pool equipment, where they can short out switches and contacts
• Most fire ant baits do not interest them

Control relies on removing harborage around the house, treating the perimeter and nesting areas with products labeled for crazy ants, and repeat service through the warm season. Our blog post on fire ants vs. tawny crazy ants explains how to tell them apart at a glance.

Ants inside the house and kitchen

Most indoor ants are following food or water. Sugar ants in the kitchen, pharaoh ants in a bathroom or fire ants coming up through a slab crack all have a source and a route.

Spraying a trail of ants with a household spray usually backfires. It kills the workers you can see and can cause some species, especially pharaoh ants, to split into several new colonies. Slow-acting baits placed along the trail, plus finding and sealing the entry point, work better.

Carpenter ants vs. termites

Carpenter ants do not eat wood. They hollow it out to nest, usually in wood that is already damp or soft, such as rotting window trim, deck boards or a leaky roof edge. You will often see coarse, sawdust-like debris, called frass, under the damaged spot, sometimes mixed with insect parts.

Termites, by contrast, leave no sawdust and pack their tunnels with mud. If you find damaged wood and are unsure which one it is, see the termite control page.

Why store-bought bait often fails

• The bait is not attractive to the ant species you have, which is common with crazy ants
• Baits are placed next to a spray, and the spray contaminates the bait so ants avoid it
• Only visible mounds are treated, so colonies move instead of dying
• Baits were broadcast on a hot afternoon when ants were not foraging, or on wet grass
• The real colony is in a wall or under the slab, out of reach

How an ant exterminator Georgetown TX homeowners call works

Ant seasons in Georgetown

Months	Which ants are most active	What to expect
March – May	Fire ants, sugar ants, carpenter ant swarmers	Mounds return after spring rain; winged ants indoors
June – August	Tawny crazy ants, fire ants, ants seeking water indoors	Crazy ant numbers peak; ants in AC units and electrical boxes
September – October	Fire ants	A second flush of mounds after the October rains
November – February	Indoor sugar and pharaoh ants	Outdoor activity drops; indoor colonies keep going

Ant prevention checklist

• Broadcast fire ant bait across the lawn in spring and early fall, following the label
• Keep mulch and soil below the top of the slab and pull debris away from the house
• Remove boards, stones and clutter where crazy ants nest
• Fix leaks and rotting wood that invite carpenter ants
• Wipe counters, store sweets and pet food sealed, and empty kitchen trash nightly
• Seal gaps where ants enter around windows, pipes and baseboards
• Check the AC disconnect and outdoor electrical boxes each summer

Ant FAQs for Georgetown residents

Why do ants come back after treatment?

Usually because the colony survived. Sprays that kill only the visible ants, baits the species ignores, or colonies nesting in walls or under the slab all lead to a return. In Georgetown, new colonies also move in from neighboring yards and open land, so lawns need treatment more than once a year.

Are fire ants dangerous to kids and pets?

Stings are painful and leave itchy pustules. Some people are allergic, and many stings at once can be serious for small children and pets. Anyone with swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing or dizziness after stings needs medical care right away.

Why are there ants in my AC unit?

Fire ants and crazy ants are drawn to electrical fields and the warmth inside AC units and outdoor boxes. Their bodies can bridge contacts and cause failures. Have an exterminator treat around the unit, and a technician clear the ants from inside it.

Do crazy ants sting?

No. Tawny crazy ants bite, but they do not sting the way fire ants do. Their problem is sheer numbers and damage to electrical equipment.

Do flying ants mean I have termites?

Not necessarily. Many ants, including fire ants and carpenter ants, produce winged swarmers. Check the waist, antennae and wings using our flying ants vs. termites post.

What is the hardest ant to get rid of in Georgetown?

The tawny crazy ant. It ignores most baits, nests in scattered spots instead of one mound and returns in huge numbers each summer. It needs a planned, repeated approach.

Related pests and reading

Sources: Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project · Texas Invasive Species Institute, tawny crazy ant · Back to the Georgetown exterminator homepage