The basalt clay under Caroline Springs cracks hard in summer and the ant colonies head for moisture, which means the kitchen tap, the dishwasher and the dog bowl. Twenty years of mulch and paving built up against the slabs has given black ants and coastal browns ideal nesting ground, and in the denser townhouse pockets Argentine ants run as one connected colony across several properties and cannot be dealt with by spraying one trail.
We identify the species first because the baits differ, then place gel and granular baits that the workers carry back to the queens. Outside we treat the slab edge, the paving joints, the garden borders and the mulch against the walls. Bigger infestations get a return check after a fortnight. We also show you the simple fixes, like keeping mulch a hand-width off the slab and fixing the dripping outdoor tap, because those are what stop it coming back next summer.