"In past years there was really only one option and that was to use bait. If this was not applied correctly and if neighbours did not treat at the same time then control was not of the expected levels for the price paid for the product," the company says.

 Its X-IT Ant programme relies on the use of at least two possibly three different products to achieve ant control.

 To get the best result, sprayers must have no spray residue from the previous use of insecticides. A new sprayer, used only for the product, is preferable.

 X-It Ant works by being non-repellent to ants so that when they walk over the dried spray residue they pick up the insecticide on

their feet and take it back to the nest where the ants preen each other and thereby pass the insecticide onto other ants including the queen.

 Ant colony control is achieved once the queens are dead.

 Successful treatment entails a full inspection of the property including sleepers, trees, curbs and channeling, drive ways, paths, gardens, compost heaps, all fences, plus pergolas and plants growing on them.

 Fire wood piles, down pipes, rubbish bins, barbecues, outdoor furniture, pot plants, vehicles, decks and any trees over hanging the boundary are also prime sites for ants.

 The best time to look for ants is in the heat of the day when they are most active, Key says.

 X-It Ant liquid comes in a 225 ml pack and is only for outdoor application. Users should spray all ant trails, path edges, drive way

edges, fences and other areas where ants are found.

 Tree trunks require a minimum one metre band up and around them. Bushes and plants that touch the house need to be pruned so that they no longer do so, and the same minimum one metre band application is recommended.

 BiForce Granules, in a 500 g shaker pack, can be applied in gardens, long grass, compost, and any areas where X It Ant cannot

be applied successfully, while Dust 2 Dust, which comes in a 100 g puffer pack, is recommended for killing ants in wall and ceiling cavities, cracks and crevices, under inaccessible decking, under cupboards and into retaining walls.