MURFREESBORO, TN--This summer's heat is enough of a pest!  But what it's doing
to insects may impact you. Ant's are just like us--they need water and with many
areas in the Mid-State still in a drought. the heat and dry weather are driving
ants into desperation mode!

"Ants can follow along electrical wires,
plumbing some places that you really just can't keep them out, I mean if they
want in they are going to find a way in," said Jim Hooten, owner of Hooten Pest
Control. They are working overtime lately keeping up with calls for active ants.
Hooten estimates his business has gone up 30 percent! "Some of our normal
customers that have never had issues with ants are have ants that come into
their house," said Hooten.

Middle Tennessee State University Biology
Professor, Andy Brower says the ants are active so they can survive. "In the dry
times they are really stressed like the tress were, I mean you saw the trees
were dying, all the species of insects are in the same boat because they are
little and they desiccate easily,: said Brower.

The pests become more of
a danger outdoors, especially when we are talking about fire ants. With all of
the dry weather lately they will burrow deeper in the ground  in search of water
and with no visible mound you could unknowingly be walking over thousands, armed
and ready to sting. "They have a way of kind of stinging simultaneously, so one
stings you and that releases an alarm pheromone that tells all the other ants
the nest is threatened and then everybody stings," said Brower.

Pest
control experts say you can try to beat the ant by purchasing ant killer at
local hardware stores. But don't use too much, Hooten says like medicine, just a
little will go a long way. "People have the misconception about pesticides that
using more is better and that's not necessarily the truth," said Hooten. Once
ants find a food or water source they leave a scent, marking the trail for other
ants to move in. Experts say to find that trail and spray it with ant killer.


It's also said that a mixture of vinegar and water or dish washing
detergent and water will help if you spray around the ants trail. If that's not
enough it'll cost you around $60 to 200 bucks to call in the pros.

Middle Tennessee Drought Makes Ants Active