Carpenter, pavement, pharaoh and more — targeted control for every ant species in southern Wisconsin.
Ants may be small, but a steady trail of them through your kitchen, bathroom or pantry is a problem that rarely fixes itself. Strib Pest Control uses eco-conscious methods to eliminate ant colonies at the source — not just the workers you can see. We specialize in the ant species native to southern Wisconsin, and every job starts with a thorough inspection by a local technician, not a salesperson.
In the Madison area, ant pressure spikes twice a year: pavement and odorous house ants surge in early summer, and carpenter ants become active in spring — often the first sign that damp or damaged wood is hiding somewhere in the structure. We identify the species, locate the nest and build a treatment plan around it.
Correct species identification drives everything in ant control — the bait and technique that wipes out one species can scatter another. Species we treat most often in Dane County:
Not sure which one you have? Our pest identification guide can help you narrow it down.
Most ants are a sanitation problem: they trail across counters, contaminate exposed food and multiply quickly once a scout finds a reliable food source. Carpenter ants are a different story — they tunnel through structural wood, and an established colony can quietly compromise window frames, sill plates and porch framing.
Timing is a useful clue. If you see carpenter ants indoors in late winter or early spring, before the ground has thawed, the nest is almost certainly inside your walls. Sightings in summer more often mean an outdoor colony foraging inside for food.
Our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach starts with an inspection to confirm the species and trace trails back to the colony. From there we use non-repellent products and targeted baits that workers carry back to the queen — the only way to eliminate a colony rather than relocate it. For carpenter ants we also identify the moisture condition that attracted them, so the problem doesn't come right back.
Every treatment is documented in a detailed digital report, and we'll never push you into a 12-month program you don't need. If ants return between services, so do we — that's the Strib guarantee.
Store-bought repellent sprays kill the workers you see but never reach the queen. Worse, some species like pharaoh ants respond to sprays by splitting into multiple colonies. Professional non-repellent baits are carried back to the nest and eliminate the colony itself.
Not necessarily, but they are a strong signal of a moisture problem somewhere — a leaky window, damp sill plate or wet porch framing. We locate the nest and point out the conditions that attracted it so you can correct them.
Yes. We use targeted, low-impact baits and non-repellent products applied precisely where ants travel, not broadcast over your living space. Your technician will walk you through everything applied and any simple precautions.
Ant & Carpenter Ant control is available across our entire service area at the same pricing and the same response times. That covers Madison and all of Dane County, the I‑94 corridor between Madison and Milwaukee, the full Milwaukee metro — West Allis, Wauwatosa, Franklin, Oak Creek, New Berlin, Muskego and Menomonee Falls — plus Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, Caledonia, Union Grove and the Janesville–Beloit corridor. No city on this list is an outlying area and none carries a travel fee. Call (773) 263-0887 for ant & carpenter ant extermination in your city.
Fast, honest, guaranteed pest control from Madison to Milwaukee and across southeast Wisconsin.
