What is often necessary for effective ant control?

For effective ant control, killing the queen and her young is often essential because the queen is the primary reproductive individual in an ant colony. Without her, the colony cannot sustain itself and will eventually dwindle in population. The queen produces eggs that develop into the worker ants and new queens, ensuring the colony's survival and growth. Targeting the queen disrupts the colony’s life cycle and ultimately leads to its collapse.

While bait traps are useful for managing ant populations by attracting and poisoning worker ants, they may not be sufficient on their own if the queen remains alive to continue reproduction. Similarly, removing soil around the nest might disturb the ants temporarily but does not address the underlying reproductive issue posed by the queen. Adding more food sources would inadvertently attract more ants, exacerbating the problem rather than solving it. Therefore, focusing on the queen is crucial for long-term control and eradication of the colony.