How to spot them
A thin, steady line of small dark ants along the counter, the baseboards, or the garage floor — usually Argentine ants, the Central Valley's most common invader. Outside, look for trails along foundations, sprinkler lines, and expansion joints in the driveway.
Why they show up in the Central Valley
Argentine ants thrive in our irrigated yards and hot, dry summers. When triple-digit heat bakes the soil or winter rains flood their nests, entire colonies move toward the nearest water source — your kitchen, bathroom, or pet bowl. Homes near orchards and canals see the heaviest pressure.
What you can do right now
Wipe up the trail with soapy water to erase the scent line, seal the food they found, and fix drips. Skip the over-the-counter spray: it kills the visible ants but splits the colony into satellite nests, often making it worse. Bait stations help but rarely reach the whole colony.
How Cornerstone handles it
We treat the trails, the nest sites, and a full perimeter barrier at the slab line, so the colony — not just the scouts — loses interest in your house. Ants are covered on every visit of every recurring plan, and if they return between visits, so do we, free.
Seeing Ants? Get a free quote.
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