However, a lot of bait needs to be dispensed and made available to ants over several weeks. It is recommended that baits be placed outside of the structure rather than indoors. Although baits are not orally passed between colony members, it is thought that if baits kill enough workers, the reproductive females and the offspring in the colony will die of starvation. In addition, it is also thought that very slow acting bait toxins may, with time, be expressed in the trophic eggs. Anyone who has tried to deal with an infestation would agree that the white-footed ant is a very difficult species to control.
Effective management requires a lot of time and patience.
While white-footed ants are not directly harmful to humans or pets, their presence within the home is a nuisance. At this time, it appears unlikely that white-footed ants can be completely eliminated from infested structures. However, steps can be taken to minimize their intrusion and future efforts by researchers may lead to better control solutions. A key to control with baits Selected References Deyrup, M. 1991. Florida Entomologist .