There’s a reason ants are so difficult to eliminate. They typically set up their colony quite far away from the area they are spotted. The Missouri Department of Conservation states that this is one of the main problems for property owners. However, there is another reason ants are so difficult to get rid of, even when their colony is located nearby. Ant colonies are run by the queen. She sends out thousands of workers to find food and supplies and bring them back to her. When you kill ants on countertops and other surfaces, you are only killing these workers. You are not killing the queen, and she will simply produce more worker ants.