Species-matched ant treatment for carpenter ants in pine and oak, odorous house ants in kitchens and ants nesting in walls.
Fastest: call (281) 326-6212. Or send this and we call you back.
Ant control in Hawkins starts with the species. Carpenter ants in damp pine or oak need the nest found, kitchen odorous house ants need slow baits, and fire ants in the lawn need a yard plan. Hawkins Pest Control connects you with a licensed local partner who identifies the species, prices the job and treats inside and out.
Most ant calls around Hawkins fall into two groups. Big black or red-and-black ants on the porch after dark, sometimes with shavings under a window, point to carpenter ants. A line of tiny dark ants on the counter that smell sour when crushed points to odorous house ants. Each is handled very differently.
Fire ants are the other half of the local ant story and have their own page. If the trouble is mounds in the lawn, pasture or along the drive, see fire ant control. When fire ants are also trailing indoors, mention it on the call so both are planned for one visit.
Do not drill into walls or pull off trim to chase a carpenter ant nest, and do not spray store products over bait placements. Keep any retail bait or granules away from children and pets, and read the label before using anything near a well or vegetable garden.
Ant pricing depends on the species and how many nests turn up. Carpenter ants cost more because the nest has to be found and treated in wood.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| General ant treatment (inside + outside) | $135–$250 | odorous house ants and other trailing ants |
| Carpenter ant treatment | $175–$400 | nest search plus inside and outside treatment |
| Fire ant yard treatment (typical lot; acreage quoted per acre) | $100–$275 | when yard mounds are the source |
| Quarterly general pest plan (per visit) | $85–$140 | ongoing perimeter coverage after the ants are under control |
Estimates for Wood County homes in 2026. The technician confirms the price after naming the ant and locating the nest, and you approve it before treatment.
Large black or red-and-black ants that hollow out damp or softened wood. They do not eat wood like termites, but long-running colonies weaken sill plates, porch posts and window framing. Treatment targets the parent nest and satellite colonies.
Small dark-brown ants that trail into kitchens and baths, especially after rain or in hot, dry spells. Colonies have many queens and split when sprayed, so shared baits do most of the work.
Red imported fire ants sometimes come in along slab cracks or plumbing gaps. The yard is the source, so the indoor trouble usually ends once nearby mounds are treated.
Acrobat ants, which raise a heart-shaped abdomen when disturbed, also nest in damp wood and get mistaken for carpenter ants. The right name keeps you from paying for the wrong treatment.
Call and talk to a technician, not a call center. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Carpenter ants follow moisture and soft wood, and the pine and oak around Hawkins supply plenty of both. Dead limbs, hollow stumps, old fence posts and storm-damaged trees hold their main colonies. Workers then move into damp porch posts, leaky window frames or fascia, often traveling along limbs and utility lines that touch the house.
Ice storms and high wind leave broken tops and split trunks in East Texas woods, and those wounds soften with rot. A colony in a damaged oak thirty feet from the porch can send foragers into a damp crawlspace or a bathroom wall with an old leak.
Pier-and-beam houses are especially exposed. Sill plates over a humid crawlspace, rotted skirting on older manufactured homes and porch decking close to the soil all give carpenter ants an easy start.
No. Spraying a trail of odorous house ants kills the workers you can see and leaves the queens untouched, and these colonies respond by budding into new nests. Baits work better because workers carry them home and share them. A store spray near a bait station also drives ants away from the bait, slowing everything down.
Give baits time. Activity often rises for a day or two as more workers find the bait, then falls off over the next week. Wipe up spills but leave the trail alone so it keeps leading back to the colony. If ants return every season, a quarterly pest plan keeps the perimeter treated.
Carpenter ant galleries are smooth and clean, almost sanded, and the ants push shavings out of the wood in small piles. Termite galleries are packed with soil and mud, and termites build mud tubes instead of leaving sawdust. Carpenter ants damage wood more slowly, but both point to a moisture problem that needs fixing.
Spring swarmers cause the most mix-ups. Carpenter ant swarmers have a pinched waist, elbowed antennae and front wings longer than the back pair; termite swarmers have a thick waist, straight antennae and four wings of equal length. If you are unsure, bag a few for the technician, or book a termite inspection to rule termites out.
Fire ants need their own plan when the problem is outdoors: mounds in the lawn, pasture, garden or along the drive and fences. That work follows the Texas A&M AgriLife Two-Step Method, a broadcast bait followed by treating problem mounds. Ant control on this page covers ants nesting in, on or entering the house.
Plenty of homes need both at once. A yard in Hawkins can have fire ant mounds over the septic field and odorous house ants in the kitchen in the same week. Mention each when you call so the visit is priced and planned for everything you are seeing.
The technician collects a few ants and checks size, color, waist shape and behavior. That one step decides between baiting, a nest treatment or fire ant work.
Carpenter ants are followed at night along limbs, wires and foundations to a damp void, stump or log. Odorous house ants are tracked to mulch, potted plants or wall voids near plumbing.
You hear what will be treated and how long baits need to work, and you approve the price before anything starts.
Indoors, gel or liquid baits go along active trails. Outdoors, a non-repellent product or granular bait goes on the foundation, entry points and nest sites as the label directs.
The written service report lists moisture problems, roof-touching limbs and wood-to-soil contact that invite carpenter ants back.
Sandy topsoil over clay in southeastern Wood County drains fast on top and stays wet underneath, which suits ants that nest in soil and in moist wood. After heavy spring rain, colonies under patios and slabs often move up and indoors, which is why ant calls jump after a wet week.
Older pier-and-beam homes, manufactured homes and lake cabins around Lake Hawkins tend to have more wood-to-soil contact and hidden moisture than newer slab houses, so carpenter ants settle there first. On wooded lake lots, pine limbs hanging over the roof are a common way in.
Split oak stacked against the siding for a wood stove stays damp and suits carpenter ants. Keep firewood off the ground and several feet from the walls.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Two-Step fire ant treatments for town lots, acreage, barns and well houses around Hawkins and southeastern Wood County.
Yearly termite checks and wood-destroying insect (WDI) reports for buying, selling or refinancing a home near Hawkins.
Quarterly or one-time pest control for Hawkins-area homes, from town lots off US 80 to lake houses and acreage.
Treatment and sealing for carpenter bee holes in cedar, pine, decks, barns and fascia, timed to the spring flight.
Heavy rain floods nests in the sandy topsoil, and the clay underneath keeps the ground soggy for days. Colonies move to drier spots such as wall voids, slab cracks and the space under the dishwasher. Trails usually ease once the soil dries, and baits speed that up.
Often it does when the main nest is found and treated. If a satellite colony hides in a wall, or the moisture problem stays, ants can return. The service report lists repairs, such as a leaking window or rotten sill, that help keep them out.
The technician puts gel baits into cracks, behind appliances and inside tamper-resistant stations that children and pets cannot reach. Product names go on the service report, along with any label precautions.
Not necessarily, but both thrive in wet wood, so it is worth a look. A technician can tell the two apart from the damage and the swarmers, and a termite inspection settles any doubt.
Phones are answered 24/7, and most calls are scheduled the same day when a partner technician is available. Ants are rarely an emergency, so a weekday visit usually avoids any after-hours fee. Call (281) 326-6212 to set a time.