Ant Control in Clarksville, TN

The right treatment depends on which ant you have, so identification comes first. Ask for a free inspection and a written price before any treatment.

The four ants you are most likely to see

In a 2012 survey at a pest management meeting in east Tennessee, reported by UT Extension, odorous house ants ranked first among pest ants. Imported fire ants came second, then pavement ants and carpenter ants.

Odorous house ants

Small and black, about 1/8 inch long. UT says the easiest test is to crush one: it smells like rotten coconut, or like banana mixed with pine. They nest under mulch and stones or patios outside. Indoors they nest in wall voids near pipes and heaters. UT reports they forage from March through November and often move indoors during heavy rain. Colonies have many queens and split into new colonies, which is why they keep coming back.

Carpenter ants

The big ones. UT says about 11 species live in Tennessee, with workers from 1/8 to 1/2 inch long. The black carpenter ant is the one most often found in homes. They do not eat wood. They hollow it out to nest, usually in wood softened by moisture around sinks and tubs or near roof leaks. The tell is a pile of coarse, sawdust-like shavings, often mixed with dead insect parts. University of Kentucky Extension says carpenter ant damage is usually less serious than termite damage. How bad it is can only be judged by finding the nest.

Pavement ants

About 1/8 inch, brown to black, nesting under slabs and driveways. UT notes fine parallel grooves on the head and thorax, visible with a magnifier. University of Kentucky Extension says pavement ants often leave small piles of displaced soil along slab edges, and that most baits control them readily.

Imported fire ants

Covered in its own section below, because the answer is different.

A close-up photo of one ant, from the top and the side, is usually enough to tell these apart.

Why spraying the trail does not work

University of Kentucky entomologist Michael Potter's ant guide says the most common mistake is spraying only the ants you see. The foragers on the counter are a small part of the colony, and the queens stay hidden in the nest. Killing foragers leaves the colony intact.

Baits work the other way. Foragers carry the slow-acting bait back and feed it to the queens. The guide's tips:

• Put bait right beside the trail, where ants are already walking.
• Do not spray insecticide or cleaners near the bait. Expect more ants at first, because that means they are feeding. Activity usually drops within a few days.
• If ants ignore one bait, try another. Their food preferences change during the year.
• For odorous house ants, try sweet, syrupy gel baits.
• Seal gaps at door thresholds and around pipes, and trim back shrubs touching the house.

The same guide says spraying or spreading granules over the whole yard is not recommended for an indoor ant problem and will seldom solve one. I agree. For a few ants in spring, try baits for a week or two before you call anyone.

Carpenter ants: find the nest

Potter's carpenter ant guide is blunt: the approach that should not be used is spraying every month where the ants are seen. The problem continues if nobody looks for the nest.

Carpenter ants often have a parent colony outdoors, in a stump or a woodpile, plus satellite nests inside the house. UT says flying carpenter ants indoors do not always mean the parent colony is inside. Mating flights of the black carpenter ant usually run from May to July. A good technician traces trails, often at night when the ants are most active, and probes wood near leaks for hollow galleries. Treatment then goes into the nest areas, usually with a perimeter treatment outside.

Fix the moisture or they come back. The University of Kentucky's prevention list:

• Repair roof and plumbing leaks.
• Pull soil and mulch back from wood siding.
• Cut back limbs touching the roof.
• Stack firewood off the ground and away from the house, and never store it in the garage.

Winged ants inside in spring can also be mistaken for termites. Our termite swarm season guide shows how to tell them apart. If you are selling, note that the NPMA-33 termite report used for home sales covers carpenter ants too.

Fire ants in Montgomery County

Imported fire ants are established here. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture's 2026 list of counties under the imported fire ant quarantine (effective January 1, 2024) names 87 counties, including:

• Montgomery County (Clarksville)
• Robertson County (Springfield)
• Cheatham County (Ashland City and Pleasant View)
• Stewart County (Dover)
• Dickson and Houston counties

The quarantine mainly governs commercial movement of things like nursery plants and sod out of quarantined areas. For a homeowner it is a confirmation that fire ants are here, not a rule you have to act on.

On the Kentucky side, the University of Kentucky's fire ant fact sheet describes isolated finds around Land Between the Lakes since 2000 that were managed and eradicated. It also covers new infestations found in 2022 in three southeastern Kentucky counties, far from Hopkinsville. It says quarantines could follow as fire ants spread.

How to recognize them

UT's fire ant program says undisturbed mounds are often dome-shaped with no central opening on top. Disturb one and hundreds of workers pour out and climb anything vertical. Workers are dark, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long and mixed sizes in the same mound. UT Extension says most people get a whitish pustule at the sting site after a day or two. Stings can cause anaphylaxis in people who are allergic.

The two-step method

UT Extension's recommendation for lawns, from a June 25, 2025 release:

1. Broadcast a fire ant bait over the whole yard once in spring and again in fall, with a hand-held spreader. Used by the label, this can suppress mounds by up to 90%.
2. If colonies are still active 7 to 10 days later, treat those mounds one at a time. Sprinkle bait 1 to 3 feet around the mound, or use a liquid drench on the mound.

Timing matters. Apply bait while ants are foraging. To check, set out a small piece of oily potato chip and see whether fire ants find it within 30 minutes. UT says foraging slows below 65F and above 90F, so in summer, put bait out in the late afternoon. Clarksville averages 44 days a year at 90F or hotter, almost all of them June to August. Apply bait to dry grass when no rain is expected, and replace bait that is more than two years old or was not sealed airtight.

UT advises against gasoline. Boiling water kills a mound only about 60% of the time and often misses the queen. I would not bother with either.

For a yard full of mounds, or a mound by a play area, a professional bait program is reasonable value.

When to call a pro, and what it costs

I would call when baits have not worked after a couple of weeks, or when you see carpenter ants indoors, especially winged ones. Fire ant mounds where kids or pets play are another good reason. Potter notes pest control firms have more insecticides and more equipment than the public.

This Old House (updated March 12, 2026) puts ant control at $100 to $500 on average. That is a published national figure, not our quote. For a single colony, I would expect one visit plus a follow-up. A recurring plan makes more sense when odorous house ants keep coming back from outside. Our one-time vs quarterly guide covers that choice, and our general pest control page explains what a visit should include. Renters should read the Tennessee renters guide first.

We only refer companies chartered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (and licensed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture for Kentucky addresses).