Ants compensation

[Ann783]

I have guests leaving today after one week stay. On day 3 of their stay they reached out  complaining of ants inside the house and around the pool. I offered to get pest control in but they declined - likely wanting to social distance due to Covid. I told them where to locate ant/insect spray which we keep at the house and to let me know if problem got worse. 

They check out today, but last night sent me a message about possible ant bites - affecting one guest. Clearly, going to inspect and have pest control after they leave. My question is about refund/compensation?

I'm not sure what is fair.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ann783 We once went on holiday as a family with the in-laws. Towards the end of the week we had an embarrassingly large number of wine bottles lined up ready to recycle. On the day before we left ants found these bottles and we had to clear them out.

My point is that it's HIGHLY likely that the guests caused the ants to turn up by spilling something or leaving something to attract them. As such I vote no compensation especially as they turned down your kind offer to deal with their problem.

[Mark116]

@Ann783  I am personally fairly grossed out by ants inside the home.  FYI, as far as ant control, I highly recommend the Terro brand ant bait traps, the ants eat the stuff then go back and infect the rest, so no pesticide residue at all.  We have also used an organic spray that is safe around animals, I wouldn't recommend having stuff like Raid or other toxic sprays available to guests.

I kind of doubt though that anyone was bitten by ants, it would have to be a horror film level infestation for ants to be actually biting people.  I wouldn't offer more than 10%, and maybe wait until the pest company gives you a report.

[Sarah977]

" it would have to be a horror film level infestation for ants to be actually biting people."

Where did you get that erroneous idea? There are so many different types of ants, with quite different habits. Some sting badly, like fire ants, some bite, most do neither. I've gotten plenty of ant bites and stings where I live, because ants are quite prolific in the tropics. If it's the right kind of ant, there doesn't need to be any infestation whatsoever, all it takes is one ant to bite you. 

Of course, that doesn't mean that guests weren't making it up. And so what if they got an ant bite? It's not like they got bitten by a dog or stung b a bunch or wasps or bees. People are such wimps.

@Mark116

[Ann72]

@Ann783  I agree with @Mark116 that no one got bitten - that's ridiculous - and with @Mike-And-Jane0 that the guests caused the problem and you should not offer any refund.  You offered to treat the problem and they refused.  That's memorialized in your messaging and you just need to put your foot down and keep it there.

[Ann72]

PS @Ann783  -  I would not be surprised if they refused pest control because they wanted to hide something like extra guests.

[Ann783]

Thank you  @Ann72 @Mark116 @Mike-And-Jane0  Lots of great advice.  I'm pretty sure someone got bitten by something but maybe a tick or mosquito. I was at the house a few days before the stay began … no ants inside. So something changed. 

[Emilia42]

@Ann783 most of the time insects and pests are caused by someone's own ignorance. I suppose it is necessary that we have to put out reminders of don't leave food out, don't leave the door wide open, etc. I had a long term guest once who insisted that I had carpenter ants who were going to eat apart my whole house in a matter of time. That was months ago and I haven't been able to find a single ant. Apparently there were only attracted to her. 

[Debra300]

@Emilia42,

I do have in my house rules statements about not leaving out open food and beverages, and disposing of food in kitchen compost bin (we even provide biodegradable compost bags), not the garbage bin.  This is because typically food will start to smell and attract pests before a kitchen trash bag is full.  It's easier and more hygienic to empty the small compost bin everyday into our larger outdoor tumble compost bin or even throw away the scraps into the outside trash bin if they don't want to open the compost bin.  I also remind guests about putting away food in my pre-arrival messaging, and again them after check-in.  However, I think I will follow your comment about putting up reminder signs in the space regarding food storage and disposal.

[Emilia42]

@Debra300 I find that guest do respond well to little signs/reminders as long as the space is not one giant post-it note of rules!

[Debra300]

@Emilia42,

Yep, hear you about too many posted rules. The food storage and disposal sign will be the first house rules/house keeping reminder.  I have a few other signs, but they are operational guides for the AC/heater, dishwasher, and laundry machines.

Thanks again for the tip.

[Scott1626]

Incorrect this is a common mistake ants don’t come out of no where or go through doors and a terminix employee if there r ants inside the home they have been there for years before u see one inside carpenter ants being most common live by burrowing in wood (your beams and studs in the walls) they only leave there habitat for 2-6 weeks then go back to hibernation. Also ants inside a home r looking for a water source not food ie pipes inside of walls from condensation or leaks. 

[Brandi105]

I am looking for advice at this point. I am not an owner but a guest, and I believe our condo is owned by a management company rather than owners, regardless, my husband, son and I checked in late yesterday. We unpacked our things and went out for dinner and to walk around. We came back late-ish, my son went to sleep my husband watched TV and I went to the store for breakfast items/coffee, etc. The second I returned I put everything away. I am pretty funny about unknown places and bugs so the majority of the items went in the fridge, even if that's not normally where it's stored. I had 1 donut and left the well closed box of Entenmann's donuts and a bunch of bananas on the counter. This was close to midnight. By 6:30-7:00a.m. my husband got up and ate about half a donut when he said he realized his hand was tingling/burning. He looked down and realized he had ants all over his hand/the donut in his mouth, etc. Of course I took pictures and you can clearly see where the donut sat in the box due to the void of ants. I don't even want to go into the kitchen area, my husband is completely freaked out about the thought of digesting live ants. I have nearly $200 of groceries in the kitchen and even though most are unopened and or in the fridge, I don't think either of us will be able to stomach eating any of it. There are ants everywhere at this point! I want to call and scream and I am honestly not even the complainer type. I understand that especially in condo/apartments settings, roach and ants are commonly found, but seriously! I AM A CLEAN PERSON!!! I even washed all silverware and glasses before I even went to the store! I had seen the can of ant and roach killer under the sink and didn't think too much about it, maybe "hey, it's here incase you see a roach or something"....I would NEVER have expected THIS!!! We are only staying one more night but we WON'T stay here!!! What do I do!? What should I expect?

[Ann72]

@Brandi105  I'm so sorry this is happening to you!

You need to contact the host and say you can't stay the second night and see if Airbnb can re-house you.  You should only have to pay for the night stayed.

[Fred13]

@Brandi105 Ants are an incredibly complex and intelligent creatures. They can find anything with sugar (for example) quickly via sending out scouts as far as 500ft-1000ft away from their colony. Yes, a colony could be 3 neighbors away and a particular host may not have any control over this reality. They have a great sense of smell. Now that you may have gained  some appreciation of their interesting life...

   You are grossed out by the whole scene, and want to leave because staying there is not working for you. Best to work it out with the host to terminate the reservation. Host, as a direct result of this experience, needs to adopt a new anti-ant attitude since they are obviously prevalent in that natural surroundings and  explicitly make it known to future guests that anything that would attract ants can't be left in the open and must be kept in the fridge or a sealed container which the host should now have an ample supply of. 

   Airbnb shouldn't be involved if you two can help it because as is customary with them, they will make an unnecessary big deal about (with the host) and a confrontation of the whole affair.

P.S. I think I have eaten 10,000 ants in my long outdoor life and I am still here able to make this post, so I don't think your husband as much to worry about. LoL