Ants are useful insects that help decompose organic matter. But once they appear as uninvited guests in your home, they become a menace. Some types of ants, such as carpenter ants, can cause serious damage to your home. So, what should you do when you see ants in the house?
If your first move is to exterminate them using insecticide, you’ll be dealing with the symptom instead of the cause of the problem. Chances are, they’ll be back soon and continue tormenting you. What’s the best remedy?
The secret to ant control is finding out what attracts them to your house. Once you do that, you can get rid of ants for good. Let’s discuss the reasons you keep finding ants in your home.
Ants are always on the move looking for food. If they find a constant food supply in your home, they’ll tag along the whole colony.
So, what do you do? It’s simple. Get rid of the food source.
Instead of dumping food into an open container, seal it in a polythene bag. Moreover, avoid leaving the garbage can open. While some ant species smell food within a few centimeters of reach, others can smell it from 3 to 10 yards. Keeping the food waste in a sealed container ensures the smell doesn’t go out and the ants don’t find a way in.
Assuming your closest neighbor has ants in their house, it’s just a matter of time before you get an ant infestation. Such a situation can make it difficult to prevent ants since you have no control over your neighbor’s actions. The best solution in this setting is to ask if they have an ant problem. If yes, you can come up with a collective effort to deal with them.
Ants need water to survive. During hot summers, you’ll see them taking shade under trees and hiding in the moist mulching.
So, if you have mulching next to your house, you’re providing them with shelter. It’s better to remove the materials together with any wood piles left in the yard. Also, check whether you have any leaking pipes that could be a source of water for the ants.
Spraying insecticides on ants is one way to exterminate them, but that can also contaminate your food supply. On the same note, chemicals only kill the ants you see and don’t destroy the ant colony. So, the ants are likely to return.
Tip: Practice proper food disposal and keep your garbage can clean. Ensure you don’t leave pet food lying in the backyard. Clean the bowl after your pet finishes the food. Remember, if ants keep finding food in your home, they’ll keep returning.
Ants march into your house through small openings found on your windows and doors. Try to block those openings as much as possible. Furthermore, ants can also use any cracks on the concrete when entering your home. So, it’s best to seal them too.
Clean your kitchen counter, and any food spills on the floor to eliminate greasy surfaces that attract ants. You can also use vinegar to clean any surface where you see ants crawling. That will disrupt their trail pheromone, which helps them remember their path to food sources.
If you still have ants in your house after trying some DIY techniques, it’s time to call professionals for help.
Professional ant treatment is the best way to deal with an ant invasion. That’s because they have the right tools and know-how to destroy the entire colony. But after the destruction, you still need to take action to prevent another case of having ants in house.
Looking for professional pest management? McDonald Pest Control can help you. We provide pest control services in Clearwater, Florida. Call our pest control company to exterminate any ant species that have infested your home.
