Ant’s were ranked the #1 nuisance pest in the United States by the National Pest Management Association. Unfortunately, your home smells delicious to these annoying small six legged pests. Ants are a peculiar type of pest that leaves a chemical trail of pheromones behind them. This helps the rest of the colony know where a previous ant has been. The trails they create becomes a path from their home to the food source.
The two main questions we are asked is how do I know when I have an ant infestation? What can I do to take care of it? Thankfully you’ve come to the right place to get answers on how to recognize an ant infestation as well as how to prevent your home from being overrun by an ant colony. We have some tips to recognize the signs of an ant infestation and easy ways to prevent it from becoming a bigger problem.
Ants In Your Food
A clean house is not only relaxing but inviting and helps attract the right guests. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to ants. They appreciate the homes with the un-swept floors and food left out. If they have overrun your food, this is a sure sign of an infestation. An easy way to keep them out is to store all food in airtight containers. This goes for both perishable and non-perishable food. If you store fruit and vegetables on the counter, consider making some space in your fridge to not tempt these easy to please eaters.
“Foodies” They’ll Eat Anything
Ants will eat anything and we mean anything, jelly beans, leftover Chinese food, to your pet’s bowl of food. If you see a trail of ants following each other to your pet's bowl of food, this is another sign you may have an infestation. The best way to solve this is to only set out your animal’s food bowl on the floor during mealtime and put it away when finished eating.
Cracks And Crevices
It doesn’t take much space for an ant to get through. Homes are full of entry points, cracks, and crevices that make it easy for these crawlers to break and enter your home. When there’s a major infestation you may notice stray ants scouting for food. If these little pests are coming from areas in your house such as your bathroom, bedroom, or even trailing through your carpet your infestation is likely to be much bigger. What can you do to prevent this? A little bit of caulk goes a long way in sealing these entry points, cracks, and crevices. Places to check for these are your doors, windows, and other places around the foundation of your home.
There are a lot of factors that play into an infestation and sometimes it takes a bit more action to reduce the number of ants taking residence in your home. As always if the problem is too much to handle and you’re needing a long-term solution this can be solved by a professional pest control professional.
When an ant infestation occurs in your home follow these quick tips to rid your home of an infestation
- Keep up on your current pest treatments. These little guys are able to get into the smallest cracks, seams, or gaps in your home.
- Keep sugary foods in places difficult for ants to access.
- Take out your trash often!
- Four sprays a year make a world of a difference in preventing problems!