Ants are the most common household pest in America. When ants invade your home, they can contaminate your food supply with pathogens, damage wooden structures and furniture, and they can make your home feel unclean.
Just like any other pest control problem, ant control requires an understanding of what is attracting the ants to your home. Ants are omnivorous insects that will eat anything left uncovered on the ground or on countertops. They can’t resist sweets and they will gladly eat meat to get their protein fill. So what does it take to protect your home from ant infestations?
Remove any sources of food
Ants always enter the home looking for food. Sometimes, their colonies are outdoors, and sometimes, they’re indoors, but whenever you see ants out in the open, it means that they are out foraging. As such, if you want to keep ants away from your home, you need to make sure that they do not have any access to your food.
Ants are also not picky eaters. They will eat crumbs, slurp up sugary spills, and even pick the food off your dirty dishes. They can also scavenge in the trash, and of course, they will go for any food that is out in the open, or easy to access. This is why you want to keep all your food sealed, and you want to make sure that you keep your home clean. You also want to vacuum or sweep regularly so that there are no crumbs on the ground.
Water sources
With the food taken care of, you want to deny ants access to water. Most ant species will set up colonies in areas with high levels of humidity, so keeping your bathroom and kitchen properly ventilated is an important step to preventing ant infestations. You also want to make sure that there are no leaky pipes in the home, and that your outdoor drainage pipes are in good condition. Carpenter ants in particular will look to infest wood that is located in areas with high humidity.
Removing an existing infestation
Despite your best efforts, ants may still choose to build a nest in your home. At this point, your best bet at getting rid of the infestation is to call over a pest control pro who will remove the entire colony for you. If you have an ant infestation, or if you would like to know more about what the ant control process entails, contact us today.
