Stopping Ants on the Homefront

When it comes to our homes, that last thing any of us want is uninvited guests, especially when those uninvited guests are 1 inch tall and have 6 legs. Ants, while not much of a threat when kept outside, once inside, can become a severe health hazard, contaminating food with diseases such as E. Coli and salmonella. In order to keep yourself and your family safe, practice some preventative measures to ensure ants to set up camp in your home!

Know The Enemy: Ants

I know what you are thinking: “There are easily a thousand different kinds of ants. How am I supposed to narrow that down to one kind of ant?”. I understand your worry, and I am here to inform you that not all is lost! While there are thousands of different species of ants, there are about 3 that are most likely to set up camp in your home:

Carpenter Ants: These ants specifically pose a threat to the structural foundation of your home and should be taken care of as soon as possible.
Odorous House Ants: While not causing structural damage, due to their large numbers and multiple nests and queens, these ants can become quite challenging to get rid of.
Pavement Ants: Must like the House Ants, Pavement Ants also have multiple homes and queens and can be hard to deal with.

Finding out what you are up against is half the battle and significantly assists in making sure you are using the correct bait.

Regular Maintenance Prevents Ants

One of the best preventative measures when dealing with any pest is sealing up cracks, holes, and openings on the house. Ants, especially with their small size, can squeeze into just about any size crack or hole that leads into your house. Ensure that your home’s screens are free of holes and tears, that any cracks and holes in the mortar or brick is sealed and patched, and that door sweeps are in good condition.

Equally important is that food is stored properly throughout the house, especially in the kitchen. Making sure that the dishes are clean, or, at least, have no food on them while in the sink is a must. Never leave food exposed on the countertop and makes to clean spills as quickly as possible, especially if they are soda or juice.

Baits and Traps and A Few Home Remedies

While it can be tempting to immediately kill the ant you have found inside your house, when it comes down to it, this method of extermination is not going to solve the underlying issue. You must seek to solve the problem at its source, the nest. If you can destroy the nest, you will rid yourself of your ant infestation as well!

Finding the nest can prove difficult, however. Therefore, we shall sabotage the nest, using their own to plant the seeds of destruction! Bait traps are great because they allow the ants to carry the bait back to the nest to share with the entire colony.

Although, if pesticides are not to your liking, there are a few home remedies that have proved useful that we also recommend trying.

Chalk – It may sound silly, but due to its composition of calcium carbonate, chalk is great at repelling ants. Drawing a ling around home entry points and sprinkling some in the garden will keep these pests at bay.
Lemon – Lemon juice has proven to be quite resourceful when it comes to dealing with ants. A few sprays of lemon juice around entry points of your house will help keep ants away
Oranges – if you locate an anthill a little too close to home, consider using oranges to take care of your issue. With a few orange peels and some warm water, use a blender to mix the solution together, and then pour this solution down and onto the anthill to relay the message to the ants that they are not welcome.

Calling for Backup

When all else fails, consider calling in the professions. At Accurate Pest Control we can guarantee that we will handle your ant infestation professionally and safely, using methods that have been proven safe for all members of your family (children and pets included). An ant infestation is nothing to be ashamed of and is something that can become much worse if left unattended. It is important to make sure that the situation is handled and that your home is protected. You can count on Accurate Pest Control to handle the situation! If you want to figure out more about Accurate Pest Control, visit our About Us page!