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Preventing Ants Is An Ongoing Task

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

People that complain about having ants in their homes usually know that this is an ongoing problem. If you had ants in your home last year, there’s a good chance you’ll have them again this year and you probably know it! A lot of people try little home remedies or old wives’ tales to get rid of these pests; rubbing lemon juice all over your counters and liberally coating surfaces with pine cleaner are some of these options, but unfortunately they won’t work. Not only do some of these DIY ant control attempts not work, they can actually make the problem worse.

To get rid of an ant problem, you need to know a little bit about ant behavior. Ants are a social insect, which means that they live in a colony with many other ants, sometimes numbering in the thousands. There are queen ants that make the babies and worker ants that protect the colony and forage for food. The ants you are seeing in your home are the foragers. If they locate a source of food, they leave pheromones for other foraging ants to follow to let them know that a food source has been found. What can you do to get rid of ants and keep them out? Check out these helpful tips from our Rose exterminators to prevent ant problems in your home.

  • Don’t let ants inside in the first place. Close up possible entry points by caulking cracks in the foundation or sealing up holes around doors and windows. 

  • Eliminate food crumbs and don’t leave food out on counter tops. Ants will eat anything they can find, so if you leave it out you can count on them will finding it!

  • Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink for any length of time and especially not overnight. Sinks aren’t off limits to ants- in fact they thrive in moist environments.

  • Use a dehumidifier in especially damp or moist areas, especially the basement. This can help eliminate the moisture that ants love inside your home.

If you are seeing ants in your home, they could possibly be carpenter ants, pavement ants, sugar ants or other small ants. Although for the most part these ants are just nuisances, they can pose a problem when they begin to infest your home in large numbers. Carpenter ants can be a serious problem, because not only do they forage for food in your home, but they can also burrow into the wood in your home to build their colonies. Once you have eliminated the environments that attract ants, if you are still experiencing an ant problem, it is time to call in the pros. At Rose Pest Solutions, we know the best way to keep ants out of your home is with an annual home pest control program. This program addresses all possible pest pressures that exist in your home so that future pest problems can be avoided. With pest control appointments scheduled throughout the year, seasonal pest problems will become a thing of the past. Contact the professionals at Rose for more information and to schedule your first appointment.

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