As soon as you notice ants digging up dirt around your
Ants can cause just as much damage to homes as termites. Carpenter ants are known for causing significant structural damage and tunnel through wood structures over time.
When ants sense danger, they want to investigate the cause of death before carrying the dead ant away to the midden. Thus, it is not good to kills ants in your house because it will just make more of them come.
You're Leaving Out Food. Why it's bad: Just like any other living species, ants need food and water to survive. They are often looking for easy food sources, which is why infestations are extremely common in kitchens and places where leftover food resides.
Unfortunately, it's very unlikely that ants will go away on their own. If ants have already established themselves in your home, it's because they find certain conditions favorable. If you've tried cleaning and sealing off food and you're still not seeing an improvement, you might need professional help.
You can scatter fresh mint around your home (especially focus on any entry points) or place a few drops of peppermint essential oil on some cotton wool and wipe the areas you know ants tend to pass. Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water and spray around windows, doorways and any other areas you notice ants.
It takes vigilance and a combination of treatments using both home and perimeter insect control, but an ant problem can typically be resolved within a week or two. Follow-up prevention is key to ensure that they do not return.
If the ant hills are found near the building or against walls, it is a cause for concern. If you notice ants both inside and outside, you should contact a professional to take care of the situation. Contact Preventive Pest Control Today!
Peppermint is a natural insect repellant. You can plant mint around your home or use the essential oil of peppermint as a natural remedy for control of ants. Ants hate the smell, and your home will smell minty fresh! Plant mint around entryways and the perimeter of your home.
It is advised not to squash ants, doing so will only release pheromones and trigger more ants to come to the location and cause more trouble to you and your family. Ants are known to pack a deadly bite that causes excruciating pain for a short time.
The biggest concern with ant infestations within your home is the potential for disease. Ants are constantly moving back and forth, indoors and back out, picking up germs along the way. This means that bacteria living on the ground or in your pipes can surface and spread if ants cross your food.
Ants are attracted to any type of food source, so if your kitchen tops are dirty or there's ready available fruit, sweets or crumbs – they will find their way to it. Ant colonies can consist of thousands or millions of tiny ants, which is why they seem to be everywhere, once you've found your first ant.
Flour. Wondering how to get rid of ants without dangerous pesticides? Sprinkle a line of flour along the backs of pantry shelves and wherever you see ants entering the house. Repelled by the flour, ants won't cross over the line. This is the best way to get rid of ants at home.
Always remember that Vinegar is not a permanent solution to remove an ant infestation. It is reasonable to spread the solution thrice a week over the affected areas to remove ants slowly.
Windex, the glass cleaner, is a known insect killer. When you have an ant swarm in your house, spray them all with Windex and they will die nearly instantly. Windex can also eliminate some of the scent trails that ants follow to find food.
The best way to confirm that ants are living in your walls is to see them coming out of the walls. You can sometimes also detect visible ant trails in and around your home. These trails are usually made by ants that are looking for food.
Google “ant season” and you find responses for most times of the year, including December, April, and July. Fact is, there is no single “ant season.” Ants may choose to enter buildings at any time of year seeking shelter from the elements, whether that means rain and cold or dry heat.
They are most active at night. Workers emerge from the nest about 15 minutes after sundown.
For apartments and homes, we recommend regular pest control treatments on a quarterly basis, or even bi-monthly, in order to effectively prevent common pests or when you move into a new home or apartment. For more serious infestations, monthly treatments over the course of 3 to 6 months are advisable.
It's common to continue to see ants up to 3-4 weeks after treatment. Pesticides used for ants are designed to be returned to the nest, therefor removing the problem at its core.