From the dangerous ones that spread disease or cause damage to the nuisance varieties that contaminate your food, ants are common pests that have plagued homeowners for thousands of years. Keeping them out of your home is a matter of total prevention that’s easier said than done. Learning how you can keep up on proper cleaning and maintenance, to protect your property from ant invasions, will give you a leg up.
Common Ants & The Problems They Cause
There are so many different kinds of ants out there that it can be tough to know which kinds are dangerous and which kinds are relatively harmless. All ant infestations can lead to bigger problems, like food contamination and tracking in other pests like spiders. No ant problem should be disregarded, but it is helpful to know how to tell hazardous ants apart from nuisance kinds. Here are some common varieties to watch for:
- Pavement ants: Also simply called black ants, these are a common species that are often found on the sidewalk or in the grass. They are foragers that will also invade homes for food.
- Carpenter ants: They look a lot like other black ants but they behave very differently. These ants bore into wood in order to form nesting tunnels, making them a more dangerous variety of ant because of the structural damage they can cause.
- Fire ants: Some of the most aggressive ants around, these small, red ants can be impossible to contain or eliminate, and painful when encountered.
Getting Started: Ant Prevention
You’re less likely to have to identify an ant population if you can keep them off your property in the first place. That’s no small feat since many ant colonies form outside in the yard and then encroach on properties. You have to keep up on all of the following:
- Food storage: Ants can chew through weak packaging or crawl through existing faults to access stored foods. Left out pet food is also a problem.
- Trash storage: Ants will also forage in waste bins for food or traces, so proper trash storage is also important.
- Deep cleaning: It doesn’t matter how securely you store your food and trash if crumbs or spills are left behind for ants to attack. Regularly cleaning, especially in hard-to-reach spots of your home, is a crucial part of pest prevention.
- Landscaping: Since ants typically live outdoors and then forage indoors for food, it’s important to make sure their territory doesn’t overlap with yours. Keep vegetation trimmed down and soil beds away from exterior walls.
- Yard debris: Piles of leaves, wood, or other debris out in the yard can provide insects with safe havens to hide in and wait for a chance to invade.
Fortifying Your Home
Keeping up on all those steps around your property can be a big enough task for busy homeowners, but it’s also important to seal off access points that ants and other pests can use to get inside. This includes the following:
- Crack sealing: Ants can crawl through tiny holes or cracks to gain access to interior walls, so frequently repairing your exterior will reduce these faults.
- Window screens: Torn window screens can also provide ants with a way inside.
- Door sweeps: The gaps under our doors might as well be a wide-open threshold for ants, which can simply crawl through. Door sweeps and weather stripping can reduce this space.
Best Pest Control From Pro Active Pest Control
With so much to have to keep up on to truly prevent ant colonies from forming, it’s better to go with professional protection that can guarantee ant protection without all the hassle. At Pro Active Pest Control, our trained experts know how to prevent and address all kinds of ant infestations, tailoring solutions to your yards and home. We’ll not only drive out existing colonies, but we’ll also work to prevent future pest problems.
Get started on proper ant control today by calling Pro Active Pest Control.