Expert Ant Control Tips You Can Rely on

Ants are social insects. They live in colonies. Hence, any effective treatment plan must include exterminate the entire colony. Simply spraying an ant using an over the counter spray will just kill a few of them and scatter the entire colony.

Ants can make entry to your home looking for food or shelter. It is important to understand the behavior of ants and use pest control procedures listed below. Remember that ants enter through the smallest openings. Their main target is sweet/protein or grease based foods.

In order to ant nests, you need to follow their trails. These pests let fall a chemical pheromone trail alongside their recognized paths to and from a food source. This helps other ants to find the food easily.

You need to attach two main types of ant problems:

• Ants that live outside and feed inside
• Ants that already have a nest built inside

The ant control strategy must depend on the type of infestation. It should also target the type of ant that has made an entry to your home.

Ants Living Outside

Ants living outside the home will travel inside home in search of food. Some of these species will start nesting inside houses. Some of the best ways to prevent infestation include:

• Caulk and seal cracks and gaps. This is crucial to eliminate passages into the home. Ants are immensely active in finding entry points; you may need help of a professional to seal them all.
• Clean properly around all entry points. You must use a detergent to eliminate chemical trail pheromone. Thereafter, spray a non-repellent residual insecticide around the boundary and entry points.

Ants within Home

Ants don’t just enter homes for food. Some also aim at establishing a colony inside. Most people aren’t aware that indoor colonization occurs all year-round. This is especially more common in warmer climates. Some of the most common ant species that live inside homes include Carpenter Ants, Argentine Ants, Pavement Ants, Crazy Ants, Thief Ants, Odorous House Ants, and Pharaoh Ants.

These ants are known to infest food products. The best way to remove these pests is to use Ant Baits. These are known to be very successful technique for controlling ants. The best part is that these do not produce any harm to pets and kids especially when you follow directions. Most ant baits are available in the form of stations, gels, and granules. Sugar/protein-based ingredients are present in these baits to lure ant species.

Dealing with Carpenter Ants

These ants are most during the evening hours when hunting for food. You can find these both inside the house and outside. Although the ants would not eat up the wood, they will make nests in it by tunneling. The right way to bait/spray ants is to observing them at night. This will let you know the exact site to attack. Professional ant control companies treat the nest itself to produce effective results. They know that the entire nest should be effectively treated to avoid the colony to scatter. A non-repellent insecticide is the best choice to minimize the risk of scattering.

Some DIY Tips to Prevent Carpenter Ant Infestations

• Trim all bushes and trees to prevent the branches from touching the house.
• Fix moisture problems as soon as possible. Keep a check on leaky roofs and plumbing.
• Paint and/or seal all exposed wood construction.
• Replace water-damaged, rotted, and previously ant-infested wooden parts.
• Remove all wood/soil contacts.
• Remove dead stumps and store firewood off the ground.