Got Ants in the House?

Having ants in your house can become a major nuisance for homeowners. They invade homes in large numbers, contaminate your food, and can be very difficult to eliminate. The professionals at American Pest want to help you stop your home from being overtaken by these uninvited houseguests this spring and summer. Below we have provided you with some prevention tips, along with information on what to do if they do decide to make your home their foraging grounds.

But first some background information about these tiny invaders. Ants are typically a nuisance pest that build their nests outside under the ground, although some species will build satellite colonies inside of homes making eliminating them from your home even trickier. Worker females will travel from the nest in search of food. Ants are attracted to meats, sweets, and starches, and basically anything else that people eat. Once ants find a reliable food source they will continue to return to until they are either stopped or the food runs out.

The best way to prevent ants from getting into your home is to address any area that may be allowing them access inside it. Ants can enter through very small spaces and will often get in through foundations, exterior walls, exterior windows and doors, and the spaces found around utility entrances. Inspecting your home and sealing any possible access points will go a long way in keeping ants out of your house and away from your food.

Other things that you can do include:

• Making sure there is a barrier between mulch or grass and your home’s foundation. You don’t want mulch or grass directly coming into contact with your home’s foundation.

• Keeping trees, bushes and other landscaping trimmed away from the exterior of your home. Ants will use their branches to gain easy access into your home.

• Store wood piles away from the exterior of your home. Ants often build nests underneath them.

• All outdoor trash cans must have tight fitting lids and are stored away from your home. Unsecured trash is like a free buffet for ants.

If you do wake up one morning to find ants roaming through your kitchen looking for their breakfast then your first step is to remove all possible food sources. Place any food that is being stored on your counters in the refrigerator and that any spills or crumbs are quickly cleaned up. Your next step should be to call a professional pest control expert. While you may be tempted to run down to the hardware store to get an ant spray, this is not recommended. DIY ant control can be dangerous if not used or placed properly and it only works to get rid of the ants you see. It does nothing to treat the route of the problem, the nesting sites

American Pest can safely and effectively remove ants from your home through our year-round Preferred Care plans. Our trained technicians will treat both the inside and outside of your home completely eliminating these pesky pests from your home and property. With a year-round pest control service in place you can be sure that a re-infestation will not occur. Contact American Pest today to find out how we can get rid of ants from your house!