When the rain comes down, the ants come in. The warm, summer months of Florida are also known as the “wet season”. Rainfall and rising water levels encourage ants to find safe, dry shelter. Your home is an inviting and safe place for those ants. If they find a way in, it is hard to get them out. Now ants may not be the worst pest problem, but they are certainly a nuisance. Not only is it frustrating for ants to be overtaking your space, but it can also contaminate food or wounds with bacteria. Ants are unhygienic and in cases, like fire ants, have a nasty bite. Some species of ants, commonly known as carpenter ants, by burrowing in wood structure elements of your home. Over time, this can cause serious damage to your home – similar to a termite infestation. To be able to prevent, reduce, or control an infestation, you need to be familiar with the habits of ants.
Understanding Ants
Ants are social creatures and live in colonies of thousands to millions of ants. Each assuming different roles and responsibilities within the colony. Famously, most people are familiar with the “queen” ant. This is a role held by one or more female ants with the priority role of reproducing more ants to maintain the colony. The queen ants are often hidden and protected within the nest. The bulk of the other ants in the colony include “worker” ants. The ants that you would primarily see in the case of an infestation would be older, worker ants. The younger ants typically stay inside of the nest. Older worker ants venture outside of the nest for food.
If you do have an infestation and reach for the spray, spraying these visible ants will not do much to control the infestation. Often, by following the trail of a worker ant you can find an established trail to the hidden nest within the walls of your home. Attempting to only kill the ants that are visible to you is only a temporary fix to your infestation. The queen ants will continue to reproduce and since the never leave the nest, you will have to find them to control the infestation.
What Can You Do To Reduce an Ant Infestation?
- Pinpoint Ant Trails and Nests
Like we mentioned earlier, targeting the visible ants of a colony will do little to nothing in your effort to control the infestation. Focusing on identifying the trails and ultimately the nest should be the goal. When a worker leaves the nest, most likely they are looking for food. They leave behind a chemical trail so its fellow ants can follow to find more food for the colony. OUR EXPERTS can help you identify the nest and reduce it in a way that is safe for you and your family.
- Keep It Clean
For the prevention and control of nearly every household pest, a clean environment is necessary. The primary reason ants leave the safety of their nest is to gather food and water for the survival of the colony. By keeping foods sealed, floors swept, and all surfaces clean you cut off a food source for the ants. It is especially important to keep things clean when you are looking for the nest. This will make any bait more enticing for ants to bring back to the colony. Allow for the ants to use the trails to lead you back to the nest. Once the infestation has been controlled, then clean the surfaces where the trails were.
- Seal Entry Points
Ants enter into your house, car, and office buildings through small entryways such as cracks and crevices. To avoid this, seal areas around windows and doors. It is also important to seal the areas around all cable, pipe, and wire entry points. Cracks around the foundation of a home also leave it susceptible to ants.
- Indoor VS Outdoor Control
The temptation to use pesticides to spray ants as they march through the house can be hard to resist. The efforts to control ants inside the house versus outside the house are different – especially in terms of effectiveness. If you spray pesticides on visible ants, it will only eliminate a few. On top of that, they are quickly replaced by other worker ants. For indoor ant control, it is best to use ant bait. The bait can be carried back to the hidden nest and there it can have a greater effect on eliminating the infestation. The bait is primarily comprised of edible, desirable materials and materials that are toxic to ants. Generally safe to humans and animals, it is best to talk to an expert and keep it away from children and pets. Outdoor control can use heavier toxic materials. But be careful, some of the ants in your yard are helpful for your garden and important.
- Call an Expert
Controlling an ant infestation can be very difficult. Talk to one of our experts and we will help you to solve your issue. At DriveBye Exterminators, our professionals are trained in identifying pests and cutting them off at the source. Eliminate the colony of ants at the source and stop an infestation. DriveBye Exterminators will provide a solution to any pest infestation in a way that is safe for you, your family, and your pets. Call or contact DriveBye Exterminators today!
