If you’ve ever seen a child’s cartoon, you’ll know that ants are notorious picnic stealers. But what you should also know is that they invade more than picnics- if you’re not careful, you’ll find ants in your kitchen and everywhere else too. Fortunately, you can prevent ants and protect your home from them, with the right measures.
Ant Identification
It would be surprising if you didn’t know what an ant looks like, but you can easily spot them as the small, annoying pests that show up in your house during the spring and fall. There are a variety of different kinds of ants, but they’re typically less than a quarter of an inch in length, and they’re usually black or brown in color.
How They Get In
Typically ants are interested in coming into your house because it’s an easy source of food and shelter. They’ll head inside to get out of the rain and can get into your home through cracks and unsealed entryways. Though they’re very small, they can turn into a big problem in large numbers, and can both contaminate food and carry diseases. Sometimes, if there are enough of them burrowing into your walls, they can even cause structural damage to your home.
Pest Control In The House
Ant prevention comes in several forms. Keeping your home clean and free of trash will do it nicely, as well as picking up food crumbs and vacuuming regularly. Mopping up spills promptly and keeping your food in airtight containers will keep them out just as surely as pesticides and glue traps.
Ant Removal
If you’re looking for how to actually keep ants out, things get a bit more complicated. While you can use pesticides and traps on the inside of your home, outside of your home is both easier and cheaper to manage. Cleaning your gutters, trimming the shrubbery, keeping much and landscaping materials to a minimum- all of these are good ways to prevent ants from gaining access to your home.
If you believe you have an ant problem, contact us today to learn more about what we can do to help.