Find Out How to Get Rid of Ants in Just 4 Simple Steps!
Do you have an ant problem? If so, don't worry – you're not alone. Millions of people deal with ants in their homes every year. In this blog post, we will teach you how to get rid of ants in 4 easy steps. We'll start by describing how to identify ants and inspect for them. Then we'll provide some tips and strategies for ant control. Finally, we'll explain how to prevent ants from returning to your property. Let's get started!
Inspect For And Identify Ants
Ants are identifiable by their distinct antennae and segments on their bodies. All ants have a head, thorax, and abdomen. In addition, these insects all have six legs. They vary in size, but you won't find ants larger than about a half-inch. If you think you have ants in your home, the first step is to inspect for them.
Begin Inspecting Inside Your Home
The best place to start inspecting for ants is inside your home. First, check all of the rooms in your house, including the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, and living room. Look for ants near windows, doors, baseboards, and in any cracks or crevices. Once you've found an ant or two, try to follow their trail to see where they're coming from. Chances are, you'll find them making a path to a food source in your home. This will help you determine where the nest is located by looking in the opposite direction of the food.
Inspect Outside As Well
Sometimes you'll find the path of ants invading your home lead to an outdoor source - their nest. To start looking for them outside, check around the perimeter of your property for ant hills or nests. You should also look for ants in trees, bushes, rotted wood, tree stumps, mulch, and any cracks or crevices in your foundation. Once you've found the ants' nest, you can begin formulating a plan to get rid of them.
A couple of pointers:
- Follow the trail of ants all the way to the nest.
- Inspect at different times in the day, as some ants are active in the morning, while others are active at night.
- Depending on the type of ant, your control strategy will change.
- If you're having trouble identifying the type of ant, don't hesitate to check our ant identification chart, call us, or send a picture!
Strategies And Tips For Ant Control
When looking at controlling ants indoors, there are two primary types of ant problems. The first is with ants who are coming in from an outdoor nest. The second type of issue is with ants who have made a nest inside your home or building. These ants may still go outside for food but will eat 'food of opportunity' in your home as well.
Eliminating Indoor Ants That Have Made A Colony Inside
Ants that commonly live indoors may include Argentine ants, crazy ants, pavement ants, odorous house ants, pharaoh ants, and even carpenter ants. They'll typically venture into your home looking for water or food. You'll want to use professional-grade, high-quality ant baits or insecticides. Specifically, you'll want to use non-repellent insecticides. If you decide on using ant baits, try to locate the nest by monitoring their activity. Baiting close to the nest yield better results. Many folks may find it easier to use non-repellant insecticides to get their ant situation indoors under control.
Getting Rid Of Ants Outside
You'll typically find the outdoor nest not too far from your home. There may be a visible mound, or it may be harder to locate the exact source. In some cases, the nest won't be easily noticeable or accessible because it's found in places like under large stones, mulch piles, or even under flower pots. In these cases, granular ant baits can be very effective at controlling the nest.
Behaviors Of Ants And Their Colonies
While some insects are lone hunters or solitary pests, ants are the exact opposite. They're social insects that live in very large nests called colonies. The colony is composed of multiple types of ants: the queen(s), soldiers, female workers, and male drones, to name just a few. They are hearty insects and can be found almost everywhere in the world, with the expectation of Antarctica and a few extremely remote islands.
Essential Things To Know About Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are, as they say, a different animal. They're the largest of all ants in North America, and they can cause some severe damage to your home. The carpenter ant colony will excavate wood to build their nests - hence the name. They do not, however, actually eat the wood. You'll often find them nesting in moist or decaying wood, but they are not necessarily limited to this type of habitat. Carpenter ants need special treatment as spraying them will likely only cause them to scatter and regroup at a later time. You may inadvertently cause the colony to scatter completely without treating the entire nest. Non-repellant insecticide aerosols such as Alpine Aerosol, Phantom Aerosol, or Spectre PS Aerosol are highly recommended by our team.
How To Prevent Ants From Coming Back To Your Property
Once you have successfully removed the ants from your property, there are a few actions you can take to help prevent them from returning.
- Keep your property clean and free of debris. This will include keeping food particles cleaned up and removing any water sources that may be attracting the ants.
- Make sure to meticulously seal off any cracks or openings in your home's exterior where the ants could gain access.
- Remove pheromone chemical trails by cleaning entry points vigorously with detergent.
- For carpenter ants, trim branches and bushes that touch the house.
- Fix leaky roofs and plumbing, and be sure to seal or paint any exposed wood portion of your home. Remove any rotted or water-damaged wood near your home. This includes dead tree stumps or firewood that's gone bad.
How Do-It-Yourself Pest Control Can Help You Tackle Ant Problems
If you're looking for a comprehensive solution to your ant problems, Do-It-Yourself Pest Control has the perfect ant control products for you. From baits and insecticides to aerosols and granulars, we have everything you need to get started on getting rid of these pesky critters. Our team is here to help guide you through the process so that you can successfully remove ants from your home - once and for all! So give us a call today!