Walking into your kitchen and seeing a black line of ants marching across your counters can be extremely frustrating. These little soldiers will seemingly appear out of nowhere and are difficult to get rid of once they have invaded your home.
Ants are more than just a nuisance; they can also pose a danger to your home and loved ones. Carpenter ants, for example, build their nests inside the structural wood of your home. Meanwhile, Fire Ants have venomous bites that could send sensitive individuals to the hospital. Additionally, ants can infiltrate your cupboards and contaminate your food. Don’t wait until you have an ant infestation to think about prevention. Follow these tips to keep these pesky insects away from your home!
Tips to Prevent Ants in Your Home
Typically, ants will invade your home in search of food and water to bring back to their colonies. Once they find a food source, they will signal others to follow, resulting in an infestation. Below are some effective strategies to help eliminate and prevent ant infestations:
- Store food in sealed containers: Ants are attracted to food that has been left out. Storing food in sealed containers and keeping pet food off the floor will remove an ant’s motivation to invade your home.
- Clean your kitchen regularly: Ants are most commonly found in kitchens due to the availability of food; they will find even the smallest crumbs left on your counters. Prevent unwanted guests for dinner by making sure to clean the counters and floors of any food.
- Use ant baits, such as ones with Borax: Ant baits work by attracting ants to a poison, such as Borax, bait which they will then take back to their colonies. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral but, like any pesticide, should be kept away from children and pets. Unlike other methods that work by only killing a few ants, ant baits target and kill the whole colony to prevent them from returning to your home. Place the traps in areas where you see ant activity.
- Repair points of entry: Ants get indoors through small cracks and holes in and around windows, walls, and foundations. Inspecting the outside of your home regularly for these points of entry and fixing them can help keep ants and other pests outside where they belong.
- Replace any rotting wood: Carpenter Ants are attracted to soft and decaying wood. They are known to burrow into the wooden structure of your home to build their nests, causing extensive damage. Make sure to regularly inspect the exterior of your home for damaged or rotting wood.
- Routine ant extermination: The most effective method of ant control is following a routine pest control plan. A professional exterminator will be able to detect any ant infestation and create a plan to keep them from returning in the future.
Getting Professional Help
Dealing with an ant infestation can be annoying, time-consuming, and costly when done by yourself. The good news is, you don’t have to do it alone! D’s Pest Control has over 35 years of experience in eliminating ants and other pests in Lubbock, TX. Our experienced exterminators will be able to get rid of your ant infestation and help to develop a personalized plan to keep ants out of your home for good! Contact us today for a free quote and learn more about our ant extermination services.