Ants are adorable and very beneficial to the environment around us. But when their numbers grow, or they decide to move into your home, ants can become a serious problem. While most ant species are more or less just a nuisance, a few common types, such as carpenter ants or fire ants, can cause significant damage to your home or, in the case of fire ants bites, yourself.
Even the more or less harmless ant species, such as common household odorous ants (called that because they release an unpleasant smell when stepped on or stressed), can ruin the food stored in your house and your attempts to relax in your own home.
There are thousands of ant species in the world, but in Maryland, you're likely to encounter the following few:
- Odorous house ants
- Acrobat ants
- Citronella ants
- Carpenter ants
- Pavement ants
- Pharaoh ants
- Thief ants
Of all the species mentioned above, carpenter ants can cause the most damage to your home. Carpenter ants do not eat wood as termites do but will tunnel through it, building chambers for new colonies, weakening it severely and resulting in costly repairs.
Let's take a look at ant prevention tips you can use to keep these insects out of your house, problems to watch out for with specific ant species, how to get rid of ants, and if the DIY ant removal approach fails, where to find reliable pest control in Pasadena.
Natural House Ant Prevention Tips For Pasadena Homeowners
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so let's look at the ways you can keep ants from getting into your Pasadena home.
- Get leaks and drips fixed immediately; ants need access to moisture to survive.
- Seal gaps and cracks in your exterior walls and foundation.
- Clean up crumbs and spills.
- Store food in sealed containers.
- Don't leave pet food in the open and accessible to ants.
- Store trash in tightly sealed trash cans and dispose of it often.
- Don't store firewood next to the house walls.
Cutting down the vegetation and tree branches in the immediate vicinity of your house will also help by removing natural pathways ants can use to get close to your home.
Why Ants Can Be So Problematic For Homeowners
Most ant species in Pasadena make your home uncomfortable by their sheer presence. They will get into your stored food and contaminate it, and waking up with a bunch of ants strolling across your leg is no one's favorite way to start the day. Carpenter ants can cause serious damage to the house structure itself with their incessant tunneling. Pavement ants building ant hills under your driveway will result in the need for new pavement.
How To Naturally Remove Factors That Attract Ants To Your Home
A single ant strolling through your kitchen floor is most likely a scout sent out by the colony in search of new food sources. Ants are omnivorous, meaning they will take a bite out of just about anything. In nature, they eat aphids and other insects, dead or alive, seeds or plant sap, fruits, meat, etc. A spilled coke on the counter or crumbs under your couch will call to them like a siren.
The best and frankly only way you can reliably prevent ants from developing an interest in your home is to keep access to food off the table. Clean spills immediately, keep the house clean and organized, and chances are you will not have to deal with an ant infestation again.
Helpful Tips To Prevent Ants From Coming Back
Accutech Pest Management has provided effective ant control solutions and evicted other unwelcome pests from Pasadena households for over 20 years. If you're dealing with an ant infestation, give us a call for an inspection and free estimate today and learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Pasadena.