How to Stop Ants From Coming in the House
Prevent Ants from Coming in Your House or Business
Warmer weather is on the horizon and with it comes pests and insects — and the potential for an infestation.
One of these pests being the ant. This time of year, ants are building their mounds and “scouting” food sources.
If not properly prepared, your house or business may become the primary residence to a colony of ants.
The first indication of a potential ant infestation is if you spot any ants inside or within close proximity of your kitchen or bathroom.
Spotting ants crawling out of sand, dirt, or clay mounds in addition to walking along windowsills and countertops is a good indication of an ant infestation.
Luckily, there are several simple ant infestation home remedies to help homeowners and business owners prevent an ant infestation.
7 Steps to Prevent Ant Infestations
1. Avoid Leaving Food Out
The primary reason any ant colony is going to infiltrate your house is for food.
If you can eliminate leaving food out in the open, ants won’t be as tempted to inhabit your space.
Simply clean food off any dirty dishes after a meal, regularly sweep and vacuum floors to pick up any crumbs and keep surfaces, such as counter tops, clean.
Also be sure to store food in sealed, air-tight containers.
2. Seal Off Points of Entry
Inspect your home or business, both inside and out, for any holes or cracks around windows, doors and the foundation.
These cracks, no matter how small, mean easy entry for ants. Seal the potential entry points and make it a habit to regularly check and maintain seals.
3. Dehydrate
Ants require moisture to survive, eliminating stray sources of water will help to prevent an ant infestation.
Check to ensure pipes are properly sealed and not leaking in any area. This is especially important in situations where a leak has caused moisture damage in wood. Carpenter ants in particular enjoy damaged wood that is rich with moisture.
Ensure that gutters and spouts are properly draining water away from your house or business.
You could also use a dehumidifier to reduce moisture.
4. Eliminate Ant Trails
Ants follow pheromone trails to their food sources from the main colony.
If you see ant trails moving through your home, you can disrupt the trail by spraying them with a vinegar/water mix.
This will deter their original plan of seeking out a food source without leaving harmful chemical residue on the floors or countertops.
5. Place Ant Bait in Active Areas
Though it sounds odd, one of the best ways to eliminate an ant infestation is to place ant bait traps or gel bait and attract scout ants — also known as worker ants.
These scout ants do exactly what their name suggests, they leave the main colony in search of food and leave a trail of pheromones back to the colony.
“During Catseye Pest Control’s ant control and removal services, we apply a liquid gel bait product which ants quickly grab and return to the colony for sharing. Over a short period of time the colony begins to fall,” explained Technical Director of Catseye, Paul Dube, A.C.E.
Setting out bait traps will attract the scout ants and when they return to the colony, the ants will bring the toxic bait with them and help to eliminate the colony.
6. Eliminate Ant Colonies around Property
Ants inside your house or business almost guarantees that there are also colonies outside as well.
If you spot ant hills around the property, it’s important to maintain your preventative measures.
7. General Home Care
Since many ants prefer damp spaces, it’s important to help mitigate moisture that can attract them. Remove wet or rotted wood near the home and keep the gutters clean.
Keep shrubs near the foundation trimmed as well as any tree branches that hang over the roofline.
Through these simple measures to limit and prevent ant infestations, you will be able to enjoy your property without having to worry about this pest taking over.
If you have searched high and low for an answer as to how to prevent an ant infestation and the DIY efforts aren’t doing the trick, it is time to enlist the help of a pest management professional.
Catseye has licensed technicians who have the skills and knowledge to identify and eliminate an ant infestation and know how to prevent one in the future.
To prevent an ant infestation, contact us and our residential ant pest control professionals will take care of your property the right way.