A Step-By-Step Ant Control Guide For New York Homeowners

Ants can be annoying. Super annoying. There are few things as disturbing as sitting down on the couch in your living room, getting ready to watch a movie, and discovering your couch has thousands of ants all over it—and now those ants are on you. But ants aren't just a nuisance; they also have the potential to make you sick or damage your home. If you see ants in your New York home, it is a good idea to take steps to stop them from getting in. Here is a quick step-by-step guide to help you do just that.

Step 1: Remove Interior Food Sources

You may not know this, but most ants won't create a nest in your home. When you see many ants inside your home, it is probably not because there is a nest in your walls, but because you left food out for the ants to eat. What happens is one ant finds food and lays down a scented trail as it returns to its nest. The other ants smell this trail and follow it into your home. Within a matter of a few minutes or a few hours, you can have a scary number of ants in your home. The good news is that when you remove the food, those ants will stop entering your home in such large numbers.

• Clean your floors and vacuum your rugs.
• Clean spills up immediately.
• Clean shelves and cabinets.
• Clean your interior trash receptacles.
• Clean the sides of your oven.
• Put dirty dishes into a sink of soapy water.
• Place dog or cat food down only during meal times.

Step 2: Remove Water Sources And Moisture

Ants prefer a home that is humid and one that has droplets of water aplenty. There are many ways you can accidentally make your home inviting to ants. Here are a few to consider:

• Leaky sink and tub faucets and leaky showerheads leave puddles and splattered droplets of water for ants to drink.
• Leaky pipes or pipe condensation will make your pipes ideal as a superhighway for ants.
• Water left on the floor for your dog or cat can be a drinking hole for ants, especially at night.
• Condensation left on mirrors, windows, and other surfaces during showers or baths can make your bathroom attractive to ants. Use your fan to remove moisture when you take a bath or shower.

Step 3: Seal Your Exterior

When ants explore the exterior of your home, they can get in through gaps, cracks, and holes. They can also come up through cracks in your foundation. While it is impossible to seal every possible opening an ant can use to get into your New York home, you should still do your best to seal things up. Every entry point you address is one less entry point an ant will accidentally stumble upon.

• Seal cracks in your foundation.
• Seal holes in your sole plates.
• Seal openings around your exterior doors.
• Seal openings around your windows.
• Seal gaps in brick mortar.
• Seal gaps around pipes, wires, and conduits.
• If you have a brick home, make sure your weep holes are protected.
• Make sure all exhaust outlets are properly covered.

Step 4: Make Your Home Less Attractive... To Ants

The last thing you want is to curb appeal for ants. If you attract ants to your exterior, you'll have a greater chance of accidental entry. What attracts ants? Well, that depends on the type of ants. Here are some common attractants.

• An oversaturated perimeter. If your gutters are clogged and water isn't channeled away from your home, you will have more pest activity near your exterior walls, including ant activity. And when moisture leads to plant disease, it can attract plant-damaging insects, like aphids, which produce honeydew. This sticky, sweet residue is a strong attractant for many local ant species.
• The scent of rotting organic matter. Ants will be drawn to a dirty trash receptacle or garbage that has sat in your receptacles for more than a week. Reduce smells to reduce ant activity.
• Leaves, sticks, wood, and other organic debris or piles. These provide a habitat for ants and other pests.
• Dense vegetation offers shade and moisture. Keep your landscaping open and dry to reduce ants.

Professional Ant Control

If all of this sounds like too much work, or you want to add extra protection to get the best control of ants, remember that the team at Parkway Pest Services is available to help. We provide year-round residential pest control plans and treatment options for frustrating ant infestations in NYC and the surrounding areas. Reach out to us today to request your service!