A Step-By-Step Guide To Ant Control For Your New York City Property

Have you noticed that we have a lot of ants in NYC? If you go outside, you can find them everywhere. They build mounds in the middle of lawns. They build mounds in the cracks of sidewalks. They scale trees and plants. They climb all over trash bins and dumpsters. It is probably a good thing that there isn't a technology that can illuminate all ants and make them visible on a computer screen. We probably wouldn't sleep at night. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to reduce how often you see ants in your home. Here's a quick step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Prevent The Alarm

Do you know that most ants don't create nests inside your home? When you walk into a room and find hundreds, or even thousands, of ants, crawling around everywhere, they likely came from outside. Why did they mobilize and enter your home in such large numbers? One ant likely found a food source and rallied the others to pick that source apart. Worker ants leave a pheromone scent as they return to the nest with food. As other ants pick up the scent, they go and grab the food, leaving more pheromone as they head to the nest. The stronger the scent, the more ants get involved. Within no time, your house is filled with ants. But you can prevent this!

• Clean Up. When you wash counters, wash food storage shelves, clean floors, and vacuum, you remove food debris and juices that can attract the attention of worker ants.
• Manage Trash. Keep your kitchen trash in a container with a cover. Clean this receptacle routinely to remove strong smells that attract ants. Remove trash from your home routinely to prevent organic matter from rotting and generating strong smells.
• Meal Time. Put dog and cat food down only during mealtimes. Their food can be a food source for ants. Be sure to clean up around your pets' food dishes as well. Ants aren't picky. They'll eat off the floor.

Step 2: Remove Attractants

Most ants are drawn to moisture and will come into your home through moisture points such as the pipes that enter your kitchen underneath your kitchen sink. You can reduce ant activity by reducing moisture. Here are a few suggestions:

• Fix leaky pipes, garbage disposals, or faucets. The moisture created by a leak is more than enough to invite ants into your home and increase ant activity.
• If you have a humid attic, basement, laundry room, storage room, pantry, kitchen, or bathroom, consider installing fans or dehumidifiers to control the humidity.

Don't forget the outside of your home!

• Make sure your gutters are clean and in good repair. This will reduce dampness near your home.
• Rake leaves, grass clippings, and other organic debris away from your foundation walls.
• Trim landscaping to get rid of unnecessary vegetation. Dense vegetation promotes moisture.

Step 3: Prevent Access

It is impossible to seal ants out of your home completely, but addressing potential pathways can deter them. We call this mitigation. Consider these helpful tips for ant mitigation:

• Seal cracks in your foundation walls.
• Fill in gaps around pipes.
• Seal the outside edges around the exterior window and door frames.
• Make sure your weatherstripping and door sweeps are working.
• Repair or replace damaged screens.

Don't forget the interior of your home!

• Apply a seal to cracks in your cabinets.
• Apply a seal around window frames.
• Seal baseboards.
• Seal any cracks, gaps, or holes in your pantry.
• If you have a dog or cat door, make sure it has a good seal.

Step 4: Direct Control

Sometimes it is necessary to apply baits and other ant control products to eliminate colonies. This requires a proper identification of the ant species you're dealing with, an inspection of ant patterns and pressures, strategic placement of products, and effective monitoring to ensure the job is done. All of this is best done by a licensed professional with experience in NYC ant control.

For assistance with ant problems in New York City, reach out to Parkway Pest Services. We provide the highest level of control and professionalism. Get started by requesting a free quote.