Ants are one of those problems that doesn't seem like a problem, until they are a problem. We see some ants on the walkway leading up to the front door, and we pay no attention to them. We see a few ants crawling around in the garage, and we put up with them. Ants appear randomly in the kitchen, and we dispose of them with a piece of paper towel. No problem, right? Well, not until you wake up and find a thousand ants crawling all over your couch, trash can, or pet food dish--or worse, you pull something from the pantry and find that it is filled with ants. Worse still is when you decide to do some repair to your porch because it has been dipping down on the corner or sagging in the middle, and you find that it has been harboring several carpenter ant nests. The sheer horror of finding a wall filled with carpenter ants cannot adequately be described in words. So, how do you stop ants from becoming a problem? It begins in the kitchen.
When you see an ant crawling around your kitchen there are a few important things you can immediately conclude.
- That ant found entry into your home. Sure, it could have come through the front door when you brought the groceries in, but it is more likely that it made its way in through a hole you don't even know exists.
- There are more ants where that ant came from. One ant can turn into hundreds of ants in a surprisingly short amount of time. If that little forager found food, it is going to let the other ants know by releasing a scent behind it as it travels all the way back to the nest.
- If that ant is big, black, and has one node at its waist, you have carpenter ants. That means you probably have a carpenter ant colony living in your walls. If you have experienced flying ants inside your home, you're going to have more than one nest.
Ant control begins with understanding what ants you have and what measures can be taken resolve the infestation.
- You should know what a carpenter ant looks like. Other pest ants in New York, like the odorous house ant, the pavement ant, and the pharaoh ant are not going to chew large galleries in your walls, but carpenter ants surely will.
- You should try to determine if the ants that are coming in are already living in your house. Ants can establish colonies in damp, dark places. Search your basement and under sinks for nests.
- Ants can be resisted by making sure that no food source is found. No self-respecting ant is going to live in a house that has no food options. Make sure your vulnerable pantry items are in hard plastic, sealable containers. Store pet food between meal times. Keep your floor and counters free of spills, crumbs, and other organic food matter. Keep your trash cans sealed.
If you continue to get ants after using these methods, consider getting professional pest control. When you have year-round pest service, you protect your home and family from ants and a whole host of other invasive pests. At Parkway, we've been protecting homes in New York State from pests since 1932. That means we have the knowledge and state-of-the-art equipment to keep ants and other bugs out of your home. Contact Parkway Pest Services today. Life is better without bugs. Give it a try.