Classic images of warm weather include a tall glass of iced tea, sandals, and lots of sunshine. However, warm weather also comes with a common component, ants.
They'll be marching back and forth on your sweltering driveway or a nearby sidewalk when you look outside. Let's be honest, however. Usually, finding an ant colony in your home isn't one of the things you love most about warm weather, even if it only serves to amuse children temporarily.
We understand at The Eco Man Pest Solutions. We recognize how difficult it can be to spend time keeping your house tidy and organized; you don't need ants adding more work. The health and safety of you and your home are our top priorities as your neighborhood pest control in Durham, and we approach every job by putting the customer first. Our eco-friendly solutions and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy ensure your home is ant-free once again. Call right away to arrange for your home's ant pest control needs.
One Ant Usually Means More
If you spot even one ant, hundreds more are hiding in or near your home. Ants in Durham are social insects typically residing in underground colonies of workers and a queen. Depending on the species, these colonies can contain up to 2,000 ants or more.
An essential component of ant community safety is communication, which ants start doing as late pupae. Each ant can produce a sound by striking a spike on its abdomen with one of its hind legs once it is old enough to develop a hardened exoskeleton. The most intriguing thing about this form of communication is that, according to entomologist studies, ants use it to ask for help in an emergency. For instance, when an ant comes into contact with a predator, it can make noises that serve as an emergency alarm to draw the attention of the other ants in the colony. As a result, if unexpectedly a swarm of ants appears when you attempt to kill a few colony members, the newcomers respond to a distress signal broadcast by the initial ants that were in distress.
It's also crucial to remember that it's best to avoid squashing ants when eradicating them; doing so will release an odor that will attract more ants to your home. You should collaborate with a professional pest control company in Durham, like The Eco Man Pest Solutions, to get rid of ants from your home. Our team of knowledgeable, certified experts offers comprehensive, environmentally friendly, and reasonably priced ant control options. Get in touch with us today to begin your pest control services.
An Ant Infestation Can Be More Than Just A Nuisance
As the weather warms, ants are a nuisance pest that is almost impossible to avoid. You can anticipate seeing them create mounds in your yard every year, crawling all over your driveway and looking around your house for food. Ants can be much more than just a simple annoyance, whether they enter your home or build mounds in your yard.
Some ant species can cause harm to your home by building their nests in wood. There is only one ant in this group, the carpenter ant. Carpenter ants can cause expensive damage to the wood of your home, so it's essential to deal with them immediately if you find them around your home's foundation. Carpenter ants cost American property owners hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Some ants invade electrical wiring components and ruin them. Fire ants can destroy a lawnmower or a tractor if they enter them. These ants can also chew through insulation and electrical wires when they invade a house.
Some ants leave red, itchy welts on your body. No other ant matches that description except the fire ant regarding a stinging hazard. If a person is allergic to the venom of fire ants, their stings can also result in a severe reaction.
Due to their ability to contaminate food sources, some ants pose health risks. Although ant species can contaminate food, some are known to spread diseases like salmonella, streptococcus, staphylococcus, and clostridium.
As you can see, ants can spread disease, cause serious issues, and even harm your home, in addition to being a nuisance. A serious solution is required to address a serious issue. At The Eco Man Pest Solutions, we address pest issues at their root using tried-and-true pest control methods. Get in touch with us to learn more about our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. We'll support you in eliminating those ants and other pests that wreak havoc on Durham residents' yards and homes.
The Most Efficient Way To Get Rid Of An Ant Infestation
If you have any kind of ants invading your home, there are some do-it-yourself steps that you can take to control them; however, if you want to get rid of them and keep them out for good, it is time to invest in professional pest control services. Ants can be attracted to your property by a wide variety of different things and are known to return to the same properties if you don't take action, making ongoing protection for ants all the more important. Going with The Eco Man Pest Solutions protects your home from any potential ant infestations in the future. Get in touch with us if you want to get rid of ants as soon as possible.
Helpful Tips To Prevent Ants From Coming Back
When you discover a few ants in your home, it can seem like they never go away. You find them on the window sill in your kitchen and around your bathroom sink; all you want to do is get rid of them. However, if you’re like most homeowners, you first want to see if you can get rid of them on your own before calling in the experts. That typically doesn’t work. Contacting experts is the first thing you want to do, and then you can implement these ant prevention tips to keep ants from coming back:
- Home improvements: One step in the process of getting rid of ants is cleaning the interior of your home. However, it would help if you also made it more difficult for ants to enter your home in the first place. For example, silicone-based caulk can block any simple entry points by caulking foundation cracks or gaps around windows and doors. Ants don't like pine straw or mulch, so using crushed stone or rock around your house can deter them from building their nests on your property. Since ants need water to survive, repairing leaky water pipes and ensuring proper drainage away from your home can also aid in ant control. You can also keep firewood stacked at least 20 feet away from the house and trim the trees and shrubs close to your home. To make it harder for ants to get inside, you should keep these common ant hangouts at a safe distance. Home improvements alone will only partially stop ants because they are tiny and can, with enough determination, find their way to a food source.
- DIY treatment methods: Many home remedies are available to get rid of ants. Ants are reportedly more difficult to attract when using vinegar or essential oils like peppermint or tea tree. Others have succeeded with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, or coffee grounds. Even though you might notice a brief improvement right away with any of these techniques, such as a decrease in the number of ants in one area, typically DIY methods need to be repeated quite frequently to make a difference in an ant population. Therefore, additional ants will still find their way to your kitchen a few days later.
- Maintaining a clean home: Ants constantly search for food and water to feed their colonies. Your kitchen and bathroom become hotspots as a result. Cleaning up the kitchen and bathrooms is a great preventative measure. To prevent further ant attraction, it's a good idea to clean trash cans, store ripe fruit in the refrigerator, and other foods in airtight containers, and clean up any food spills. Pet food may attract ants. Therefore, keeping pet bowls and the areas around them clean is crucial. To keep indoor potted plants free of ants, you can frequently check them for pest activity. Sadly, if you have an infestation of ants, simply cleaning up after them won't do the trick.
Unfortunately, ants are one of the most prevalent pests and most challenging to remove from your home. They rank as the top annoyance pest in America. Ants don't have to be frequent in your Durham home, however. The Eco Man Pest Solutions has over 25 years of experience in the pest control business. We have the expertise to use cutting-edge, environmentally friendly products to eliminate ants from your Durham home. Call us to find out more about our residential pest control options.
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