As a homeowner, few things can derail your day like discovering a band of ants marching across your countertops. Morning coffee is put on hold. You’re no longer on your way out the door. You’re now running late and your entire focus shifts to the pests at hand. Fortunately, at LawnRx we know how to get rid of ants, and offer several remedies – from quick repelling services to consistent ant treatments with our perimeter pest control service.
But first, let’s answer some of the questions you probably have!
Why Do I Have Ants in My House?
Ants are always on the hunt for food and water, which they gather to bring back to feed the queen and the colony. A single ant can make its way through any small cracks, holes, or openings in your home’s exterior!
If just one ant discovers your kitchen is a food crumb haven or your bathroom is an oasis of moisture, it will drop a pheromone trail to invite its thousands of colony members to the all-you-can-gather buffet.
The three most common ant species you might see in your home are:
- Odorous house ants
- Carpenter ants
- Pavement ants
Other Common Household Bugs
As insects get more active in the warmer months of the year, you may find ants aren’t your only problem. Other bugs you might commonly see inside include:
- Earwig
- Cockroaches
- Centipedes and millipedes
- Flies
- Spiders
As if the confident trail of ants in your home wasn’t infuriating enough, right?
How to Keep Ants Out of My House
Even though you’re outnumbered, you’re certainly not overpowered. Identifying what kind of pest you’re dealing with is the first step toward reclaiming your home.
“Seal” is the magic verb for keeping pests out of your house. Openings in food containers and cracks in your home’s exterior are as good as a welcome sign to these pests. Sealing small gaps in windows, doors, and your home’s foundation is the first step in blocking common entry points and keeping pests where they belong.
Here are some other effective prevention tips for at-home pest control:
- Clean up food spills and crumbs.
- Clean out and around your pet’s food bowls.
- Check your houseplants for insect activity.
- Regularly check high-moisture areas, like under kitchen and bathroom sinks.
- Routinely take out trash and food waste.
Quickest Way to Get Rid of Ants
To ensure you get rid of ants, a couple of things have to happen:
- Kill the queen(s)
- A colony cannot live without its queen, and there may be one or more within a single colony. Place homemade or store-bought bait traps in the active area to trick worker ants into taking lethal “food” back to the queen, therefore killing it and the rest of the colony.
- Disrupt the pheromone trail.
- That line of ants you see is surprisingly helpful in showing you exactly where the pheromone trail is. Spray or cover it with one of the solutions listed below to keep thousands of other colony members from following the path.
There are several solutions you can make or purchase to exterminate an ant infestation. Some of the most effective are:
DIY
- 50/50 vinegar and water solution.
- Black or cayenne pepper.
- Cinnamon.
- Lemon juice.
- Baking soda mixed with powdered sugar.
- Soapy water.
Store-bought
- Borax powder.
- Ant spray.
- Commercial ant traps.
- Diatomaceous earth.
Get Perimeter Ant Control
The most effective way to get rid of ants and other bugs from entering your home is to hire an exterminator who will know exactly which areas to treat, both inside and outside of your house.
Our Perimeter Pest Control service pairs you with LawnRx’s knowledgeable, experienced exterminators. They inspect your home’s perimeter, honing in on the places insects can enter. They will then spray an invisible, odorless barrier around the outside of your home. While this barrier effectively prohibits ants and other bugs from invading your home, it’s safe around family pets and other loved ones.
If you’re continuously annoyed by unsolicited pests, contact us by filling out an online form or call us at 724-539-1003.
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