Shut your doors and windows – there’s an army headed your way. It’s not an angry mob or foreign invaders attacking Illinois: It’s ants, and they’re looking for food. With more than 3,000 species in the United States, you’re bound to see these tiny invaders wherever you go. Although they tend to stay outside where they belong, their hunt for food, water, and shelter sometimes leads them directly into your home.
How to Prevent Ants in Your Home
When you see one ant, there’s probably more lurking just beyond your sight. The scouts head out each day in search of food for the colony and mark their routes with a pheromone trail. This trail often leads from the nest to your home where the scout has found sugary liquids, crumbs, or other foods. Keeping these insects out of your home starts by taking a proactive approach to pest control.
Eliminate their food and water sources. An ant’s daily job is to find food, protect the colony, and expand its territory. By removing food and water sources, these insects have no choice but to relocate. Keep your garbage bins covered, put away your leftovers, and clean up after every meal.
Create a homemade barrier. Some ant species build nests within wooden structures, inside electronics, and near heating and cooling units. Seal off any cracks and crevices using caulk or another type of permanent sealant. You can also line your doorways and windowsills with two-sided tape to stop them in their tracks.
Count on the pest control professionals. Do-it-yourself treatment methods help in a pinch, but they don’t offer long-term ant control. A professional technician knows how to identify the many ant species in Illinois and can provide the correct treatment for the job. Talcum powder and sealant may stop a few ants, but it takes a professional to eradicate an infestation.
Stopping Ants in Their Tracks
If you have an ant problem in or around your home, contact Terminix Anderson for a free quote. Our professional technicians can tell whether it’s carpenter ants or crazy ants and apply the right treatment to eliminate them for good. We’ll also use preventative techniques to ward off future ant infestations on your property.
