Controlling Ants In Your Home: What Steps You Need To Take
Posted on: 16 May 2022
Share
Ants can come in a variety of different species. Some are larger—like the carpenter ants which like to feed off of the moist wood around your home, leaving nothing but sawdust in their wake—while others are tiny and prefer proteins. These smaller species can be found in your pantry or your dirty laundry. No matter the type of ant you have, if you have a problem with them, they can leave you feeling like your home is dirty, or that you have them crawling on you. Calling a pest control expert is the fastest and most efficient way to get rid of your ant problem. A pest control company can help to identify your ant problem and come up with a solution to get rid of the pest for good. Read on for a few steps to take to help you get control of your ant problem yourself.
Step 1: Try To Identify The Type Of Ant
Get a good look at the ant you are dealing with to help you get rid of it properly. If it's a carpenter ant, for instance, you need to not only spray for the ant and set traps, but you'll also have to get rid of the moisture problem you are also dealing with to prevent these or other pests from returning. If you have tiny black ants, they are more than likely looking for food and water, and you need to keep your home clean and put away food for now. If you have small brown or nearly white ants, these are protein ants and you need to remove the protein which they are trying to get into and clean the area thoroughly. Identify the ant to help you properly exterminate it.
Step 2: Start Exterminating
Begin exterminating by spraying around the baseboards of your home, where ants may more commonly travel, and spray around the exterior and interior perimeters of your home with a pesticide that may help with all types of ants. Read the packaging of the pesticide you are using, especially when spraying it inside your home. Traps can also be effective in exterminating ants. Set the traps according to the manufacturer's instructions and leave them in areas where you have seen the most ants.
Step 3: Remove Their Food Source
To help prevent more ants from coming into your home, you're going to need to remove their food source. This means you'll have to put food into air-tight containers. For carpenter ants, you may have to do some repairs to your home. With tiny protein ants, you should clean out your laundry basket or dresser drawers, and wipe down all hard surfaces in your home, depending on where they were located and what was attracting them.
If you have an issue with ants, you should call an expert to help you. Take the steps above to help you tackle this extermination yourself.
Contact an ant exterminator for more information.