Do you know why ants cause such problems in Concord homes? It is because most Concord residents don't know how to control ants. That answer is actually more insightful than you might think at first glance. DIY ant control often fails due to improper application. You can know that bait works to control ants but fail to control ants because you select the wrong kind of bait, or apply the bait in a way that causes ants to do things you don't want them to do. Like what? Improper baiting can cause colony budding, essentially turning a small problem into a big one. It can cause bait-averse ants, making it harder to control the ants with bait and potentially increasing your costs when you contact a professional. Or, your bait may do nothing. The ants may just ignore it from the start. If you have an ant infestation in your walls, you may not realize at first that your ant control has failed, which will allow ants to continue to present a threat to your health and property. Join us as we look at common ant habits that relate to ant control and long-term prevention. We'll discuss a few of the ways ants can impact your life in a negative way if you don't apply effective ant control. We'll share with you a simple strategy to control ants naturally, without any need for over-the-counter control products that can let you down. We'll end by telling you why professional ant control works so well to arrest infestations and provide ongoing, long-term ant prevention.

As always, we want to quickly remind you that Peeler Environmental provides scientific, results-based pest control in Concord. If you need immediate assistance or advice regarding your pest concerns, don't hesitate to contact us. We can help you find a solution!

The Habits Of Common Ants

Have you heard the song with the line, "The ants go marching two by two?" If you hope to keep ants out of your home, understanding this song is a good start. Ants in Concord are social insects that work together to find food. When one ant locates a food source, it lays down an invisible trail as it returns to its home. The invisible trail left by that worker ant has a scent that other workers can detect. They follow the trail to the food and add to the scented trail as they return home. As the scent grows, the number of workers following the scent grows. Ant control in your house begins with sanitation. When you remove food debris and work to clean surfaces, you remove what attracts ants to explore your home, and you get rid of the food sources that might inspire ants to enter your home as an army.

Social ants work together to find food and gather into a ground swarm when exploring a spot where food was found. They can climb all over your trash or on the spot by your door where you left a bag of trash sitting. Sanitation is not only helpful for preventing ants from entering your home but also to clean ants up and remove two smells that are bringing more ants inside, namely the scent of decay and the pheromones left by ant workers. After sucking ants up with your vacuum, you can wash surfaces with soapy water to address the attractive smells. If you have outdoor ants getting into your home, these two steps, combined with some exclusion work, can stop your ant problems.

Once the ants inside your home are gone, you can continue to keep them out by applying ant prevention to reduce ant activity near your exterior. We'll provide a number of tips in our prevention section below. If you have indoor ants, you'll need to take one more step. You need to search for ant activity. Use a flashlight to look in dark voids and around moisture points. Check under your stove and fridge. Search your pantry. As you look for ants moving about, also look for the frass left by carpenter ants. Ant detection is critical because of the things ants do inside your home. Let's take a quick look at secret ant problems.

Ants In The Home Can Be A Bigger Problem Than You Think

What do ants do when your ant prevention fails? Ants are often considered a nuisance—and they certainly are a nuisance when they get into your home. But they're not only going to pester you with their presence. Here are a few quick facts you should know about these tiny invaders.

  • Ants climb in unsanitary areas and pick up germs. These tiny, microorganisms cling to the feet of little ants, and the ants track them onto surfaces, cutting boards, plates, silverware, etc. They can also bring them into your stored foods.
  • Certain ants, called carpenter ants, are able to tunnel in wood. While they don't do a lot of damage, an ongoing carpenter ant infestation that is not properly addressed, can lead to significant costs over the course of years.
  • Some ants sting. If you have fire ants in your home, they can present a unique threat for infants or the elderly. They're also a severe threat to anyone who has a stinging insect allergy. As you consider the threat of fire ants, don't neglect to consider the health and wellbeing of your dog or cat. These ants can make them miserable. 
  • Some ants chew on wire coating. When these ants get into your home, they can cause power outages or damage your electronics.

When ants are not properly controlled, they continue to lurk in the shadows or simply crawl around right in front of you, letting you know that you haven't quite won the battle. Whether you see them or you don't, they can impact your health and cause damage to your property, depending on the kind of ants you have in your home.  

The best solution for ants is to proactively keep them out. If you don't have ants yet, you can use the following ant prevention tips to reduce ant activity and prevent ants from finding a way into your home. If you already have an indoor infestation in your Phoenix home, contact Peeler Environmental for ant control near you.

Simple Tips To Prevent Ants In The House

We talked about what you can do if you already have ants in your home. Once you've sucked the ants up and cleaned your home, you'll turn your attention to sealing entry points. That is where we'll start with our prevention guide.

Step One: Exclusions

Use expanding foam to seal around the pipes under your kitchen sink. Fill in interior and exterior holes. Use this material to also fill in voids behind joists. Once this is done, use a caulking gun to seal around windows and doors. Replace weatherstripping where needed, and replace any damaged sweeps. Lastly, apply mortar to patch any cracks in your foundation walls.

Step Two: Clean

You'll want to keep your interior clean to prevent any worker ants from finding food sources or attractants inside. On the outside of your home, manage trash and remove any junk piles to reduce ant activity. Along with sanitation, clean up organic materials, such as leaves, sticks, and plant clippings.

Step Three: Routes

Ants often enter homes in large numbers when a branch or plant touches the exterior. Trim all vegetation away from your exterior walls to prevent this from occurring.

Step Four: Food

Ants eat nectar and plant sap. Reducing weeds in your yard can make a difference. Ants eat honeydew, so take measures to address aphids quickly when you detect them in your landscaping. Ants eat bugs, so address moisture by maintaining healthy gutters. Ants eat lots of insects. You may reduce insects in your yard by replacing exterior white lighting with bulbs that cast yellow light. Insects can't see yellow light and are therefore not attracted to it. 

These are the basic steps you need to take in order to reduce ant activity and keep ants out of your home. Now that you know how to get rid of ants naturally, let's look at how pest control is applied to address ant problems and get total control.

Professional Assistance Is Key To Total Ant Control

How is professional ant control different from DIY ant management and prevention? Why does professional service provide total ant control? There are many reasons. As you consider ant control in Concord, keep these in mind.

  • Professional service reduces pests around your home. Ants eat bugs, both alive and dead. Reduce this source of food and you naturally reduce the number of ants.
  • Professional service comes with the appropriate application of control products. The ant species is identified, proper baits are applied, correct methods are used, and the bait treatment is evaluated with monitoring devices and inspections.
  • Professional mound treatments are properly applied for the specific ant species and factors related to effective control are considered, such as multiple queens in the colony, the depth of the ant colonies, conducive conditions on the property, etc.
  • Professional service throughout the year maintains an exterior barrier on your foundation and perimeter to keep pests out of your home.

When you need to get rid of ants in your home or keep them out of your home, professional service is a great option. It is comprehensive, based on science, and performed by a professional. That last part may be the best incentive of all. We do the hard work so you don't have to. If you're in Concord, reach out to Peeler Environmental for the best long-lasting and sustainable ant control for your home and property.