Ant Control 101: A Helpful Guide For Lawrenceville Homeowners

They're on the counters. They're on your walls. You have them running along your baseboards, crawling across your floors, and scaling your kitchen trash receptacle. Where will they turn up next? Will they get into your food? Will they climb on you while you're watching television? Ants are super annoying and often hard to control. Don't worry. We have you covered. We've put together all the facts you need for effective ant management. We'll look at the social hierarchy of ant colonies and how they're wired to get into your home. We'll discuss some challenges to consider when ants enter your home so you can prevent big problems. We'll explore some ant prevention challenges and pitfalls to avoid, and tell you what the experts at ProCare Pest Services do to deal with ants. If you'd like to see, first-hand, how our technicians address ant pest control in Lawrenceville, give us a call, text us, or drop us a line on our contact page. We can schedule a service visit. With that said, let's dig in and talk about ant control and prevention in Lawrenceville.

Ant Behavior: Social Hierarchy And Communication

Scientists say that one of the things that makes animals and humans uniquely different is that animals don't teach what they've learned to each other. For example, a human might figure out that using a spear is the best way to hunt, and show other humans how to use the spear, where to hide, and what technique to use when leaping from the bushes. Ants don't do this – which actually makes what they do all the more impressive.

A scout ant knows to journey out away from the other ants in search of food inside your home.
The scout has the ability to lay down a trail of pheromones, which other ants can follow to the food.
Each ant knows to gather the food and add it to the trail as it returns to the nest.
The ants work together to collect larger food items without any need for a foreman or manager.
As they collect the food, they are continually running into each other, grooming, and searching for harmful materials.
When ants die, they are collected and brought to a burial location.
When a liquid source is found, ants are able to collect droplets on their backs and carry them home.

Ants do all of these things as a part of their programming. Pretty cool, huh? But do you know that you can use these facts to help you get rid of an ant infestation and prevent future infestations? Let's walk down through the facts presented above and look at them from a slightly different angle.

When a scout ant explores your exterior and is unable to find an entry point, it may stay outdoors and find food sources in your yard rather than your kitchen.
When a scout ant gets into your home but doesn't find food, it has no reason to lay down a pheromone trail on its way back to its colony.
When you see ants crawling around in your home, you can confuse them by washing surfaces with soapy water to remove the pheromone scent. You can also use the ant trails to track where the ants are coming into your home. If they seem to be everywhere, try blowing on them and watch as they quickly group together and head back along the trail in response to your interaction.
Consider all food sources fair game for ants, and make sure everything is covered and protected in your kitchen.
When you apply control materials, you can make your ant problems worse. They detect these materials as they groom. When detected, it can send a signal back to the colony and lead to a process called budding, which turns one colony into several.
Control materials that target ants have little or no impact on the colony as a whole because the contaminated ants are segregated. Only materials that are undetectable to ants have success addressing the source of ant problems.
Since ants can collect liquid, there are some liquid bait solutions. When applied correctly, they can get the job done, but liquid baits can become inert or ineffective when applied in sunny areas.

When asked about DIY ant control, we commonly turn people toward pest maintenance steps, like applying pest-proofing, deep cleaning, protecting food, washing down surfaces, and other all-natural solutions. If a control material is required, it is best to contact a pest management professional.

Now that you know a bit about how to get rid of ants naturally and why ant control is best performed by a professional, let's turn from the "how" to the "why" of ant control. It is critical to consider why you should go with effective ant control provided by a trained person.

Ant Problems: Ants In The Home Can Be More Than A Nuisance

It is annoying to have ants invade your home over and over, and even more annoying when you attempt to get control of them without success. But ants aren't just a nuisance. We have ants in our Lawrenceville service area that are a bit more troublesome.

Some ants make a stink as they annoy you. A good example is the odorous house ant. When you crush these ants underfoot, you'll start to notice the scent of rotten coconut.
All ants that enter your home have the ability to pick up bacteria in trash receptacles and other unsanitary zones and spread them around your kitchen. Some are more efficient at doing this than others.
Some ants are considered a disease concern. On the top of the list are pharaoh ants. We recommend checking out resources at the CDC website to learn more.
Perhaps the worst ant problem is stinging ants. If you see fire ant mounds getting close to your home, it is a good idea to call a professional for professional fire ant control. A sting from a fire ant can cause an allergic reaction. Check health resources on the internet to learn about stinging insect allergies, even if you've never had a problem, as you can develop an allergy later in life.

When you see ants in your home, you'll want to get rid of them. Hopefully, understanding these dangers will inspire you to do the hard work and take measures to get ants under control. Let's turn our attention to ant prevention methods and some of the pitfalls you may encounter.

Ant Prevention Mistakes To Avoid: Common Pitfalls And Solutions

You know how to prevent ants in your kitchen, right? Use suck the ants up with your vacuum and wash surfaces to get rid of them. But, if you've done this, you know that this does nothing to stop your ant problems. You have to use a multi-pronged approach to stop ants in Lawrenceville. Here are some tips to help you get the job done.

When sucking up ants with your vacuum, be sure to put the bag outdoors after you're done.
Wait to wash down surfaces. Track where the ants are coming in before you clean the pheromones. When you find the entry point, use a caulking gun or a can of expanding foam to fill the hole. If you don't, ants will keep coming in.
When applying expanding foam, don't make the mistake of doing this job without gloves. Expanding foam adheres to the skin and is hard to get off.
Remove a food source ants have found. If you clean the ants up but don't remove the food, they can still smell it and find their way back inside and start collecting it again.
Avoid using control solutions directly on ants. These concoctions can eliminate ants but doing so can cause colony budding. It is also a topical solution that does nothing to address the colony.

There are many ways to get unwanted results when you apply ant control, particularly if you use control materials. When mound treatments, baits, dusts, liquid applications, and other control methods are needed, it is best to let a professional handle the complicated job of colony elimination and ant control.

Ant Control Done Right: Call The Experts For Complete Ant Control

When you contact a licensed pest control service provider, there are a few things you can expect. We inspect your property, track ant activity, consider entry points, find where ants are entering, and develop an ant removal plan. Your technician will use trusted products and apply them according to tested methods so that they achieve results. We also use methods to monitor ant activity and perform follow-up inspections to make sure no ants remain in your home. Along with control products, your technician will also perform pest maintenance, such as sealing key entry points ants use to enter your home. When you want a complete ant control solution, it pays to hire an educated and experienced pest professional. For home pest control service in Lawrenceville, contact ProCare Pest Services today. Our staff looks forward to helping you find the perfect solution to address your pest problem.