When faced with a problem, we must choose a long-term or short-term solution. Short-term solutions offer a quick, relatively painless fix to the problem. People often refer to quick resolutions as "kicking the can down the road" because they may provide immediate relief but don't address core issues. On the other hand, long-term solutions require time and micro changes, eventually drilling down to the root of the problem.
Ants are everywhere; you must determine if you want a quick-fix resolution or one that addresses the cause of an infestation and provides long-term results. If you have ants in the house and want to solve the problem once-and-for-all, start with the Marietta pest control experts from ProCare Pest Services. In 2014, our family-owned and operated company launched to provide our community with long-term, quality pest control solutions. We are here to take care of your ant problem.
You probably found this article while searching the internet because ants have invaded your Marietta house. In this article, you will learn how ants establish colonies inside homes and what you can do to keep them from invading your home in the future.
The Life Cycle Of Ants: How Ant Colonies Develop
An ant infestation occurs when ants create nests inside the home. There are two ways ants establish colonies inside houses. When you look out your window at dusk or sunrise in early spring or fall, you may notice swarms of flying insects around outdoor lights or hovering near windows where an inside light is shining. The reason for the phenomenon is that some ant species (and termites) produce a group of winged flying ants capable of reproducing. Crazy ants, thief ants, pavement ants, and odorous ants are the species in our area that create new colonies by dispatching winged reproducing ants.
In the spring, usually after heavy rain and when temperatures rise, male and female winged reproductive ants leave an established, mature nest. If the ants survive predators and the weather and find a suitable location, they mate in the air, and the male falls to the ground and dies.
The future queen lands and burrows into the ground to create a chamber to raise the offspring. Soon worm-shaped, eyeless, and legless larvae emerge from the eggs and are fed with saliva from the queen. The larvae go through growth stages by shedding their shells until they spin a cocoon and enter the pupa stage. Eventually, the ants emerge from their spun chambers as adults. An ant's development process may take many weeks or months.
The ants that hatch and develop are part of a caste system that consists of blind, sterile female workers, male drones, and winged, reproductive ants. Male drones breed with the queen to continually produce more eggs. Flying reproductive ants (male and female) are usually not present until a colony is mature and numerically large enough to allow members to leave and form new nests.
Budding is the other process some colonies use to create new nests. Fire ants (some species), ghost ants, pharaoh ants, and Argentine ants in our area use this process. Colonies that bud have multiple queens in addition to the workers and drones; they do not have winged ants that fly.
When one of these nests is disturbed, one or several fertilized queens exit with several worker ants to relocate to a new location. Once the entourage locates a haven, the queen begins producing eggs; the eggs are fed and protected by the worker ants until they mature.
It is necessary to identify the ants infesting your house because if the species uses budding to create satellite nests, you may have more ant nests than when you began removing them from your Marietta home. ProCare Pest Services applies appropriate ant control solutions so you don't have more ants in your house.
The Dangers of Ants: Understanding the Risks of Infestations
Ants in your house are embarrassing. No one wants friends over for dinner when they have a problem with ants crawling along the baseboards or across the kitchen countertop. However, the following are health reasons why ant control is necessary when these tiny insects infest your home:
- Ants contaminate surfaces
- Ants spread disease
- Ants trigger allergic reactions
Ants will walk over anything, including unsanitary items like animal feces, rotting food, dead plant material, etc.; these things are a seedbed for bacteria and other disease-causing pathogens. When ants move across these polluted areas, the infectious organisms transfer to their feet. Later, when those ants walk through your house, the bacteria move onto eating and cooking surfaces and contaminate them.
All ants contaminate surfaces, but the pharaoh ant, which is in our area, spreads diseases. The front parts (head and thorax) of these 1/6-inch ants are pale yellow or reddish, but the abdomen (the rear section) is darker. Salmonellosis, staphylococcus, clostridium, and streptococcus are diseases spread by pharaoh ants. Although these ants are prone to infest medical facilities where they enter IV bottles and medical supplies, they occasionally enter houses.
Another ant in Marietta that can cause a severe allergic reaction in some people is the fire ant. These ants have a dark reddish 1/8 to 3/8-inch body and build irregular, flat-topped mounds two to four feet in diameter. When a fire ant nest is disturbed, soldier ants quickly attack the perceived perpetrator and sting repeatedly and inject venom. This venom causes small, itchy, fluid-filled painful pustules to develop that last for several days. Because they can sting and inject venom multiple times, some people experience breathing difficulties, vomiting, chest pains, and other severe allergic reactions from fire ant stings. Although these ants are common in Marietta lawns, they can enter homes through HVAC systems.
In addition to health concerns, some ants can cause physical damage. Another ant in our area, crazy ants, like to reside inside electronics. When these 1/8-inch bluish-hued ants build massive colonies inside appliances, AC units, and other devices with sensitive circuitry, they chew on the wires and introduce moisture. The combination of exposed wiring and dampness causes short circuits disabling the machine.
ProCare Pest Services provides ant pest control services near you. Our trained technicians can identify ants invading your house and create a treatment plan targeting the problematic pests. We will protect your home against contamination, electronics from disruption, and your family from painful stings.
Five No-Nonsense Ant Prevention Tips For Around The House
Ants are necessary for our ecosystem, but they are not to be a part of our indoor living experience. Once you experience effective ant control from ProCare Pest Services, you don't want ants to return to your house. The following suggestions will deter ants from entering and contaminating your home:
- Remove standing water from the yard
- Eliminate junk and debris around the property
- Prune tree branches and shrubs away from the house
- Seal foundation and roofline cracks
- Repair holes in window and door screens
Ants infest a property when food, water, and shelter are abundant. When you provide proper drainage to ditches, low-lying areas, and gutters and remove old tires, rotting timber, leaf and wood piles, etc., you remove shelter and water possibilities. Since many ants use tree and shrub branches as highways onto window ledges and roofs, trimming them away from the house will prevent the insects from accessing the structure.
Because ants are tiny, they can easily squeeze into cracks in the foundation, crevices around utility boxes, and gaps between incoming pipes and wires. Seal these openings with a silicone-based caulk to prevent ants from entering the home. Ants have claws on the bottom of their six legs and can climb vertically. For this reason, use screens on the windows.
When a technician from ProCare Pest Services arrives at your home for a pest control ant treatment, we can provide additional tips to prevent future infestations.
Professional Ant Control: A Great Way To Keep Ants Out For Good
Once ants invade a home, they can be difficult to remove. Many ants create nests in wall voids, inside appliances, and behind masonry and wood facades making access making eradication difficult. Another problem homeowners face is the reproduction process of many Marietta ants. If the ant infestation consists of ants who create new nests through budding, you may have more nests in other locations if you use the wrong ant control methods.
ProCare Pest Services offers home pest control in Marietta, so homeowners don't have to worry about creating more ant nests in their homes. When you partner with us, we will walk with you to inspect your Marietta home to identify the invading ant species, attractants, entry points, and hot spots. Using the data from our investigation and our years of pest control experience, we will create a strategic plan targeting the offending ants in your house.
Our treatments will eradicate the ant population inside your home and create a barrier around your house to prevent future infestations. We will protect your family and home. Contact us today to get a free quote, and let us take care of your ant problem.
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