Every once in a while, you might have a few ants that wander into your kitchen looking for food, but if you’re finding trails of ants around your house you might have a problem.
Having an ant infestation can be the result of many factors. You could be finding swarms of ants inside, but their colony might still be somewhere in your yard. Generally speaking, the ants you see are just searching for food. Closing off food supplies is a good start to getting rid of them.
Ant Colony Identification
If you think the ants you see might be living in your walls there are a few things you can do to check. Look for rotted wood around the outside of your house; ants like to start colonies in rotted wood, especially carpenter ants, who burrow through wood. Following the trail is also extremely helpful; this will let you know whether their home is indoors or outdoors and what their food source is.
Knowing what kind of ant infestation you have is an important part of removing ants from your home. Two of the more common types of ants that invade homes are tiny black ants and carpenter ants. Tiny black ants generally build their colonies outside the home and come in only in search of snacks. To stop a tiny black ant invasion, follow the trail and seal off any points of entry you find with sealing caulk.
Finding carpenter ants in your home might be an indicator of a bigger problem. If this sort of ant decides to take up residence in your walls there is a good chance you already have wood damage and might end up with a little more due to the nest. Carpenter ants nest in moist wood; if you have moist wood inside your house it’s usually a sign of a leak. To find the leak you need to find the nest, but with carpenter ants this can be difficult. It’s best to call in a professional.
How to Get Rid of Ants Permanently
Following the trail that ants lead will help you get rid of most small problems. Once you’ve identified their food source, you can seal up all unprotected food, or move a pet’s bowl. You can also figure out where they’re coming in and seal it off. A trail is very important to ants. They use pheromones to track their steps and lead other ants back and forth from nest to food. Erasing the pheromone line with a disinfectant wipe will prevent ants from retracing their steps.
Healthy Home Termite & Pest Control uses a non-deterrent insecticide around the outside of your house to protect it from ants. Ants are very good at getting around chemicals that attempt to repel them, so Healthy Home Termite & Pest Control jumps past that problem and uses one that will go unnoticed by the ants and kill them quickly. Once we’ve put down our protective barrier, our technicians will give you tips on how to eliminate future risk of infestation based on what they find around your home. Some suggestions might include cleaning out clogged gutters or removing piles of leaves and mulch that are placed against the outside of the home.
Contact the Ant Control Experts
Get ants out and keep them out. If you think you might have an ant infestation in your home, call Healthy Home Termite & Pest Control at (770) 505-9040, or fill out our online contact form today.