Ant problem? Get Immediate Ant Help
Coastal Brown Ant
White-footed House Ant
Carpenter Ant
Bulldog Ant
Ant
2 - 3 mm
The Dos and Don’ts of Ants
- Enlist the help of a skilled specialist to begin the procedure of eradicating your home from an ant infestation.
- A thorough inspection is first required to determine what species of ant exist and where.
- To deal with ants, often you need to use chemical methods as well as other methods like mechanical and cultural sanitation.
- Remember the importance of keeping ants out. Inside your home, cover up any cracks or crevices that may provide access from outside (especially in the kitchen).
- Keep all sweet food in sealed containers (be sure to wash them beforehand to remove any sticky residue on the outside)
- Keep your surfaces and floors clean from any spills or grease
- Look for places where ants may have created nests inside your home – like potted plants for example. If you do find any ants, have the containers immediately removed from the premises. Submerge the pots for 20 minutes in water containing a few drops of liquid soap.
- Don’t try and eliminate ants entirely from an outdoor area – this is virtually impossible!
- Don’t let your guard down around ants as they can bite. The bull ant in particular has a nasty bite!
- Inside your home don’t leave sugars, syrups, honey, fruit juice or meats and fat lying around, as ants thrive off these foods. They can leave long trails from their nests to the source of food, an obvious problem in your home or building.
- Outside ants tend to be attracted to honeydew or other sticky, yet sweet secretions produced by scales and aphids – outbreaks of scales and aphids occur because ants protect them from their natural enemies.
- Do not keep empty soft drink containers in the house – or be sure to wash them thoroughly
- Do not store garbage indoors
- Do not plant trees or shrubs that attract or support honeydew-producing insects near your home or building.
Some information about Ants
There are many different species of ants. Most are pretty harmless (and if you’ve seen animations like Bugs Life, they seem pretty cute too!) In fact, they can be quite useful in that they feed on rotting plants and animals and help the environment by cleaning it up. We should warn you though, that some species tend to be more invasive. They can come into your homes and buildings in search of food. The army of ants that might invade your home are known as pests.
The ant loves its food! It doesn’t discriminate against different types of food either – it likes everything! It can go after sweet food, meat, cereals or fruit. Being so tiny, they can’t really fit all that much in but once they’ve made their mark, the food becomes inedible. Not to mention they can also bring their germs and contaminate the food.
Ants can basically be found anywhere where there is access to food and water. This means in offices, restaurants, hospitals and warehouses as well as in your homes, so keep an eye out for them. Ants have to be caught early on before they have a chance to build a colony inside or around a building. Ants may enter your home or building in search of food and water, warmth and shelter. You may notice more of them during extreme changes in weather like floods or hot weather. The preferred method of the ant is to make a trail across wires and pipes.
