Spring ants can be a big problem for residents living in O’Fallon, IL. The pests are abundant in nature and can multiply quickly. Once you’ve seen one ant inside the home, you’ll likely see an entire colony. They move indoors in search of food which they carry back to their nests to feast on.
If you ignore the problem for long, you’ll have an issue that you can’t reasonably treat on your own. There is no product on the market that you buy that is as effective as what a professional exterminator has access to use. Although it’s an expense to hire a pest control company to get rid of the spring ants for you, it provides you with peace of mind by eliminating stress.
Use this short but complete guide to deal with household pests effectively. While you’re waiting for an exterminator to come to your home, you can proactively start eliminating ants by investigating how they’re getting into the residence. You’re able to put two and two together and start formulating a plan of attack that keeps the insects out and your home and its contents free from intruders at all times.
What You Can Do Between Pest Control Visits
Pest control services do fast work to get rid of ant problems for good. In the meantime, there are things you can do to prevent the issue from worsening. After all, it may take more than one visit from an exterminator to rid your property of carpenter ants entirely.
Here is what you can do today to tackle your spring ant problem:
- Determine their point of entry and close it off. If the ants have no way to get into the home, they’ll move on. Routinely check cracks and crevices wide enough for an ant to squeeze through. Sealing the problem areas off prevents other critters from making their way into the home and causing you to have an even more expensive exterminator bill. Caulking works well to eliminate the gaps in between door frames and window frames, too.
- Seal food boxes and put loose items in food-safe containers with lids on them. Ants need food to survive. You make it entirely too easy for them to feast when you leave food out on tables and countertops for them. Make sure that you seal all open bags and boxes tightly. You can also put items in airtight containers with lids to keep the pests out. It’s a good practice to get into as it allows your foods to remain fresh longer, too.
- Maintain your yard so that it looks beautiful and isn’t overgrown with brush or cluttered with debris. Ants like to nest where it’s warm and secret. That could be in a pile of leaves or woodpiles. Landscaping supplies that you have yet to use also act as a home to ants. By taking care of the problems outdoors, you make it, so the carpenter ants move on to another property. They won’t run into your home because the pests will be nowhere near it.
- Use peppermint and lavender oil. The combination of the two oils repels pests. You can create a mix with water to spray throughout the home. Or, if you prefer, you’re able to place the substance on cotton balls to line shelves and countertops. Pests hate the smell of peppermint, and many don’t like lavender, either. You’ll have a doubly-effective deterrent by mixing the two to use throughout the home.
- Take out the trash often. Kitchen trash, especially, can be problematic. Making sure that your trash cans inside the home have lids and that you remove the full bags usually, you’re able to avoid many of the problems that occur indoors involving ants. Again, they are in search of food. They don’t care if you consider it garbage or not. It’s of no relevance to them. Make sure trash receptacles have their lids closed, too, to keep ants from rummaging through the barrels outdoors.
Don’t waste your energy using solutions that aren’t effective. Time is of the essence when ridding your home of carpenter ants and other common spring ants. Although the insects are the least destructive of all the different varieties, it’s still unsettling to know that you have bugs inside your home.
Get the Pest Control Help That You Need to Rid Yourself of Spring Ants for Good
Pest control provides homeowners in O’Fallon, IL, the opportunity to rid their residences of carpenter ants once and for all. If you find yourself in need of the help of an exterminator, give us a call. We’re here to assist you with your request and put an end to the nightmare problem you have with ants.
You won’t be discovering new populations of them inside your home because you didn’t get rid of the problem’s source. By taking care of issues such as organic waste outdoors, unsealed food in the kitchen or pantry, and cracks or crevices inside or outside the home, you make our job easier. Call or contact us with your request for pest control services and get rid of the ants that have been giving you problems.