A Simple Guide to Controlling Ants in Your Northern Virginia Home

You’re trying to control ants in your home? Start here first.

In the United States, ants can survive in all fifty states and cause home damage. Each year, millions of dollars are spent to keep carpenter ants at bay.

But the real question is, how to control ants in your northern Virginia home?

For homeowners looking for the best, check out this simple guide to controlling aunts for pest-free living.

Read on to learn more.

Know What to Look For

A swarm of ants is often attracted to rotten or faulty wood and small cavities. They can cause damage such as:

• Contaminate food
• Cause property damage
• Build unsightly mounds

It takes three to six years for a fully developed colony of ants to form. They belong to the same family as bees and wasps. Ant queens will lay thousands of eggs at a given time. What does ant eggs look like? 

Ant eggs are white, grub-appearing larvae. Be on the lookout for ant eggs in areas in your home that may have rotting wood.

Keep Your House Tidy

One of the best ways to implement ant control is by keeping your house tidy. Be sure to clean your house regularly. Ants are attracted to sweet foods and can find spills from over two-hundred meters away.

Clean your home at least three times a week by:

• Vacuuming
• Wiping down floors and counters
• Washing dishes

Always rinse your recycled items like soda bottles and cans and store your items outside of your home. Keep your foods covered and stored!

Be sure to seal crevices and cracks around doors and windows by caulking the crevices to bar ants from entering. For existing ant issues, consider setting up and ant trap with ants feed as the bait. Place it at the source where the ants are most active.

Be sure to contact professional ant extermination services for additional support. 

Get Rid of Plants that Attract Ants

You can decrease the likelihood of ants entering your by clearing pests and plants outside of your home that may attract ants. Remove plants such as:

• Ripe fruit from trees
• Plants with aphids

Try keeping a barrier or mulch and rock between your home and the grass. This will create a first-line defense and deter ants from entering your home. Don’t forget to trim overhanging branches from bushes and trees.

Be sure to unclog gutters to prevent ants from forming a colony and remove wood that is decaying, wet, or rotted. Work with expert pest control services to locate the ant nest. 

Controlling Ants

There are certain things you should do when it comes to controlling ants. Be sure to do your research ahead of time. Be aware of high traffic areas in your home and show in pest application where children and pets may be.

What are you waiting for? Your pest free home awaits!

Want to see more posts like this one? Check out the rest of our blog to learn more!