Dealing with an ant problem can be incredibly aggravating. Sure, ants aren’t quite the pests that rats or bed bugs might be, but that doesn’t mean that you should just let them march up and down your entire home. Fortunately, preventing ants from invading your home isn’t too difficult if you make sure to practice a bit of ant control. The following are a few ant control tips that will keep ants out of your Greater Boston area house or apartment:
Remove Water Sources
Ants will be attracted to any sources of water in your house or apartment, which means that you’ll want to do what you can to reduce moisture and standing water throughout your home. Have your plumbing system routinely checked for leaks, and repair any leaks that do you come across on your own as quickly as possible.
Check to make sure that all of your gutters and downspouts work properly outdoors as well – if they don’t, water could end up flowing down towards your foundation. If there’s too much moisture in the air, it could attract ants as well—so think about investing in a dehumidifier if you need to.
Remove Food Sources
If you’ve ever spilled food outside in the summer and left it there, then odds are you were treated to a parade of ants not long afterwards. If you leave food out too long, you run the risk of a pilgrimage of ants appearing in your home. Make sure you do the following in order to remove the sources of food that attract ants:
- Keep the kitchen floors and counters clean.
- Always wipe up food and drink spills right away.
- Keep ripe fruit in the fridge.
- Wipe down sticky jars, such as your honey.
- Never use a trashcan without a lid if you’re throwing food away.
- Make sure you dispose of your trash properly by tying it off before bringing it outside.
Don’t forget about your pet’s food either. Instead of keeping your pet food in a large paper bag (like the ones they usually come in), transfer it to a plastic bag that you can seal. Keep your pet food bowls clean and regularly wipe down the area in which the food bowls sit.
Remove Access
Make it difficult for ants to find a way into your house or apartment by removing all access points. Inspect your doors and windows for cracks or holes and have them sealed. You may need to re-caulk some of your window frames if you do spot any gaps.
Check the property around your house. Make sure that the bushes and trees on your property aren’t too close to your house. They should be trimmed back if their branches reach too close to the walls or windows of your home as these act as highways for ants.
Know the Areas That Attract Ants the Most
Ant infestations tend to occur in certain areas of the home more often than other areas. These areas include kitchens, bathrooms, basements, the inside of walls and nearby HVAC units. Check these areas on a regular basis for the presence of ants and be sure to keep these areas clean.
These are a few ant control tips that should help you prevent a large colony of ants from infesting your home. If you think that you might have an ant infestation problem in your Greater Boston area house or apartment, then you’ll want to contact a professional ant control service right away. To schedule an appointment for a professional pest inspection, be sure to contact us at Bain Pest Control today.
Bain Pest Control Services the Greater Boston, Eastern Ma and Southern NH areas.