Believe it or not, ants are probably already in your home and you don’t know it. Ants are constantly sending out scouts for new food sources, and chances are they have scouted out your place. But if they haven’t found a viable food source, you probably won’t have to worry about an ant infestation, and that’s one of the ways to deal with one.
Keep Your Kitchen Clean
The most important way to deal with any ant infestation is to keep your kitchen clean. Just remember, without food, ants may check out your place, but they won’t soon be coming back. So it is very important to always sweep up any sugar that is spilled, wipe up any jelly or jam that spots a table or sink area, and don’t allow dirty dishes to remain unwashed on the counter. By doing this, you’ll stop an ant infestation in its tracks.
Remove Ant Trails
Ants leave formic acid trails for other ants to follow. The more ants that follow a trail—for example, if a food source has been found at the end of it—the larger it becomes, and then even more ants will follow it.
You can use basically any store-bought all-purpose cleaner to wipe away a formic acid trail. If you do, the ants will have nothing to follow, and they’ll have to start all over again. Although this won’t prevent them from getting into your home, you can head off a major ant infestation if you regularly clean the areas where they may have left trails.
Ant Traps
Ant traps use a poisoned bait inside a small plastic container that only ants can get to. They need to be placed on a known ant trail, and once the ants have found the bait, they will carry it back to the colony and kill the queen.
One of the problems with ant traps is that they are not all effective for all types of ants. Since some ants are attracted to sweets and some are attracted to meat, having a trap for the wrong type of ant won’t do any good.
The other problem comes about if you have pets or kids. Ideally, ant traps should be placed out of sight like under cabinets and in drawers so that curious kids and nosy pets won’t get to them. But if ant traps are not placed on or near known ant trails, they may not work at all.
The Professional Solution
The best thing to do during any ant infestation is to call in a professional. A professional will identify the types of ants you have and target those particular types. Usually, within a matter of days, your ant infestation will be gone, and if you decide to have follow-up checks, the ants will stay gone.
If you have any questions about an ant infestation in your home, or if you see ants—either singly or on an ant trail—please contact Bain Pest Control Service. We have been serving the New England area since 1926.