Are you finding yourself stuck sharing your home with ants? If these small insects have been marching through your home recently then it is a good idea to figure out why. They are generally on a mission and if it happens to be inside of your home, you will want to get to the bottom of the issue and identify why you may have an ant problem.
Not only are ants a major nuisance but they travel in large groups and can contaminate your food and some species may leave you with structural damages. Before the Pennsylvania pest control pros at Moyer discuss ant prevention and treatments, let’s take a look at the top three reasons why you may have a problem in the first place.
1. You left food sitting out in your kitchen
What do an open package of crackers on the counter, a leftover crumb on the dinner table and a juice spill have in common? Well, if they are not taken care of properly they are likely to be found by foraging ants.
In fact one of the most common reasons why ants and other pests for that matter are attracted to our homes is for the food it provides. All it takes is one little worker ant to find the source of the food and they will lead all of their friends (sometimes thousands) back via a pheromone trail. This is why you see them marching in a line; they are actually following an already established path.
2. Your kitchen has a build of up grease or debris
Again, it’s all about food. Grease and food debris built around or under your kitchen appliances may attract them. Even If you are careful about the daily cleaning and the storage of your food, if you don’t regularly clean or sweep these, they may be a magnet for ants.
3. There is moist, decaying wood in your home
If food and debris are not an issue for you and you are still seeing ants in your home it is possible that you have a more serious threat, carpenter ants. Carpenter ants create their colonies in moist, decaying wood which means that the wood structures of your home are subject to an ant infestation. Many confuse carpenter ants with termites because both do destroy wood, but carpenter ants do not eat wood like termites, they simply excavate through it in order to build spaces and galleries for their nests.
In order to prevent ant infestations, follow these tips:
- Keep food stored in containers with tight fitting lids
- Wipe up spills and crumbs right away
- Deep clean your kitchen to remove built up grease and other debris
- Keep your windows and doors closed unless they have screens
- Repair leaking pipes
- Replace rotting or damaged wood
- Outside, remove wood from your property including stumps, mulch and branches
- Store firewood at least 20 feet from the house and up off the ground
Pest proofing your home is a great way to keep ants and other insects and rodents out, however if you can’t control the pests already in your home, Give us a call at 215.799.2010 or fill out the form below and we will contact you.