Identifying the Signs of Ants in Your Home

There are many different species of ants. You tend to ignore them outdoors in nature where they belong, but they can be a worse nuisance when they invade your home. What type are they, and what are they looking for? Finding the most effective treatment to eliminate ants depends on the species. There are over 1,000 species worldwide, and they all have significant differences. They have different behaviors, and some have particular preferences in food. Discourage ants from getting into your home by trimming tree branches and plants away from the house, seal tiny cracks in the foundation or around windows, eliminate standing water, and stack firewood away from the house. If they still get in, the surest way to get rid of ants in your home is by hiring the best pest control company.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants build their nests in wood. They don't eat the wood they excavate but leave it in piles outside the opening of the nest. If they get inside the wood of your house, the structure can be severely weakened. Their food preferences are dead and live insects, meat, oil, sweets, pet food, and honeydew of aphids. The worker carpenter ant measures about one-quarter inch, and the queen is about three-quarters of an inch. It is common for the colony to produce 2,000 or more workers.

Life Span

The life span of ants can vary by species, as well as the quality of their environment, and supply of food and water. For instance, the fire ant worker might live only five weeks, but the odorous ant can live for two or three years, and queens can live for many more years. If you suspect you have an infestation of ants, try to follow a forage trail to find out the entry point. Once you call an ant pest control in Atlanta GA, they can identify the species and eradicate them. They can do a house inspection using infrared to locate the nests.

Other Household Pests

Other species of common ants are the odorous ant, pavement ant, and imported red fire ants. They all like some of the same foods, and some have other preferences, but one thing they all have in common, if they get the chance, they will find what they want indoors. There are many kinds of unwanted pests that can invade your home, such as spiders, fleas, bed bugs, and cockroaches. Some carry diseases that can make you sick. Others bite, and some people can have allergic reactions, or get infections from scratching the itchy welt left behind. Spider pest control, cockroach pest control, and bed bug pest control are the guaranteed ways to keep your family safe from venomous spiders, disease spreading cockroaches, and blood-sucking bed bugs. Call professional exterminators to strategically destroy an infestation. Infrared scans can also locate moisture and pest evidence, from rodents, wasps, and other pests.

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