Ants in your home and yard are nuisances for a household. If you are unable to manage the problem, you might consider hiring professional pest control services. Their technicians will implement effective strategies for dealing with your infestation. The workers will also provide you with guidance on how to prevent problems in the future. If you are experiencing any of the following problems, consider hiring a pest control service.
Landscaping Issues
Although ants in a home tend to cause more aggravation, large colonies can pose significant problems for anyone trying to maintain a manicured lawn. As the insects construct underground tunnels, they transfer the dirt to the surface. This creates piles of sand-like dirt surrounding small holes in the center of the mound. Property owners may find that the situation quickly escalates. Professionals can remove the ants effectively, and can advise you on how to prevent future infestations.
Mailbox Invasions
After heavy rainfall, you may find a large number of ants and their eggs in your mailbox. Their tunnels flood during rain, so they seek shelter higher up. Ants scurrying around is a troubling sight when you just want to grab your mail. Fortunately, just leaving the box's door open compels them to leave, though it won't stop another invasion during the next rainstorm.
Outdoor Solutions
If the problem seems to be centralized to a single nest, the technicians may eradicate the colony by digging it up and removing it. Removing the queen is essential. A larger-scale problem might require you to flush out the nest's tunnels with a garden hose every few days for several minutes until the ants are gone.
Interior Extermination
To exterminate ants inside your home, workers might place bait in places where the insects have been seen. They should make sure pets and young children cannot get into the bait since it contains pesticide, which is a form of poison. Since the ants carry the substance back to the nest, it is effective at eradicating more than just the bugs you see traveling around your home.
Preventive Methods
To prevent insects from coming in again, technicians will seal crevices, holes, and cracks in the home's exterior. However, since ants are so tiny, they may still find ways to come inside and may establish themselves again if you are lax about certain types of cleanliness. Dirty dishes and pans sitting out on the counter can attract ants. So can food crumbs on the countertops and floor. If you have had problems with ants, even open containers that once contained sugary beverages should be rinsed before you place them in a recycling container.
Concluding Thoughts
Hiring pest control services is advisable when you need to get rid of an ant infestation. You may not know how to eradicate them efficiently and may feel uncomfortable about spraying pesticide in the kitchen. Turn the work over to skilled professionals to make sure the infestation is eradicated efficiently and safely.
When you come upon an ant in your home, what do you do? Maybe you kill that one ant and then set some traps to catch any others that come with it. Perhaps you spray some insecticides along the baseboards or in other places where ants tend to congregate. Sometimes these measures might take care of the problem, but other times they don't. If ants continue to be an issue, you'll need to call a pest control company. The same goes if you are dealing with roaches, mice, or some other pest. Learn more about pest control and what these companies do as you explore this website.