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No one wants ants in their home and ants are one of the most difficult pests to prevent from entering your property.
Whether you're experiencing an infestation of argentine ants or carpenter ants, the best way to stop an ant problem is to take action before it starts.
When the small and persistent pests enter your property, they leave ant pheromone trails to communicate with their colony members that your home is a place where they can find food and shelter.
Before you call in a trained and licensed exterminator, like Western Exterminator, to treat your home, there are steps you can take to help keep ants away from your property. However, if you are dealing with an ant infestation and just want to get rid of them, contact Western Exterminator.
Maintaining a high level of sanitation in your home is key to preventing pests in general but this is especially true with ants. Ants love to eat all things sticky and sweet, so spills and messes that go uncleaned are very attractive to ants.
With that in mind it's important to not leave temptation in their path. To keep ants away you must remember to:
Above all, cover any food in storage areas - you don't know where ants have been walking before they march across your food.
One of the places people first see ants in the home is in the kitchen. This is because ants are on a constant search for food. Ant colonies will send out scouts to find food sources that will lay down a chemical trail when they find food. This then allows all of the other scavenger ants, charged with finding food for the nest, to come out and start carrying food back to the rest of the anthill.
The place where we have the highest concentration of food that ants like to eat is in the kitchen and the pantries in close proximity to the kitchen. Ants will seek out food on counters, in cabinets and cupboards and other areas.
Once again, cleanliness is key. Keep your kitchen clean and tidy at all times. Sweep up crumbs and food scraps and be careful about leaving any food out and never leave food out uncovered. Seal up food in containers so ants cannot get inside or store them in the fridge or other areas with seals that prevent them from coming in. Carefully wash all dishes and silverware, ensuring there’s no food residue left on them. Pay particular attention to your floor too, making sure there are no crumbs and scraps hiding in the corners or edges of the kitchen. If ants have already traveled across your floor, remember to remove the scent trail. If you have mats or carpet on the floor, vacuum them to remove tiny particles of food.
Pay attention to your garbage cans too. Empty them regularly, and wash them out to remove any leftover liquids that might attract ants. You could also add some baking soda to the garbage to repel the ants.
If ants cannot gain entry into your property, then you won't have to worry about infestations. That's easier said than done as it will only take the tiniest gap to give small insects like ants access. However, it will help if you can do everything you can to seal up any cracks, holes and crevices you spot on the perimeter of your home or business.
Common areas in your property where gaps can be found include:
The most effective way to keep ants away for your home or business is to work with professionals like Western Exterminator to have preventive treatments applied to the exterior and interior of your property. While ants are often active year round on the West Coast, it is especially important to arrange a treatment prior to the warmer months.
New residential customers have the opportunity sign up for Western Exterminator's residential maintenance plan, PestFree365+. With PestFree365+, you can enjoy full peace-of-mind knowing that your home will receive regularly scheduled technician visits and treatments.
Western Exterminator are experts in ant prevention for the home and for businesses. We can find where ants could potentially enter the building and what might attract them there. Our specialists have industry-leading training and expertise in all ant species and know just what to do to keep your property ant-free. To learn about more about our ant control and prevention solutions, fill out our contact form online.