Of all the pests you can find around your Queen Creek home, ants are one of the most prevalent. Most homeowners will deal with ants in or around their property at one point or another, and ants are almost always extremely difficult to remove because of their small size and invasive nature.
There are many different ant species in the area, and, luckily, most of them are considered nuisance pests. However, there are other species that can cause property damage or pose health risks, and even the less troublesome species are still unwelcome in the home.
To help you identify the nuisance species from the more problematic ones, we’ve put together a guide to what they look like:
- Fire Ants: This notorious orangish-red species can sting and bite. These strings can be potentially dangerous, especially to people who are allergic.
- Odorous House Ants: While this dark brown species is only about an ? of an inch long, they are notorious for the smell of rotten coconuts they emit when crushed and are classified as nuisance pests.
- Carpenter Ants: This species can cause property damage as they tunnel through wooden structures. They are dark brown or black and about ½ an inch long.
- Argentine Ants: While Argentine ants do not bite or sting, they are one of the most invasive ant species because they have massive colonies. They are dark brown to black with 12-segmented antennae.
Whether they are a nuisance or a potential threat to the safety of your home or family, all ants contaminate food and reproduce in large numbers, which means no ant is a good ant in your Queen Creek home.
What Attracts Ants To A Home?
Overall, ants aren’t that difficult to understand. Like most animals, they search for access to food and water as well as areas where they can build their colonies and reproduce. When it comes to ants, they aren’t that picky about what they will eat. They will consume pet food, protein, sweet treats, and much more.
They also prefer a humid environment, so an excess of water both inside and out can draw them in. Lastly, ants are more likely to become a problem in your home if they can easily get inside. If they can find a way to slip inside, they’ll be more likely to enter and find places where they can establish colonies.
What Are The Best Ways To Prevent Ants?
Because ants are so tiny, preventing them is more of a challenge than it is for some other species. However, while it can be a lot of work to remove every entry point around your home, there are some things you can do to reduce the factors that attract ants.
Here are five ways to deter ants:
Place lids on all garbage cans and clean up trash around your property.
Remove excess clutter both inside and outside of your home. This includes removing leaf piles, grass clippings, and other organic debris.
Make sure to regularly clean kitchen spaces and wipe up food and drink spills right away.
Install door sweep and weather stripping and try to fill up cracks in the walls and foundation with caulk.
Lower excess humidity around your house by fixing leaky pipes and faucets.
It may seem like a lot to do, but preventing ants in the first place is far easier than removing an active infestation.
The Easiest Way To Remove Ant Problems
Because ants are so difficult to prevent, you might find yourself at some point dealing with an infestation. However, the experts at Quell Pest Control are here for you. We can effectively remove ant infestations of any species in Queen Creek. We then provide ongoing pest control programs that will ensure ants don’t come back. To get started, give us a call to request your free quote.