With mighty armies, black ants infest your home. These pests are skillful invaders. They enter your home through tiny entry points. Once they successfully break in, they contaminate food and even inflict structural damage. To prevent a black ant infestation, you’ll need to see the allure of your home from their perspective.
What Attracts Ants To My Home?
Black ants are attracted to climates with an abundance of heat and moisture. Outside, black ants can be found under debris or stones. Mating swarms are common in the summer months. During this time, you may see more black ants on your property. Humid settings with an abundance of water are perfect for these pests.
Black ants love the sweet honeydew aphids, scales, and mealybugs produce. Where aphids go, black ants follow. If aphids have congregated on your plants and fruit trees, a black ant infestation may follow. After they’ve amassed troops outside your home, they’ll often infiltrate.
Black ants, usually workers, invade homes to forage for food. You may see them accumulate over a pile of crumbs you neglected to clean, or they may take advantage of some dishes in the sink covered with food particles. Though, for the most part, black ants stay in dark, confined spaces. You won’t see them unless they’re congregating over some food. For obvious reasons, black ants spend most of their time in kitchens. You may also see them in bathrooms due to the larger quantities of moisture in sinks and bathtubs.
Damage To Your Queen Creek Home
While black ants do have stingers, their stingers are too small to harm a human. Still, black ants utilize other means to trigger distress. Large black ant infestations can lead to food contamination and even structural damage. Carpenter ants tunnel through wood, potentially destroying the structural integrity of your home. In addition, black ants can spread bacteria to your family members by contaminating food.
Signs Of An Infestation
At this point, you may be curious as to whether black ants have targeted your home. Black ants stay in dark, protected places, but they still leave signs of their presence. Here are a few signs that you have a black ant problem:
- You may see the presence of actual black ants on your property or inside your home. Black ants prefer dark areas. However, they can live quite conspicuously for the sake of food. Black ants have no problem with amassing over a pile of crumbs in the light.
- When carpenter ants tunnel through wood, they leave debris behind. This tunneling debris resembles brown powder. Nearby, you may see frass or droppings also resembling brown powder.
- It’s easy to focus on the marks of an infestation inside the home, but the signs extend beyond the confines of your home. You may see ant mounds that look like piles of dirt outside your home. These mounds could be evidence of an infestation inside your home.
How To Prevent An Infestation In Your Queen Creek Home
After you’ve identified a black ant infestation, you should seek professional assistance and work to prevent future infestations. In addition to what the pros advise, you can use the following tips to prevent an infestation:
- Seal crevices and cracks with still wool.
- Keep your grass well-trimmed.
- Keep your food in airtight containers.
- Store firewood at least 20 feet away from your home.
- Reduce the amount of moisture in your home by fixing leaks or purchasing a dehumidifier.
Call Quell Pest Control For Your Pest Control Needs
Black ants don’t come to your Queen Creek home with ill intentions. Nevertheless, they contaminate your food, cause structural damage to your home, and generally wreak havoc. Black ant infestations require professional assistance. You shouldn’t have to deal with a black ant infestation on your own. Call Quell Pest Control to diminish a black ant infestation. We tackle today’s infestations and make sure to stop future infestations. Reach out to us today to learn more about our year-round pest control options!