Ants are a serious problem in Georgia. They march like an army through many bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas of the home that you'd rather they not occupy. They bite and ruin your food, so how do you stave off this potential ant problem? Here are some great tips to get you started.
1. Get Rid of the Scouts
The first ants you see are the first sign of trouble, as they'll bring word of your kitchen buffet back to their colony. Get rid of them as soon as you see them. Scouts work my randomly roaming until they find your food to bring back to the colony. These scout ants work alone - so if you see any random roaming scouts, get rid of them before they bring the colony back into your home.
2. Keep It Clean
One of the most important things to keeping ants from invading your home is to keep all food properly stored and clean. Make sure any dirty dishes are immediately dealt with. Sweep and wipe down your counters at least once a day to remove food debris that will draw ants. If the ants can't get to your food then they have no reason to invade your home in swarms.
Your trash can be another potential spot for ants to find a source of food. Make sure your trash is taken out frequently to keep ants from using it as their food source. Sometimes keeping food properly stored and clean is not enough to keep ants from your home.
3. Seal Your Home
Sometimes ants still find their way into your home and cause trouble. If you do see where the ants are entering your home, take note of the area. Can you seal it using caulking or spray foam? If you can it is important to seal the entrance so ants stay outside. Sometimes the entry way can be too large for a DIY job. In that case it is important to get a professional to help seal your home to keep both ants and other pests from your home.
4. Soap It Down
Once you get everything sealed it is important to get rid of all of the ant scent trails. The ants use these trials to communicate with scouts and other ants in the colony indicating where the food is located. Soapy water will kill ants and destroy their scent trails. To get even more out of the soapy water, add citrus peels, citrus oil, mint leaves or mint oil to the mix. Then, use a spray bottle to distribute the mixture. This mix will make sure the ants don't find their way back to your food.
Since ants work with scent to lead other ants to your food it is important to clear up these scent trails after your food is properly stored. If there are any other scouts crawling around, they can find the food and create a new scent trail making your previous clean-up pointless.
5. Dry It Up
It isn't only food that ants are drawn to in your home. Ants can be drawn to moisture, especially during a hot, dry summer. If you have water leaks in your home, take care of them as quickly as possible. This isn't only to prevent ants, many other pests are attracted to wet areas of your home. It is important to keep your home as dry as possible to reduce pest problems as well as mildew and mold problems.
There are some cases where a clean home with no visible entry points can still be invaded by ants. In this case there might be a need for an extra layer of protection.
6. Create a Barrier
This will only keep more ants from coming in, so you'll still need to deal with those already inside. However, you can stop ants by making a line across their access point made of powdered charcoal, turmeric, cinnamon, citrus oil, chalk, pepper, diatomaceous earth or vinegar. There are many professionals who can but in a very effective barrier to keep pests from reentering your home - however it is still important to keep food properly stored in order to be as thorough as possible in preventing ants.
By keeping these tips in mind, you'll be able to stop those ants before they turn into a serious problem. Keeping a clean home and keeping the home sealed can go a long way for ant prevention.
And if you need ant extermination services, don't hesitate to give us a call today!
