Who Else Wants To Keep The Ants Out Of Their St. Charles Home?

Ants are mysterious pests. They seem to appear out of nowhere, and they gain access to our homes as though we don't even have any walls. But if it is so easy for them to get in, why aren't our homes crawling with ants all the time? Understanding this can help you keep ants out of your St. Charles home. Let's take a look at how this works.

How Ants Get In

Your home has lots of holes. Some of them you may be aware of. But many are tiny holes that are difficult or impossible to see. You may have noticed that ants are small—well, most ants are small. Carpenter ants can be pretty big. A carpenter ant worker can be as big as a half inch long. Winged carpenter ants are even larger. They can be ⅝ of an inch. But most of the ants in St. Charles are smaller than ⅛ of an inch. Some are as tiny as 1/32 of an inch! Good luck keeping them out without pest control products. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try. It is just important to understand that sealing entry points isn't a complete solution when it comes to ants.

Sealing Entry Points

• If you don't want ants in your home, the first thing you should do is roll your sleeves up and seal any holes, gaps, or cracks in your exterior, especially openings that are near the ground. While this won't keep them out entirely, it will give them fewer ways to get into your home.

• On the inside of your home, you can use a caulking gun to seal gaps that provide easy access for ants to get into areas that are conducive for activity, such as moisture points, pantries, and kitchen food-storage areas. It doesn't keep them out, but it can be enough resistance to prevent them from becoming a problem.

• Do you see how it works? The goals of ant exclusion is to make it harder for ants to be successful inside your home.

• Moisture

Since many ants are attracted to moisture, you can reduce your chances of an ant infestation by addressing any moisture issues. Here are a few tips:

• Fix leaky faucets and weeping pipes.

• Install dehumidifiers to reduce humidity.

• Install fans to vent humidity.

• Food Sources

Obviously, food is a strong motivator for ants. If workers find food inside your home, they're going to let the other ants in their colony know. This will draw a large number of ants in. Some ant species can stay in your home once they're drawn in. So it is important to keep ants from finding food. This form of control centers on sanitation and food storage.

• Clean spills immediately.

• Clean up crumbs and other food debris from counters and surfaces.

• Clean floors and vacuum routinely.

• Keep dishes in soapy water, rather than sitting next to the sink with food on them.

• Put pet food down during meal times, and then pick it back up.

• Keep trash in a covered container and never leave a bag of trash sitting on the floor.

• Keep pantry shelves clean of food particles.

• Store foods that come in paper, cardboard, and thin plastic inside sealed glass or hard, plastic containers.

Complete Ant Control

You may have no more trouble with ants if you follow the tips provided above. If ants have a hard time getting into your home and finding what they're looking for, they may stay outside. But complete control of ants can only be accomplished with the implementation of a pest control strategy such as barrier treatments, bait placement, monitoring, and inspections. This is where we can help. If you need assistance with ant control in St. Charles, reach out to Pest Control Consultants. We have over 30 years of experience controlling pests in St. Charles, Illinois and the surrounding area. We can help. 

Tags: home pest control | ants |