Ant Problem? Now That It Is Getting HOT, Ants Are On The Move

How can you prevent ants from establishing themselves in your home?

Late spring, as it gets hot is when ants become active and start looking for areas to grow their colony. Ants thrive in a place that stays warm at night and where water and food is close by.

Ant problem in Philadelphia and the suburbs

Unfortunately, homes in the Delaware Valley work out perfectly for Ants. Ants are super thrifty survivors and will crawl through cracks you can’t even see to get to the supplies they need.
Most of the ants in late spring, early summer you see in your home are looking for food to bring back to the colony, which will be close by. If they find a good source, they will communicate the location to the rest of the colony, then you will see a line of ants. So, if they happen to keep finding food in your home, their friends will begin to show up more and more until there are so many Ants, you can’t handle it.

Once inside, the ants will do a beeline to the food source. Ants have a strong sense of smell and can smell food from a far away. They like cookies, candy, and sweet drinks -sugar products.
The Ants leave a scent trail so that other ants in the colony can follow back and forth from where the food is to the nest to feed the other ants. Once an ant infestation is established in your home, it can be hard to remove them without a professional.
The key prevention method is to remove food, and to clean the floor, and countertop before the ants lay down a chemical path.

THE TYPE OF ANTS YOU MAY FIND IN PHILLY
Some of the most common ants found in homes and businesses in Philadelphia include Carpenter Ants, Pavement Ants, Citronella Ants, and Odorous House Ants.

THE DESTRUCTIVE CARPENTER ANT IN PHILADELPHIA
Carpenter ants are one of the most dangerous ants that your home can be exposed to because they can cause excessive damage to the building structure. Homes and businesses in Philadelphia, and in the new constructions in Fishtown, and Northern Liberties have notice more Carpenter ants the last few years. They will dig through wooden structures, nest in it, and destroy your property. They are often confused with Termites. Carpenter Ants are about ¼ inch, and blackish red in color.
Carpenter ants can gain entry to homes and business by:
• Cracks in the foundation wall
• Migrating from tree limbs close by
• And they craw in through hanging wires attached to your house.
• Carried in the house by human activity

HOW TO TRACK DOWN AN ANT COLONY
First, let’s find the ants that have targeted your home. Ants are easy to find, they don’t hide to well. They pretty much march around in plain sight.
Also, they march in-line, and often in large numbers, so if you see a long moving line, they are almost certainly your ants.
Outside is a little harder, they tend to blend into the environment, but you can use clues to help locate where the colony might be.

MOISTURE ATTRACTS ANTS
Some likely places that ants are to build a nest inside your home are anywhere that has a decent amount of moisture. Ants like moisture and can find it in your basement, under sinks or a place where structure or siding has been damaged and exposed.
Small wood shavings cluttered underneath your cellar or attic could be a sign of carpenter ants.

HOW TO GET RID OF ANTS THAT HAVE ENTERED YOUR HOME
It’s a good thing that ants don’t carry disease, or we would be in a heap of trouble. After all, ants are everywhere. These small creatures are drawn in by the food and vegetation located in and around your home. Now that you know how to find ants, it’s time to get rid of ants. Luckily, there are a few ways to accomplish this. Let’s take a look at a couple ways:

KEEP YOUR HOME FREE OF SCENTS THAT ATTRACT ANTS
It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to keep the scent of sugary foods away. Even a few food particles left on the floor could induce a line the one established, ifs hard to get rid of by the homeowner.
If there is a moist area in your house, this should be identified, and understood as a prime desirable location for your ant occupiers.

EXAMINE AND DISRUPT THE CHEMICAL SCENT LINE LEFT BY ANTS
A quick solution is to spray a line of ants that you find or use a powder that you can spread around. The danger here is that you’re putting poison on the ground. If you have children or small pets, that is certainly not a good idea.

ERADICATE THE ANT COLONY NEST
If you find the entrance to their nest outside, pick up a product designed to fit over the hole and deliver a poison throughout the colony.

SET OUT BAIT STATIONS IN THE RIGHT LOCATIONS LIKE PEST CONTROL PROFESSIONALS
Baiting systems will attach the ants, where they pick up a slow-acting poison, that smells like food. The poison is then brought into their colony nest, where it kills the ants. Here are some more tips:
Make sure cracks in your foundation, and basement are patched, even tiny hairline cracks.
• Remove leftover pet food as soon as your pet finishes eating.
• Examine your door sweep, weather stripping and screens (make sure they are tight).
• Keep all food sources stored in seal tight Tupperware style containers
• Keep basement and crawl space areas inspected, and free of clutter
• Seal around pipes, and electrical outlets.

CONTACT EVANS PEST CONTROL – The experts at Evans Pest Control are trained to control Ants and pests. This is the best course of action to control ants, and other pests from your property. Evans Pest Control uses state of the art technology, and years of training to provide truly effective control of Ants