Learn To Prevent An Ant Infestation This Coming Spring Season!
When spring is right around the corner, many people’s thoughts turn to flowers, robins, warm weather, spring break… you get the idea. Not ants. Their minds turn to food sources and how to get them. Unfortunately, your home is probably going to be the best place to grab a quick meal for many household pests this spring, including ants. The good news is that you can prevent an ant infestation this spring by any number of methods. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Where To Typically Find Ants
Finding ants around the outside of your property can eventually lead to finding ants inside your property – namely, your house. Air-conditioning units, garages, basements, bathrooms, and kitchens are popular infestation locations for not only ants but many other insects and household pets. They are not limited to those areas by any means, of course. Spring cleaning is a great time to take a look at your yard and areas around your house in order to head off the next ant infestation.
Pets Versus Pests
When you have pets around the house you provide an increased source of food for household pests. When your pet is done eating, promptly wipe up any water or spilled food and keep their bowls and/or dishes clean, as much as possible. Remove food from the bags in which it comes and transfer it to sealed plastic containers stored it a dry area. This also helps keep the food fresh. Ants and rodents can get into a paper bag in the blink of an eye.
Clean That Kitchen
As with cockroaches, it doesn’t take a lot of food to feed an ant. Take the trash out on a regular basis. Keep fruit, especially if it is right, in the refrigerator. Keep all food in sealed containers. And always remove spills and crumbs from the floor and wipe off countertops. This will also help curb the spread of disease.
Get Rid of Standing Water
Ants, just like any other creature, have to drink. Out-of-doors, make sure that water is flowing outwardly from the foundation of your home and that gutters and downspouts are operating properly. Indoors, in places like attics, crawl spaces, and basements, consider utilizing a dehumidifier to cut back on dampness. Check for leaky pipes or other causes of moisture under sinks and around tubs.
Seal Off Entrance Points
If you can stop ants before they come in you have taken the biggest step toward controlling an infestation. Trim shrubberies and tree branches back away from the outside of your house. Use a silicone-based caulk to seal tiny gaps and small holes through which ants may enter. Areas around utility pipes, cables, and other crevices and cracks are good places to start your inspection and begin sealing the tiny little entryways and to your home.
Killing the live ants in your home is only part of the process. You have to stop them from coming inside so that, once you do kill the living ants, more don’t come in to sublet the homes of the deceased. Thankfully, there are many methods with which to treat ants and other pest infestations. Best of all, eco-friendly, natural methods of pest control assure the safety of the ecosystem and our loved ones.
