Did you know that an ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures compared to its size? It can lift fifty times its body weight.

You can find ants on every continent except Antarctica. Ants are fascinating insects, but you don’t want to find them in your home. They can potentially spread bacteria and contaminate food.

What should you do if you have an ant infestation? Here are pest prevention tips for ants.

Seal Off Entrances

Ants are social bugs that live in colonies in a nest. These nests may be found in mounds, in trees, under the ground, or even in buildings.

Ants will leave their nest community to look for a food source, and they may find it in your home. When they find food or water, they return to their colony to let others know what they found.

This leads to an ant infestation in your home. One thing you can do is find any openings in your home and seal them off.

This includes gaps or openings around your doors or windows. You can use caulk to seal any openings. This can also help prevent other insects from entering your home.

Keep the House Clean–Especially the Kitchen

When ants find food or water in your home, they will release chemicals called pheromones. These are like a trail that they leave behind to direct more ants to your home.

Most commonly, you will find ants in your kitchen or bathroom. For pest prevention, you should keep the house clean and remove any food sources for ants.

Clean Kitchen Every Night

Ants especially love sweet liquids, but they will eat other foods too. To remove their food source, you should incorporate a nightly kitchen cleaning routine.

This includes sweeping and mopping the floor to remove food crumbs and spills. You should also wipe down the oven for grease stains, the countertops, and around appliances like the toaster for bread crumbs.

What’s more, don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. Clean up any food spills right away, so they don’t become sticky messes which ants love.

Wipe Down Food Pantry

You should also clean and wipe down the food pantry for any spills and crumbs. Wipe down sticky containers like the honey and sugar to make sure there are no spills outside the containers.

Make sure to also wipe down your kitchen baseboards and corners to get any small crumbs.

Store Food in Containers

The best way to store food in the pantry is in sealed plastic containers. This also deters other pests. You should store any ripe fruit in the fridge instead of out on the countertops.

Keep Trash Can Clean

Wipe down the inside and outside of your trash can. Make sure your trash is changed every night and that you have a lid over the trash.

Fix Leaks

Ants are attracted to water and damp areas. That’s why you might also find them in your bathrooms and showers.

Inspect your home for any leaky faucets or pipes and fix them. Replace any parts of your home that have water damage.

You should also check the exterior of your home for any water damage or leaks and fix them.

Set Out Ant Baits

When you see an ant infestation, you can set out ant baits. You should do this after you’ve done a thorough cleaning of your home and removed any food sources for the ants.

This way, the ants will go to the baits for their food source and carry the poison back to their colonies. You might see more ants at first because of the baits. Eventually, the poison will kill off the colony and the queen ant.

Target Ant Trails

Another pest prevention tip for ants is to wipe down any ant trails. This can help remove the pheromones that attract other ants.

Pheromones are chemical signals for other ants. They are a way for ants to communicate different messages, such as danger or food nearby.

You can wipe down the ant trail area with dish soap and water. Or, you can spray and clean the area with a household cleaning spray.

Don’t Ignore Ants

Ants usually show up when the weather starts to warm up. If you see an ant or two in your kitchen, you may think nothing of it. You might even ignore it.

However, you should take action for pest prevention. That one ant could be a scout ant that has found its new food source.

Call a Pest Prevention Company

In addition to the actions above, you should call a pest prevention company to get rid of the ants. A pest control company will be able to identify the species of ants that are invading your home and will be able to figure out the best way to get rid of them.

Ants are difficult to get rid of, and you may need a full integrated pest management treatment for your home. This includes getting rid of the pests in your home and preventing future infestations.

Pest Control for Ants–Make a Service Appointment

Have you tried all of the above tips, but you still see ants in your home? You don’t have to continue dealing with an infestation alone.

Leave the work to the professionals and call Altus Pest Control for pest control for ants.

We can help create a customized pest prevention plan for your home. Contact us for a free inspection.