Don’t Let Ants Drive You Nuts This Spring

Homeowners in Las Vegas and Henderson at one time or another have seen an ant or two creeping across their kitchen floor or counter top.  During the spring season, this is especially true as nuisance house ants start to emerge from behind walls and baseboards in search for food.  Don’t worry, though, Western Exterminator is ready to help you fight these troublesome insects.

There are two species of ants in our valley that are common home invaders.  They are the argentine ant and odorous house ant. Although these ants are not typically aggressive, nor do they cause damage to the structural integrity of our homes or the contents within, they can aggravate homeowners and contaminate our food supply with their droppings.

Whether you live in Summerlin or Anthem, house-infesting ants are some of the hardest insects to control.  Simply killing the foraging insects will not get rid of the ant problem; you have to eradicate the entire colony to keep them from coming back.  Many people take great pride in tackling home improvements on their own, but do-it-yourself baits and sprays are generally not effective, can be dangerous and often times actually make the problem worse.  There are, however a few things you can do to help make your home less attractive to these annoying insects:

  • Eliminate any standing water around or near your home
  • Repair leaky faucets or drains
  • Keep food, including pet food, in sealed containers
  • Dispose of garbage daily
  • Clean crumbs and spills immediately
  • Keep trees and shrub branches cut back away from your house
  • Seal cracks and holes around your home with caulking

Keeping Ants Out of Your Home

Because of their small size and persistence, ants are a frequent nuisance for many homeowners. Treating an infestation can be time-consuming and costly, and so the best method for dealing with ants is prevention. Ants require food, water, and shelter, and denying them these three things is the key to ensuring that a home will not be a target for an ant infestation.

AVOID ANTS WITH A CLEAN HOUSE

The first, and perhaps easiest, measure to take is to keep a clean house. Ants will scavenge for the tiniest particles of food and ensuring that leftovers are not kept out overnight is not enough. Counters and dishes should be wiped down and spills should be wiped up with soapy water as soon as possible. Besides keeping the environment clean for humans, this also ensures that any chemical trails laid by ants will be washed away.

Since ants often come indoors seeking water, leaks and drips should be fixed around the house. Not only does this keep thirsty ants away, but it keeps water damage from occurring and leading to an inviting environment for ants to nest. Certain ant species can and will nest in the instabilities that form in walls, floors, and building foundations from water damage. Keeping an eye out for these damaged areas and removing them removes a potential nesting site for ants. Sealing cracks in walls and foundations also ensures that ants cannot enter a home.

CHECK ALL WOOD STRUCTURES AND TREES FOR ANT COLONIES

Some ants nest in rotted wood, and so both wooden structures in the home and trees surrounding a home should be checked. Any dead portions should be removed, and foliage should as a rule be kept trimmed back from a home in order to keep ants from coming close. Any nests noticed outside should be treated to keep them from spreading indoors. Certain species of ants are capable of multiplying rapidly, expanding their nests into mega colonies with multiple queens. These interconnected nests can take up a large amount of territory and need a lot of food.

KILL ANTS IMMEDIATELY

If ants are seen indoors they should be killed immediately. Ants send scouts ahead to search for food, water, and potential nesting sites. Killing these scouts ensures that any information about food or water in a home does not make it back to the nest.

Prevention may be the best means of dealing with ants but it is not foolproof. If an infestation occurs, a licensed pest control professional should be called.

If all of your attempts to prevent these insects from entering your home fail, Western Exterminator is ready to help!  We offer effective ant control in Las Vegas and Henderson that will curb your ant infestation.  Contact Western Exterminator today to get those invading ants out of your Southern Nevada home.