Important Facts You Need to Know About Household Ant Control

As a homeowner, you probably aren’t surprised to learn that ants are some of the most persistent pests that you may find in a house. On top of being annoying, ants pose a threat because they can easily contaminate food in cabinets and on counter-tops. In worst-case scenarios, they may also cause structural damage to a house as they hollow out wood to create room for a colony.

To manage indoor ant infestations, it helps to have a proactive plan of attack. Better understanding these pesky critters will make it easier for you to spot an ant invasion to quickly contact an exterminator for outside help.

Here are a few not-so-fun facts that you need to know about household ant infestations:

1. Ants are social creatures.This means that if you see a trail of ants in your house, there are likely hundreds or thousands more where those came from. Colonies could contain millions of ants, depending upon the species.When traveling throughout a house looking for food, ants will leave trails of invisible pheromones to communicate to other ants in the colony to help them find the source of food. If you see an ant trail on a countertop, it’s time to contact an Alabama pest control company immediately to get to the root of the problem.
2. Ants like to nest indoors. Bet you saw that one coming, didn’t you? Ants prefer building a home indoors, just like humans, because they are looking for a warm, place safe to live. Although it may be difficult to find a hidden ant colony with the naked eye, a skilled exterminator will be able to detect an ant nest in a cabinet, appliance, or behind a wall.Ants have also been known to build nests behind door frames and windows and even under floors and concrete slabs. Ants will most often build a nest in a concealed location that is difficult to find without the help of a trained professional. 
3. Ants are repelled by some natural remedies. The only true way to get rid of an ant infestation is to spray insecticide directly into a colony; this can be done by a trained exterminator.

 

In the meanwhile, you can keep ants at bay with a number of natural remedies, like sprinkling garlic or cinnamon at an ant entry point. It is also recommended to wipe down counter-tops where you have seen ant trails with apple cider vinegar to erase residual pheromones and prevent ants from returning in the future.