Ants are the number one reason homeowners call a pest management professional, they are everywhere and are into everything, that is why the #1 nuisance pest can be much more than a nuisance if left unattended. Most species of ants are highly developed social insects that live in permanent nest, which depending on the species may live in the soil, under paver-stones / sidewalks, landscape timbers / mulch flower beds, log piles, trees, as well as wall voids, attics, and roof and gutter areas.

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Ants may travel large distances in search of food, water and nesting sites. Even the cleanest of homes can provide a ready food source for ants, sense some species of ants will actually feed on SOAP... whether it is liquid, powder, or bar soap. Once the food source is found the ants can invade a home in such large numbers that professional help is required.

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Ants can be very frustrating, whether they are getting into your home, yard or when you are having a picnic, but remember “some” species of ants do help the environment.
 

All ants live in colonies, consisting of an-egg laying female (queen), short-lived males, and workers (sterile females). The ants you see foraging in your garden, trash bins, or in your kitchen are workers,….they actually gather the food for the rest of the colony. As a group ants have a wide food range, feeding on sweet foods, greasy materials, starchy substances, and all kinds of plant and animal material.
 

Just a few of the things ants feed on besides meats, eggs, oil fats are hairspray, dog food, and of course cookies, cereal and peanut-butter.
Identification of the particular species of ants is vital to any control and management of an ant infestation in your home or yard and it is necessary to determine where the ant colony might be nesting. Some species commonly nest “Indoors” while others nest outdoors and enter your home only in search of food and water.
 

To rid your home of ants, you must eliminate the “nesting sites” of the invading colonies. Simply treating the ants with insecticides or “smashing” them on the floors and counter tops will NOT eliminate the problem-----because you are only killing the foraging worker ants that are present and most of the time this makes the ant problem worse; besides the colony will only send out more foraging workers in search of food.
 

Common indoor ant species include the Pharaoh Ant (more commonly called “sugar-ants”), red imported fire ants, carpenter ants, acrobat ants and Argentine ants.  Pharaoh ants mostly feed on sweets, i.e. jelly, sugar, honey, and butter; while fire ants are omnivorous, eating mostly insects such as ticks, chiggers, but will also feed on sugary products and meats.

Ants enters a home in search of food, water, and nesting sites, so your first step for control after identification is to remove excess food sources (sanitation)  like soda cans, crumbs, and food spills; then repair moisture problems such as leaky faucets and other plumbing leaks. Last but not least is excluding the ants from your home by caulking cracks, crevices, and other entry voids around your home that ants might use to gain entry indoors.
 

Remember to call BUG EXPRESS PEST CONTROL for your ant “Inspection and Identification” needs as well as any other pest control needs. ”We are the Professionals in Pest Control!”

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