In this blog, we will talk about why ants invade your home, how to prevent, and eliminate ant infestations by proper maintenance by sealing cracks, fixing leaks, sealing food, and calling a pest control company for extra help.
In Southern Utah, ants are common due to the warm year round weather and easily accessible homes and businesses (Preventive Pest Control). Ants can cause damage to the structure of your home, spread bacteria in your food and elsewhere, and can even introduce health risks. Although there are solutions, some of these solutions might only be short term relief.
Why Ants Invade Your Home
Ants invade your home for various reasons. Ants like searching for food, moisture, or places to stay. If there are things such as sugar, grease, or crumbs on the floor of your home, that easily attracts ants. Additionally, if you have leaks or any sort of condensation in your home, ants will go to that as well. They will usually enter your home through tiny cracks, open doors/windows, or really just any opening that they can find (The Hidden Danger of Ants).
Common Types of Ants In Southern Utah
Harvester Ants
Harvester ants are ¼ inch to ½ inch. They are red, orange, or brown with big jaws and spiky parts on their body. Typically, you can find them in an open, dry area like deserts or grasslands.
Pharaoh Ants
This type of ant is very small, at 1/16 inch. Pharaoh ants are yellow to light brown with a darker stomach. When you see these ants, you’ll usually find them in warm, humid indoor places.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are large, being ¼ inch to ½ inch long. These ants are typically black or reddish brown. Where you’ll see these ants is in damp or decaying wood, like trees, logs, wooden structures, or inside homes if there’s moisture damage.
Pavement Ants
These are also small, being at ⅛ inch, and dark brown to black with straight evenly spaced lines on their head and body. Like their name says, these pavement ants nest in pavement, driveways, sidewalks, and building foundations.
Fire Ants
Fire ants are easy to identify by their reddish brown body. This type of ant ranges from ¼ inch to ½ inch and is aggressive with a painful string. Fire ants are frequently found in fields, parks, and lawns.
Signs of an Ant Infestation
Spotting ants crawling around your house or yard repeatedly is a great sign of infestation. Even though this is a good sign, there are other things to look out for besides this. Most ants are attracted to food. Seeing ants wherever food is stored, or crumbs of food might be, is a sign of an infestation. If there is notable damage to wood or signs of sawdust, you might be having a carpenter ant infestation (Carpenter Ants Can Be a Sign of a Bigger Problem). Carpenter ants aren’t necessarily like termites, and eat away at your wood, but they do tunnel through the wood to make nests. Overall, just increased sightings in your home points towards an infestation.
How to Prevent Ants
Preventing ants is simple (Pest Control Tips). But once they infest your home, they’re hard to get out. So start taking action now with these simple tasks to prevent infestations:
- Seal cracks and entrance points
- Keep food sealed
- Fix leaks and reduce moisture
- Store trash properly
- Keep your surfaces clean
- Maintain yard (trim plants, remove debris)
When to Call a Pest Control Company
Repeated infestations and large colonies/ multiple nests are a sign you need to call a pest control company as soon as you can, especially with carpenter or fire ants. You are able to try methods on your own for ant infestations, but these usually only give temporary relief or don’t even work at all.
Our Ant Control Process
Once you contact us for help, we will send our professional pest control specialists to see your situation. After that, we’ll create a plan to get rid of the ant infestation in your home or business. We have advanced technology that is both pet and child friendly to get rid of ants, which makes it safe for everyone and successful. During the initial inspection, we also see if your property has any other possible areas that could be a sign of a future infestation of ants or any other pests.
Even though ants are small, they can become a huge problem in your home fast. That’s why it’s important to get professional help that ensures that it won’t be a problem ever again. Contact us at Preventive Pest Control for expert help and advice, and say goodbye to ants forever. Call us at (435) 256-6391 or contact us here.