This is the time of year when plants, grass, and people become more active due to the welcomed warmer temperatures of spring. This is also the time of year when you will start to notice an increase in insect activity, especially ant activity. Spring is when ant colonies welcome their new offspring and ants begin to feverishly forage for food, water, and shelter. The ant control professionals at Action Pest Control want to provide you with some information about the three most common ant species found living in and around Terre Haute, how to prevent those ants from choosing your home and property to invade, and how we can help to eliminate any size ant infestation from your home!
Top Three Ants Species Found In Terre Haute:
Pavement Ants
Pavement ants grow to be between 1/16th and 1/8th of an inch in length; they are shiny black in color, and their head is usually wider than their body. Pavement ants have the potential to bite and sting, but they aren’t particularly aggressive. They create their nests under, in, and along things like sidewalks, patios, and ground level masonry walls. Pavement ants often invade homes while foraging for food; because of their varied diet, they are considered to be omnivores.
Odorous House Ants
As their name suggests, odorous house ants give off a very offensive odor when crushed that is likened to rotten coconut. Odorous house ants often invade homes while foraging for food or when looking for shelter. They live in extremely large colonies and create distinct trails to travel back and forth to and from their nest and their food sources. Adults grow to be between 1/16th and 1/8th of an inch in length. Odorous house ants are black in color.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are a very dangerous species of ant to have in your home. These large black ants invade homes while foraging for food. Once inside, they may decide to stay and create a nest in the structural wood of your home. They are drawn to areas where excess moisture or water leaks are present. Along with the damages carpenter ants themselves cause, a carpenter ant infestation often indicates an already present moisture problem in your home. If a carpenter ant infestation is left untreated it can cause extensive and expensive structural damages to your home. Adult carpenter ants grow to be between 1/4 and 1/2 of an inch in length.
There are some things you can do in and around your home to deter ants and to reduce the risk of them invading your Terre Haute property:
- One of the best things that you can do to prevent an ant infestation is to reduce moisture in and around your home. Make sure that gutters are working properly to direct water away from your home and fix leaky indoor and outdoor faucets, pipes, or fixtures. Replace water damaged structural wood and install dehumidifiers in areas of your home that are humid or that collect moisture.
- To prevent ants from getting into your home it is important to inspect your home’s foundation and exterior walls and seal any cracks or crevices found. Also, caulk spaces around exterior windows and doors and install door sweeps on all exterior doors.
- To make your property less appealing to ants make sure that garbage is kept in sealed containers until trash pick-up day, place garden and compost areas away from the exterior of your home, and trim back trees and bushes from the exterior of your home.
- Inside your home, it is important to quickly clean up spills and crumbs in kitchen and pantry areas. Make sure that you keep food in sealed containers or in the refrigerator. Wash dirty dishes daily, and if possible keep the consumption of food and beverages contained in the kitchen and/or designated dining area.
In addition to the above ant prevention tips, putting a year-round pest control program from the ant experts at Action Pest Control in place is an excellent way to ensure that your Terre Haute property and home quickly becomes and stays free of ants all year long! Our residential pest control solutions provide you with the services needed to completely control ants in your Terre Haute home; contact us today to see which of our residential pest control programs is right for you and your home!