For most homeowners, having an ant problem means having an ant infestation within your residence. When this problem occurs, there is often a likelihood of compromises in the hygiene and integrity of any of the foods you have in stock or a problem with the property’s foundation. What’s more, the presence of ants within the home raises questions over whether there have been any compromises on both the electrical wiring and the appliance. Finally, if a residence has ants, it significantly reduces the property value, thus lowering its resell value.
Signs of an Ant Infestation
Fortunately, it is impossible to completely stay unaware of an ant infestation. Often, there will be telltale signs that you have ants within your home. Here are a few common signs that would point to a possible ant problem:
Sighting of A Few Ants
Most often, when you see a few ants, you are likely to dismiss them. Most homeowners will write these off immediately as just nature doing its thing. Still, this could be the very first sign that will tell you something is significantly wrong. Pay close attention to the trail these ants make. Note that ants will often leave a pheromone trail that other ants will follow right into your doorstep.
Sawdust Trails
Certain ants, like the carpenter ants, show great liking towards wood. In this case, if you see a trail of sawdust around your space, you sure have an ant problem. You want to pay particular attention to spots close to wooden beams, flooring, skirting boards, and window ledges. As the ants burrow into the wood, they will end up leaving a marked trail.
Hollow Sounds within Wooden Beams
Suppose you accidentally knock a beam or the floorboard within your home, and this produces a hollow sound. This hallow sound is due to ants burrowing into the wood. As more ants make their way through the beam or the floorboard, the wood moves from being dense to being significantly hallowed. This would be a significant sign of having an ant problem.
Deterioration of Wooden Structures
When you have a severe ant infestation, your wood structures will almost instantaneously start deteriorating. These get into a pretty bad shape to the extent where it is possible to slice through with a knife. Note that while the external wood might look fine, the inside might actually be hallow. These will often crumple with just a little pressure.
It would also be best if you checked the trees in your garden. Ants have shown a liking for dead tree matter and would set up a colony within the tree trunk.
Piles of Dirt
An ant nest manifests as a pile of dirt. As such, this becomes the first sign of an ant problem.
Discarded Wings
Research into ants shows that some ants will have wings for some time. This phenomenon is often seen when young queens leave the primary nest to go start their own colonies. This presents you with a unique opportunity to identify if you have an ant problem. Look for any tiny wings on the floors and sills by windows. These wings also provide the expert with the chance to find out what type of ant you have within your premises.
Rustling Noises within Walls
If you were ever to put your ear against the wall and hear some rustling sounds, you likely have an ant problem. This is because when ants make it to the inside of your house, they primarily live within the internal walls. You want to check for any small rips within your wallpaper, as this will likely be the entrance point for the ants.
How to Avoid an Ant Infestation
Having an ant infestation might seem like a trivial issue for most homeowners. This is mainly since of over the 1000 ants cataloged in North American, very few have been identified as ever cause any real damage. Moreover, only a few seem to take shelter inside the homes, with most of the ant species preferring the garden where they aerate the soil.
Still, there is some real danger of ants roaming into your house. These are not only annoying but can cause the spread of unwanted bacteria. Seeing as prevention is better than cure, here are some ways through which you can avoid an ant infestation:
• Clean up spills straight away
• Store any firewood inside sheds, and have these raised off the ground
• Store food in airtight containers
• Dispose of food waste in the best possible way
• Remove any dead tree limbs or dead plant material from close to the house
Remember that overall, ants have an affinity for food, water, and wood. A proactive approach would be to ensure that you clear any food spills or leftovers, as these should effectively prevent ants from getting their way into your home.
Unfortunately, these proactive approaches might not be enough to prevent ants from being a menace within your home. This necessitates the adoption of additional ant control protocols, including the use of pesticides.
Ant Control
As you seek out ant control expert, it would be best to point out that you cannot simply control an ant infestation by spraying the visible ants. You want to be proactive about establishing exactly where the colony is. You can do so by following the trail of the worker ants, who will then lead you to the queen.
Having an ant problem can significantly ruin the enjoyment of your home. In light of this, Avista Pest Control has designed an innovative product that can help manage any ant infestations you are grappling with. The pesticide in question is intended to act in a relatively slow design. The process will take at least two weeks which should be sufficient time to have these sprayed ants spread the pesticide throughout the colony. This is the best possible way through which you can ensure that the entire population of ants within your residence is ultimately destroyed. Have us help you be on your way to complete ant control.