Whether they’re crawling across your countertop or nestled in your wood, ants aren’t a welcome sight for homeowners – and Raleigh homeowners aren’t an exception.
Around Raleigh, you’re likely to see a couple of different types of ants try to make their way inside, including:
- Odorous House Ants: These are one of the most common species, and when you have visible ants inside your home, odorous house ants are usually the culprit.
- Pavement Ants: Pavement ants prefer to hang around outside and build their colonies under slabs of concrete or soil, but that doesn’t mean they can’t wander inside.
- Carpenter Ants: Carpenter ants tend to be larger and much more destructive. They have powerful mandibles that allow them to chew through wood and cause structural damage to our homes.
- Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA): Fire ants aren’t just hard to eliminate around your property, but they’re not afraid to sting you or your pets to protect their nests.
- Pharaoh Ants: Pharaoh ants are also tricky to get rid of, and have the potential to spread diseases.
Not all ant types are dangerous, but that doesn’t mean you want them in your home. Here’s what you should know about keeping ants out of your home and what to do if you begin noticing signs of an infestation.
How To Keep Ants Out Of Your Home In Raleigh, NC
Here are five major tactics for keeping ants, regardless of the type, out of your home in Raleigh:
- Do a deep cleaning of your home. Doing this is a great way to eliminate possible ant attractions, like crumbs on the countertop or scraps of food lying underneath heavy appliances. Deep cleans also make it easier to spot ants if they do make an appearance.
- Eliminate access to food. Most ants wander into your home because they’re looking for food and water, so it’ll go a long way if you can eliminate open sources of food. This means sealing leftovers in airtight containers and not storing food items out in the open, including pet food.
- Deal with excess moisture issues. Along with eliminating access to food, moisture and water can be another big lure. Deal with any excess moisture issues that may be causing problems in your home, like leaky pipes or areas with excess condensation.
- Seal potential entry points of your home. You’ll want to limit how ants get into your home, which means sealing up cracks, gaps, or holes near entrances and installing door sweeps.
- Check window and door screens. It’s not uncommon for ants to use tiny tears in window or door screens to get inside, so it’s a good idea to check that screens aren’t damaged.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but if, despite your best efforts, ants make their way inside, don’t hesitate to call in the professionals.
The Most Effective Form Of Ant Control In Raleigh, NC
While ants may seem harmless, dealing with an infestation of them is serious business – even species like house ants or pavement ants can create colonies that number into the thousands. In fact, the best method for dealing with ants in Raleigh is with professional services. At Innovative Pest Solutions, not only can we identify the ant plaguing your home, but we’ll permanently root out and eliminate the infestation.
If you suspect you’ve got ants or you’ve been seeing them around your home, don’t wait to call us at Innovative Pest Solutions to find out more about our ant control program.
