Understanding why ants come into Raleigh homes is easier than you might think. In all honesty, ants love your home for many of the same reasons you do. It provides them with shelter from exterior weather conditions, it gives them easy access to food when they are hungry, and it offers many opportunities for them to stay hydrated. All they have to do is find their way inside and the rest is easy. To help you keep ants from coming into your Raleigh home, here are some things you should know about these pests.
Invasive Ants Common In Raleigh
The world is filled with a diverse selection of ant species, and several of these species call Raleigh their home. Here are a few common ants that invade properties in our area and the problems each of them bring.
Carpenter Ants: Known for being the largest species of ant in North America, the carpenter ant is a common household problem in our area. This large red, black, and sometimes red and black pest causes damage to homes by tunneling through structural wood. They do this in order to construct intricate nests in which their queens can live and breed.
Fire Ants: Fire ants are rarely found inside homes but are a huge problem around yards. This smaller dark reddish-brown pest has a stinger and a pair of powerful mandibles and is not afraid to use them to tell an intruder they have stepped too close to their nest.
Pavement Ants: Pavement ants prefer to build their nests beneath the safety of paved areas. Although mainly found nesting around homes, these pests regularly come inside to scavenge for food. During the colder months, pavement ants may seek shelter in your home’s wall voids, allowing them to be an annoyance all the way till spring.
Pharaoh Ants: Pharaoh ants are just like other area ants except for the fact that they more easily carry and transmit disease. Two common diseases these small yellow ants spread include salmonellosis and staphylococcus.
Little Black Ants: Little black ants are one of the most common home-invading ants in our area and they are what you expect to see when you hear the word “ant.” These small black pests nest in and around homes and regularly come inside to scavenge for food. Thankfully, they neither spread disease nor pose any serious risk to human health.
General Prevention Tips For Ants
All ants look for at least one of three things from a home, shelter, food, or moisture. The less access these pests have to these things around your property, the less likely you will be to have trouble with them inside your home. Here are some practical ways to do this.
Keep up with your lawn and landscaping.
Eliminate sources of water build up around your property.
Repair water-damaged, rotting, or decaying structural wood around your home’s exterior.
Make sure your gutters are in good working order.
Fill in gaps and cracks in your home’s exterior foundation using some high-quality silicone caulk.
Keep your living areas clean and pick up food messes as they happen.
Store leftover food inside airtight containers.
How To Get Rid Of An Ant Infestation
There is only one way to reliably get rid of an ant infestation and that is with professional pest control. To make sure your home’s ant problems are handled properly, hire the experts at Pest & Termite Consultants. We make sure our technicians have the training, equipment, and treatments needed to handle whatever pest issues you and your property are facing.
Contact us today and find out which one of our comprehensive pest control solutions meets your needs.