Find your local branch
Call us for a free quote at 1-800-837-5520
How to prevent ants
Have you’ve spotted ants in your home or business and you're worried you might be at risk of an infestation? You can put in place some simple ant repellent and ant deterrent measures. The checklist below will help you keep your home or business free from ants.
Most ants only come into your home to look for food. They are attracted to anything that’s sweet and sticky, which is why you find ants in kitchen cupboards or areas where food is kept. Once ants find a food source, they lay down an invisible trail that other ants can sense and follow to keep coming back to get more food for the rest of the ant colony. Before too long, you have a trail of ants running across the floor and they are hard to remove.
With that in mind it’s important to not leave temptation in their path. To get rid of ants you must remember to remove the things that attract ants. The checklist below will help you keep your home or business free from ants:
-
Clean up - food and liquid spillages immediately. Even the tiniest of crumbs is enough to attract an army of ants to your home! Ants are mostly attracted to sugary treats, sugar granules and crumbs from biscuits, cakes etc.
-
Sweep up - any food crumbs from under your kitchen appliances and units. Ants are always scouting for food sources and it only takes a couple of crumbs for them to notify their friends to come and help!
-
Store your food - keep food in airtight containers or bags and store them away safely in cupboards or refrigerators - not openly. Even refrigerator seals are no problem for ants! Fruit bowls with fermenting fruit should be emptied regularly.
-
If you have a pet - clear up your pet’s left overs straight away. Pet foods are also a food source that will attracts ants to your home. Be sure to clean the bowl after use too.
-
Block off - the entry points for ants by sealing all cracks and crevices around your doors and window frames by the means of silicone or acrylic where necessary. Check for leaks from time to time; ants will do anything to get to that crumb!
-
In the garden - make sure all rubbish bins have tightly sealed lids; ants can easily detect the leftovers in your rubbish bins and won’t hesitate to check it out!
Above all, cover any food in storage areas you don’t know where ants have been walking before they march across your food!
Did you know: Once an ant has discovered a food source it leaves a pheromone trail. This chemical helps other ants from the colony to find the food too.
Find out how to get rid of ants or contact us at 1-800-837-5520 to speak with an expert now.
Sugar ants, black ants, tiny ants and carpenter ants
There are numerous species of ants located in North America. They all have varied behaviors, and seek out different substances inside homes and around property. That's why trying to use a one-size-fits-all approach to ant control and prevention is nearly impossible and extensive training is needed.
Carpenter ants, for example, look for wooden structures to bore into and create tunnels for their young. Sugar ants look for food and, as you may surmise from their name, prefer sweet things. Black ants and tiny ants are also looking for food, but they may go after fruits, meat, garbage or other substances.
Ants will make use of the tiniest cracks in home’s exterior to get inside. Some ants will hide in cabinets and cupboards. Keeping the kitchen clean is a key step in preventing ants, but professional treatments can help, too.
Home remedies for ant prevention
Depending on the sort of ant infestation that you have in your home, you may wish to try the following home remedies to help stabilise the situation till you call us to come in:
- Research over recent years suggests that ants have a strong sense of smell which can affect their behaviour and the way they interact with each other. So, you could mix baking soda with sugar as an attractant and lay it near the ant’s nests in your home. Usually, the ants die after consuming this and all you then need to do is run the vacuum cleaner to get rid of the remains!
- Ants and copper do not go hand in hand. So, you could empty your money boxes or coin purses and just leave some copper coins near the ants’ nests to deter them from spreading.
- Be sure to look for any cracks and crevices on windows, doors and walls in your home and block these using adhesive barriers, or even chalk, to prevent ants from entering and building nests.
- If the ant nest is small, you could physically remove the ants nest from your premises by placing a container filled with some wool or straw on the nest and then tipping the container now filled with the nest in a wide space, such as your garden or a grass area.
However, removing ants yourself can be dangerous, depending on the ant species that has managed to invite itself into your home. So, we would suggest that you call us for removing the critters safely, securely and swiftly.
Effective ant repellents
Our pest control specialists know what’s what when it comes to ant deterrents. They understand the habits of different types of ant and can offer the most appropriate and effective solution. Ehrlich experts can also help you remove infestations and activity around your home or business. It goes without saying that all our treatments are safe for people and pets.
You can also help prevent ants entering your home by sealing access points such as cracks and crevices in door and window frames.
You can also help prevent ants entering your home by sealing access points such as cracks and crevices in door and window frames.
Call us today at 1-877-457-3770 or contact us online to learn how our services can help prevent ants.