As human beings, we understand that stealing is bad. We also understand the concept of ownership. Ants do not. In an ant’s mind, anything that can be taken and used to feed their colony should be taken. It doesn’t matter if the item they are taking just happens to be your freshly baked lemon meringue pie or the chips dust beneath your sofa. As long as it’s edible, ants will steal it. For this reason, as a homeowner, you must be diligent to keep ants out of your home. The only problem is finding reliable ant prevention methods that work. To help you find solutions to keep out ants from your Tulsa home, here is a practical guide you can use.
What Attracts Ants To Homes and How You Can Keep Them Out
Ants are drawn into homes by several different factors. Most often ants will come inside to scavenge for food. This happens more regularly if food is more easily accessible such as if a home is dirty or if food is not being properly stored away.
To combat hungry ants, do your best to keep your home clean. Experts recommend doing a thorough cleaning of your home at least once a week. It is also highly recommended that you clean up spills and food messes as they occur. One thing to remember while cleaning is to get beneath large kitchen appliances as well as under furniture, as these places often hide dropped scraps of food. Storing food away properly is another great way you can combat ants. After you are done with a meal, or when your pet is finished eating immediately store away extra food, clean out bowls, plates, and silverware, and wipe down countertops, kitchen tables, and floors where food may have spilled.
Some ants are not drawn to homes as much by food, but rather by water-damaged wood that can be turned into a nest. We are talking about carpenter ants. These pesky wood-destroying pests search out homes that they can use to build their nests inside.
To prevent carpenter ants, moisture control is key. Make sure pipes and fixtures throughout your home are all leak-free and that exterior gutters are all in good working order. In addition to this, eliminate sources of standing water, and consider using dehumidifiers around particularly humid areas of your home. Finally, repair or replace any wood around your home that has been negatively affected by water damage or rot.
How To Seal Up Your Home Against Ants
In order for ants to get inside, an entry point is required. Most often ants will use gaps or cracks in the exterior of a home to find their way indoors. Here are a few things our experts recommend you do to seal off your home against invading ants.
- Use a caulking gun or liquid cement to seal up gaps, cracks, or holes in your home’s exterior foundation.
- Repair or replace ripped or torn window and door screens.
- Make sure all of your exterior doors are equipped with door sweeps.
- Keep unscreened windows and doors closed as much as possible.
- Trim back tree branches and shrubs that are touching the exterior of your home.
The Best Way To Handle Ants
Not all ants are just a nuisance, some can cause major damages to your home, others can be dangerous to your health. At the end of the day, prevention is key. If you do not have time to prevent ants on your own, or would like a more effective solution to keep ants away from your Tulsa home, we offer a wide range of solutions here at Montgomery Exterminating. With over 31 years in the pest control industry, you can be sure we have the experience and reliability your home needs.
Give our team a call today to find a solution that works best to solve your pest problem.
