During the winter season, you may still find ants invading your home. These pests, being social insects, will come in colonies of thousands, making them hard to control.
Few of us like sharing their food, home, or office with strangers, but ants infiltrate areas without permission. If you are unlucky enough to encounter fire ants, they will sting and leave you itching. If you have an ant problem, immediate removal is the best solution. You can try a home remedy, or call professionals to safely remove the pests without endangering your family.
Understanding Ants
When trying to get rid of ants, it is important to try and identify which type of ants you are dealing with. There many types of ants but only a few will invade your house. Understanding the various types of home-invading ants will help you easily locate their source and devise an effective method of elimination.
Carpenter Ants — Larger than other house-invading ants, their colonies consist of thousands; they often house themselves in wooden structures.
Fire Ants — Usually red, these ants sting and the itchiness lasts for days.
Pavement Ants — Larger than house ants but with a similar body colour, they commonly build their nests under foundations, sidewalks, pavements and lawns.
Odorous House Ants — With a black or brown body (or a colour that is in between brown and black), these pests are highly attracted to sugar and starch. You will mostly find them in kitchen areas.
Ant Control Methods
When you identify ants in your home, the first step in eradication is to eliminate all food sources. If they have nothing to eat they may leave your house. Clean dirty dishes immediately after eating and wipe floors and countertops to get rid of food crumbs.
Sometimes a line of “Diatomaceous Earth” (available at environmentally-friendly stores) near entryways and windowsills can kill the ants. Another home remedy is to leave out a small bowl or pile containing a mixture of sugar and borax where you see the insects. Ants will eat the mixture and die.
If the above efforts don’t work, contact JDM Pest Control. Our team of professionals will not only help eliminate an ant problem, we will help prevent recurrence of the issue. Call us today at (416) 729-3568, for safe and effective winter ant removal services, using products that won’t harm you or your family.