Are the ants marching into your home in Daphne? If so, you're probably not too happy. Ants are annoying and are potentially dangerous creatures, and they don't belong in your home. Before you find yourself dealing with a massive ant infestation, learn how ants are getting into your home. Then, take the necessary steps to keep them out.
Which Ants Could Be Getting Into Your Home
Although most ants in Daphne, AL share similar traits, how they get into your home can vary by species. Before you start thinking about how ants are getting inside, you need to think about what type of ants you have on your property.
For instance, carpenter ants usually enter homes through damp wood. These ants tend to be black, red, or brown in appearance. They're much larger than the other common house ants and have the unfortunate ability to damage your wood. As they tunnel through wood to build nests, they do damage.
Other ants, like acrobat and Argentine ants, don't chew through wood. However, they can enter almost any home through small cracks and crevices. If you have a gap around your plumbing or a hole in your siding, these ants may get inside. You can identify acrobat ants by their unusual behavior. When acrobat ants sense a threat, they throw their abdomen in the air.
Most of the local ants are just a nuisance, but some are downright dangerous. For instance, Argentine ants can contaminate your food. If you don't store your food properly, these ants could make you and everyone else in your homesick. For your safety, you should take measures to keep ants as far away from your home as possible.
How And Why Are Ants Coming In?
One of the keys to ant prevention is having an understanding of how and why ants are coming inside your property. Typically, they choose to enter your home because they know food is around. They might seek out the crumbs on your kitchen counters or floors. Or, they could be attracted to the scraps in your garbage can.
It's also possible that ants come into your home in search of moisture. If you have high humidity in your home or a leak in your plumbing, you could have an ant problem. The local Daphne ants will attempt to get in however they can.
But how is it that ants get inside? Sometimes, they use tree branches to climb onto your home and look for openings. All of the following are common entrance points for ants:
- Gaps under door sweeps
- Holes around your plumbing and electrical fixtures
- Cracks in your foundation
- Gaps around your windows
Unfortunately, most ants are extremely small in size. This makes it highly difficult to keep them from getting inside. You can try to seal up your home, but your best bet is to make your property less appealing to pests. You may be able to accomplish this by storing your trash in cans with lids, keeping your food in sealed containers, and cleaning your tables and floors as frequently as possible. Every few months, try to do a deep clean of your home.
The Key To Ant Prevention In Daphne
If you don't want to experience an ant infestation, you need to do more than the tips mentioned above. You should work with a team of professionals who know what it takes to keep ants away. Here at Prewett Pest Control, our local Daphne, AL pest control experts are ready to take on your ant prevention and elimination needs. Whether you see signs of ants or you just don't want to deal with them, give us a call. We're always ready to help you.