Eight great ant prevention tips
You may have seen the recent TV ad from an insurance company where a couple says they love their new home, but they have ants. The joke is that they mean “aunts” – as in nosy relatives, not ants that crawl across your kitchen floor.
For many Californians, however, ants of the crawling variety are a real problem this time of year. As temperatures rise and landscapes bloom, ants often invade homes in search of food, water, and shelter.
This makes ant prevention a top priority. It’s something that Clark, your friendly termite, grounds care, and pest management expert, can help you with.
The Argentine ant is the most widely encountered species in California. This species, with its large colony size and aggressive foraging behavior, can present a real headache. Joining the Argentine ant on the list of annoying ants are the odorous house, pavement, and pharaoh ants.
Ant attraction
What attracts ants to your home when they look perfectly content crawling along sidewalks or across your patio? The answer is simple: food.
Ants have a sweet tooth, which leaves kitchens, pantries, cabinets, and dining areas both indoors and outdoors particularly attractive.
Not only are ants attracted to crumbs and spills, but they’re also drawn to the moisture that sinks, leaky faucets, and even improperly caulked shower and bath enclosures can provide.
The most effective way to prevent ants from blazing a trail into your home is to remove the attraction. Wipe down countertops and sweep floors to remove crumbs and residue from spills, and regularly take out the garbage.
Also, be sure to clean any sticky, sweet residue from soda and juice bottles or other food packaging that may collect in recycling containers, because ants, especially Argentine ants, love sweets.
Eight great ant prevention tips
Clark offers the following tips to keep ants on the outside looking in this spring:
1- Seal cracks and crevices around the home, using a silicone-based caulk.
2- Replace weatherstripping and repair loose mortar around your home’s foundation and windows.
3- Make sure that downspouts and gutters are functioning properly so that water flows away from your home’s foundation.
4- Recalibrate sprinklers to make sure you aren’t overwatering your yard, which can allow ant-attracting moisture to accumulate.
5- Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed away from your home.
6- Store food in sealed containers, keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator, and clean up food spills and crumbs.
7- Routinely check under sinks for areas of moisture, and repair any leaky pipes.
8- Keep pet bowls clean, wipe up any spilled food or water around them promptly; and store dry pet food in a sealed plastic container rather than in the paper bags in which they often are sold.
Clark Pest Control is committed to safeguarding your home from pests during these challenging times. Our service technicians use such personal protective equipment as gloves, masks, and respirators they practice social distancing, they call ahead to notify ahead of a service, and they adhere strictly to all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines when servicing inside or outside your home.
If you’re experiencing problems with ants in your home and yard, call or text (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or email us at clarkcares@clarkpest.com.
Until next time, the pest management professionals at Clark Pest Control thank you for helping to keep unwanted pests out of your home.
