Did you know that for every human being on earth, there are roughly a million ants? They are absolutely everywhere (apart from in the oceans, of course). Ants are highly sociable insects that live in colonies and work together like families. Colonies are made up of three types of ants: the queen, female workers, and males.
Ants are also the most common insect invaders on earth, and when they are looking for food, water, and shelter, they are not picky on where they go. They will search through any building and gain access through any crack or crevice they can find and fit through. Even worse, once they find a place they like, they are likely to stay there until food runs out or if a pest control company removes them.
Luckily there are ways of identifying whether you have an impending ant infestation or if they have already invaded your home. Follow our advice to not get caught out by these pesky insects.
Take a Good Look In Your Garden
Go into your garden and take a good look around. If you spot an ant colony, then you have an impending ant problem that needs addressing as soon as possible. Ants will travel exceptionally long distances to look for food and water, so walking from your garden into your home is not going to be a problem for them. Whilst you may only see a few ants around the colony, don’t be fooled in the slightest. Beneath the surface of mud and dirt, thousands, if not millions of ants will be lurking.
Lookout For Wood Shavings
Some species of ants, such as carpenter ants love burrowing into woodwork and will leave wood shavings in their wake. Whenever you are cleaning your floors, keep a lookout for what you are sweeping up. If you find wood shavings and there is no explanation for how they go there, you may need to call in the professionals. Carpenter ants do not eat wood as some other insects do, but this doesn’t stop them from being destructive.
Listen Closely to Your Walls
Firstly, we know that this sounds like a weird thing to do, but ants can really make their way into your house through the tiniest of cracks, so walls are a popular hideout. But it can be quite difficult to determine whether you have ants living in your wall or not. If you have a large colony that has decided your home is now their home, you might be able to hear them rustling around if you put your ear close to the wall. If so, you better call the pest control professionals as it is highly unlikely that you will be able to get them out yourself.
Leave Some Old Food Out On Purpose
If you haven’t had an issue with pests before, it is likely that you have left food out on your kitchen side for a small period of time. But, when it comes to having ants in your house, no food is safe, and they will eventually sniff it out. However, you can play this to your advantage if you do suspect you have an ant infestation. Leave some old food out on your kitchen side and come back to it within a few hours. If you do have ants in your house, they will be all over it before you know it.
Always Call a Pest Control Company
Ants are incredibly difficult to get rid of yourself. If you don’t get all of them, they will continue to thrive within the walls of your home. We recommend calling a local pest control company who will be able to address the issue, so you won’t need to wonder whether some ants are left in your home.
Don’t leave it too late; you really don’t want to be sharing your home with ants and with many pest control companies available; someone will always be on hand to help should you need it.
