Are you battling a summer ant infestation in your home and garden? Trying to control ants can be incredibly challenging and almost impossible. The veracity of this statement is backed by statistics from searchvolume.io, showing that the average monthly search for the phrase “how to get rid of ants” is as high as 49 500 per month.
Therefore, by way of answering this question, let’s consider the following top tips to help you get rid of, or control, an ant infestation in your living area.
- Keep your house clean
Ant control is first and foremost about ensuring that there is nothing left lying around that will attract a trail of ants to your home.
Therefore, to prevent the following pointers should be followed:
- Clean up dirty dishes, don’t leave them piled up on the sink, in the kitchen, and around the house.
- Make sure there is no spilled food, crumbs, or drinks, like sugary juices on the interior surfaces in the home.
- Ensure that all garbage is put in a bin that is not easily accessible to the ants.
- And, make sure the ants cannot get into pet food bowls.
- Determine the type of ants you are dealing with
A professional pest control company should be called in to determine the type of ants you are dealing with. For example, managing a carpenter ant invasion is very different from treating a fire ant or a dark rover ant infestation. And as an aside, large ant infestations should be treated by a professional; otherwise, it is possible to use the wrong bait and poison which could be detrimental to human health.
- Manage the ant colonies in your yard
It is challenging to keep ants out of your yard. Juxtapositionally, there are also merits to allowing ants to live in your yard.
Why?
Ant colonies also play an important role in the environment. They help aerate the soil, facilitating the transfer of water and oxygen to plant roots. They also help with the breaking down of a seed’s tough outer shell so that the seed can germinate. Finally, they eat a wide variety of organic materials.
Therefore, after considering both sides, it is reasonable to say that there is a difference between ant infestations and healthy ant colonies. Ant infestations often destroy plants that don’t like their roots being disturbed by millions of ants running around. Ant colonies, on the other hand, are beneficial to the environment. Consequently, it is important to allow ant colonies in your yard but keeping them under control at the same time.
- Control fire ant populations
Red imported fire ants are aggressive and will bite anyone who gets in their way or disturbs their nest. The best way to remove them is to put down specific bait in the areas where they are prevalent. They will then carry this bait into their nests; thereby, reducing and eradicating the nest.
- Prevent easy access to your home
While ant colonies are beneficial in the garden, it is vital to tidy up your yard, keep your grass short, and maintain your home’s exterior to ensure that ants do not find a way to get inside.