How to Handle an Ant Infestation in Your Home in Glen Burnie, MD

Why are ant infestations in Glen Burnie, MD treated with such seriousness? The simple answer is that most residents in the area are homeowners. When you’re a homeowner, you have to think about things that tenants may not be too worried about. Because your home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make, you must ensure that it stays in the best possible condition for as long as possible.

Ants are naughty pests. They may seem harmless but if there is an infestation in your house it can be quite dangerous. Being bitten by an ant, for instance, can be painful, even though they’re not poisonous. Even worse, varieties like the carpenter ant, for example, can tunnel through your wood walls.

Where are they hiding?

Ants that make their nests in walls can cause significant damage to your home. Their main point of entry is through cracks in the wall. Once inside it can be difficult to know if they are there if you don’t know what you are looking for. Here are some signs to help you find where they have infiltrated your walls.

• Piles of dust and scraps of wood that they’ve excavated to make their homes
• Visible ant trails going into the walls
• A hollow sound when you tap on wood surfaces
• Ants streaming from the walls when you knock on them
• Ants coming out of electrical sockets
• Sounds of insect activity coming from the walls

If you’ve only seen ant trails inside the house, the nest could be anywhere. However, the other indicators listed above are key signs that the ants are living in your walls. If you’ve had termites or previous ant infestations in your walls, you’re at a higher risk of getting ants within your walls. Read more from Ants.com…

Home remedies

Once you’ve discovered their location, you can figure out your next course of action, which is usually to eliminate them. The following home remedies might help you get rid of the ants yourself.

Some natural remedies that are believed to repel ants include:

• Peppermint
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne pepper
• Black pepper
• Bay leaves

Placing these strategically in areas where you’ve found ants, such as your kitchen or outside of vulnerabilities they may be using to enter and exit the nest, may discourage them from staying in your home. To kill the ants naturally, you may try placing diatomaceous earth around the wall where you suspect the ants are nesting. This earth has tiny, sharp edges that can damage ants’ exoskeletons and cause their bodies to dry out. (Ants.com)

The options mentioned above are affordable, and you likely have one or more already in your home. It will also not take much of your time.

Baiting

Baiting ants is another way to handle an ant infestation on your own. Just a few ants that come in contact with the bait could help you eliminate an entire colony. They’ll do the job for you by carrying the toxic substance back to their nest.

Ant baits are edible materials, usually sweet, sugary carbohydrates, mixed with substances that are toxic to ants but which have minimal toxicity to animals or humans. Some ant baits are primarily made from boric acid, a natural substance that is entirely non-toxic to humans.

Ant baits can be “stations” containing granular materials or liquids that are sprayed onto surfaces. Whatever form of ant bait you use, try to place it close to visible ant trails but outside the reach of pets and children. The bait will work most effectively if you keep other surfaces clean so that the bait is the only sweet substance available to attract the ants. Read more at The Spruce…

You can either use a commercial bait trap or a homemade one. Make sure to replace the bait traps when they dry out.

Prevention

The best way to deal with ants is to prevent them from invading your home in the first place. Keep your surfaces clean and your food covered, and clear any fallen crumbs quickly. In addition, get rid of their points of entry by replacing wood rot outside the home and sealing all cracks in the wall.

If you are unable to get rid of your ant problem, please get an exterminator. Call us today at Backyard Bug Patrol for safe and effective ant control solutions.