Get To The Bottom of the Ant Problem in Your Paeonian Springs, VA Home

Ants can be an inspiration to us when we consider how they organize themselves. These little insects can teach us a lesson (or five) on teamwork. Despite their size, they can move large food items into their nests. Due to their hard work, their colonies can grow to large numbers. As fascinating as they are, ants can quickly become a bother and even a threat to your home.

Have you ever wondered where they come from? Are there specific places in Loudoun County where they are likely to dominate?

Ants are considered commercial pests because they like to live close to people and eat the same things that we do. Ants can be seasonal pests or a year-round problem depending on the species. They will often enter our homes in the warmer months of the year in search of water and food. Most species, including fire ants and odorous house ants, will build their nests outdoors and come inside in search of food that they will collect and take back to their colonies. Other species like carpenter ants will actually make their way into your home and build their nests indoors. Ants are often found near food sources, moisture, and in hidden areas where they have protection and concealment such as wall voids, under floors, behind window frames, and under appliances.  Read more at Northwest Exterminating…

You’ll need to do some research to find out where they have built their nest. This is where the queen ant lives and lays eggs, leading to the multiplication of their numbers.

As you look out for their nest, there are some clues that can help you out. A general idea of the areas where ants prefer to live is helpful.

Most ant species prefer moist areas to nest and hide eggs. Typically kitchens and bathrooms are the first rooms to be infested. Use your flashlight to look for ants behind or under refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, sinks, and cabinets. Ants may also be found in or around floor drains, inside the motor areas of refrigerators and microwaves, behind wall paper and in cracks and crevices in cabinets and around walls.

If you are only finding a couple of ants here and there, you can do the honey and peanut butter test to help attract the ants to one spot so you can see where the trail of ants comes from and also to help detect what type of ant bait would work best in your ant treatment program. Read more at Do My Own…

Your observation skills will be very critical at this point. This may be something of an investigative study as you get to observe their activity. Who knows, you may end up discovering more than you set out to.

There are specific things to look out for as you carry out your investigation. Here are some guidelines to help you focus your efforts.

Identify the entry point.
Observe those ants in the kitchen for a few minutes to find out where they’re coming from—be it cracks in the kitchen floor, crumbled caulk along a windowsill, a torn window screen, or small holes inside of a kitchen cabinet mounted against an exterior wall. You’ll target the entry point in your ant removal efforts, so don’t seal it quite yet.

Find the nest.
Wait for the ants return to the source with their crumbs, and try to spy where they go after exiting the kitchen. Tracking their movement will sometimes lead you directly to the nest where the rest of the colony lives. Read more at Bob Vila…

All these are just the preliminary steps before you begin to really deal with the ant problem in your home. You’ll need professional ant control to get to the bottom of the problem.

The good news is that Backyard Bug Patrol offers preventative indoor pest control services. Moreover, it is 100% organic and will keep ants away from your home. We also have an Ant Barrier program that will eliminate the entire ant colony wherever it may be hidden. Call us today for the best pest control services in town!