Protecting Your Florida Home And Yard From Ant Invaders

Tips To Protect Your Home And Yard From Ant Invaders

Although it would be impossible to eliminate every ant that wanders onto your property, the main goal when it comes to ant prevention is to ensure that ants don’t build colonies in your yard or walls. If that happens, you won’t just have an occasional ant problem, you’ll have a constant ant problem. In order to avoid ant colonies, you must make your home and yard unattractive to ants.
 
While different species vary in some respects, there are a few things they all have in common:

1. The main reason ants will make their way into your house is for food. They love sweet, sugary foods, as well as fatty, greasy things. In your house, it’s vital to keep food stored in sealed containers or in the refrigerator. Keep your counters clean and free of crumbs. Wipe up spills immediately, and keep your floors clean. A house that doesn’t offer a food source will not be attractive to ants. While food sources outside are more difficult to control, make sure to clean up well after picnics or barbecues, and don’t leave pet food outside.

2. Ants require and seek out moisture. Keeping moisture levels low around your yard will make it an unattractive place for ants. You can do this by ensuring good drainage systems are in place, keeping your gutters clean, filling low spots in your lawn, and removing or draining items that collect water. Inside, check for leaks on a regular basis, and keep humidity low through good ventilation and the use of dehumidifiers, if necessary.

3. Ants need shelter. Although it’s nearly impossible to eliminate areas of shelter outside your home, you can make it difficult for ants to get inside. Inspect around the perimeter of your house and seal all cracks, gaps, and holes around foundation walls, siding, windows, and doors.

Why DIY Ant Control Doesn’t Work And What To Do Instead

If you notice an abundance of ant hills in your yard or ants in your house, you may be tempted to treat them with ant traps or spray. Unfortunately, DIY treatment methods are rarely as effective as they claim to be, and in some cases, they can even make your ant problem worse.
 
There are many species of ants, and in order to effectively treat the ones in your home, you must know which ones they are. Treating only the ants you see does not get to the root of the problem by eliminating the entire colony. Using sprays can be dangerous for your family and pets, if not applied correctly. Furthermore, sometimes when ants sense danger, they split up, leaving you with two colonies to deal with instead of one.
 
If ants have invaded your home or lawn, the best way to get rid of them is to call the professionals at Reynolds Pest Management. We can identify which ants you’re dealing with and where they’re coming from, enabling us to effectively eliminate the entire problem in a safe, efficient manner. For ant control you can trust, contact Reynolds.