Spring and Summer are bright, blue, and filled with fun. Picnic parties, pool parties, and outdoor movie nights are a great way to spend time in the sun and warm weather. Until you notice ants. Ants are one of the more troublesome and pesky pests around, and often ruin picnic and outdoor activities in general. During late spring, ant infestations begin by building mounds and start searching for food. As a result, their colonies grow to large numbers and if we aren’t careful, they may take residence in our homes without some sort of ant control.

Fortunately, there are easy effective methods that should prevent these critters from making their way inside.

Take care to notice scout ants

First of all, what is a scout ant? A scout ant is exactly how it sounds. It scouts out sources of food and water. Water to an ant colony is more important than food. That is to say, a colony can survive without food for a while, but without water, the colony won’t last long. Signs of scout ants are single ants around your home. If you see a cluster of ants headed to the property, the scout ant has already sent word.

Keep your home clean

In short, ant control can sometimes be as simple as keeping a clean house, because ants are attracted to many things around the home. Left behind grease and food residue can attract ants to your home. Stove tops, counters, and trash cans often carry ant attracting residue. Bathrooms can also be an attractant to ants. Moisture in the air after a shower can bring ants in looking for water.

Clean dirty dishes: Leftover food around the house can attract ants instantly. If there are scout ants around, and they find those dishes, they will alert the colony, and you will see a problem.

Sweep and vacuum regularly: Keeping your floors swept and vacuumed can make a major difference in the fight against ants. Cleaning your floors eliminates stray food crumbs that might go unnoticed.

Store food

It is essential to store food in sealed, air tight containers. Restricting access to food sources means ants won’t be able to survive long around your property. Seal both your food and pet food to prevent ant infestation. Sealing food also steers other pests away from your kitchen and your home in general.

Seal off cracks/entrances around your home

Look for any cracks pests might be making their way in. If a scout ant can get in, the rest of the colony can too. If there are access points, it makes it easier to get inside and invade. Using clear (or any) silicone caulk on exterior walls can be of great assistance. Sealing off entry and exit holes can greatly affect the ants around your property. You may not be able to fill every hole, but concentrating on windows and doors can give you the upper hand.

Disrupt ant trails

First of all, what is an ant trail? Is it the hiking trail for ants? In a way, yes! Ants make trails for other ants to follow, using pheromones and natural chemicals ants deposit. Think of it like a trail of breadcrumbs.

Chalk: Drawing lines around entry points keeps ants away. Ants are repelled by the calcium carbonate in chalk. You can scatter powder chalk in gardens or just simply draw lines around doors and other entry points.

Pepper: Most common ants around the home are sugar ants. Sugar ants search for sweets, and mainly sugar. Putting black pepper or cayenne pepper around your kitchen sends the pests packing. They get the message that there is no sugar ahead, and often will leave the site if they can’t get what they need.

Lemons: Ants hate the smell of lemons. Due to the acidic nature of lemons, ants want nothing to do with it. Squeeze lemon around windows and doors on the outside and leave lemon peels around doorway areas.

Ant Control around your home

If you are finding ants around your home, you are going to find a colony. Possibly even multiple. In order to control the pest, you need to control the nest. When you notice mounds around your property, apply insecticide to the colony itself and the area around. This can help ants from spreading out and creating new colonies. This also prevents ants from coming out or going back into colonies.

Check items before being brought inside

If you see many ants inside the home there is a possibility they are hitching a ride on things you bring inside. Check bags, shoes, bedroom items, etc. Make sure to wash food as well. Fruit, veggies, and other produce can bring these pests inside.

Place products around the home and property

If you see scout ants around, now is a good time to start placing bait traps. Notice where the scout ants are coming from or where they are going. You may see a temporary spike in activity, but the toxic product will be taken to the colony, where it gets spread throughout. Application of ant control barriers (insecticide) around the perimeter of your home will steer scouts away from your home. Finding these products is quite easy. Most hardware stores carry ant barriers, baits, and other insecticide for your home.

The experts can help! At Green Pest Management, we understand that battling pests and handling your own ant control takes time and money, and some problems may take a professional hand. We are happy to help. We know the frustrations and struggle to keep pests out, even when you feel as though you’ve tried everything. Call 302-777-2390 for a free quote.