5 Tips to Control Ants in New Jersey

The National Pest Management Association conducted a survey that polled 1,000 homeowners across the U.S. to determine their top pest concerns. This study confirmed what we already believed to be true:  ants are the number one nuisance pest in America. We get a lot of ant calls into our office from frustrated homeowners. They are killing ants daily but they just keep appearing! The kitchen and the bathroom are the two most popular rooms in the house for ants. This is most likely due to the moisture in the rooms or the food source(s) that the kitchen offers. 

Homeowners try to control them by either crushing them or spraying the ants they see. But this battle is typically an ongoing one and ant numbers seem to never end. And this, my friends, is what differentiates the professionals from the do-it-yourselfers! Understanding ants, their biology, habits and  the species you are dealing with are all necessary to gaining control of ant populations around your home. Therefore, properly identifying and then taking a more tactical approach will prove to be more effective than killing those ants that are visible to you. 

Ants are social insects which means they typically live together in large colonies. The colonies are made up of the queen, the workers and the males. Those trails of foraging ants that you see are worker ants in search of food that they will return to their colony. Watching them and following their trails instead of immediately stomping them out may offer some hints as to where their colony is located. The other key to control is feeding the ant the correct ant bait that they will then carry back to the rest of the colony, thereby eliminating it. This will be determined after you properly identify the species you are dealing with. Some ants are sweet feeders while others prefer grease or proteins.  Depending on what type of ant you are dealing with the ants could be nesting inside of your house or outside. At times, ants will forage from outdoor nests into your home in search of food.  They leave a pheromone trail, undetectable to humans, that helps them to retrace their steps and return to the colony. 

One final bit of advice is determining how the ants are entering your home or what might be attracting them there in the first place.  Consider this checklist to prevent ant infestations in your home:

1. Clean up crumbs and spills in the kitchen quickly.
2. Store all food products, including pet food, in sealed containers. 
3. Address moisture problems immediately such as leaky pipes, leaking toilets, outdoor hose leaks, etc.  Water sources will attract ants to your home.
4. Maintain the perimeter of your home by cutting back vegetation, keeping flower beds neat and tidy, trimming trees and doing seasonal cleanups to rake up leaves, dead flowers, etc. 
5. Seal all cracks and crevices around the perimeter of your home including those near windows and doors.  Ensure screens are tight-fitting so that ants and other pests may not gain access into your home. 

Next time you see a trail of ants foraging through your home consider how you handle them.  If you are struggling to gain control contact us today for a free estimate.