Puyallup WA Exterminator
Spring is here, and that means increased insect activity on your property. Pests that are mostly dormant in the winter may start rearing their heads again when warmer weather arrives. One particularly bothersome pest that becomes more active in the spring are sugar ants. It’s a time for finding new sources of food, and expanding the colony. They are a common pest that contaminate food and are very difficult to get rid of. Trying to handle the problem on your own could actually end up making it worse.
Sugar ants are a small, dark-colored type of ant that live all over the continent. Since they are insects, their bodies have three segments, they have antennae, and are six-legged. They are also known as odorous house ants, because of the sickly sweet smell they emanate when crushed (often compared to rotten coconut). Sugar ants take advantage of every source of food and moisture they can find, but especially sweet foods such as fruit, spilled drinks, and crumbs. When ants discover a food source in your home, they will alert the other ants in the colony to help them collect more.
Because sugar ants are attracted to sweet foods, one way that you can keep them at bay is by making sure that food is properly stored in the fridge or in plastic containers that the ants cannot access. It’s also crucial to keep your kitchen and dining room areas clean. This means sweeping up crumbs, cleaning residue off of surfaces, and using strong cleaning products such as vinegar. Any tiny morsel of food could be a valuable resource for an ant. It’s especially important to do this frequently if you have small, messy children.
Don’t leave out pet food either, because the ants could eat it. Compost piles are another way that ants can obtain food, so make sure that you have your compost in a secured box if you are dealing with an ant problem. If you have fruit trees or vegetables planted around your home, this could also attract sugar ants. There’s nothing they love more than rotten produce that’s fallen to the ground. You should also make sure that there isn’t excess moisture, leaking faucets, or condensation in your home. Ants and other pests thrive when there’s access to moisture. These methods can help prevent an ant infestation or curb one that is already occurring. However, this won’t get rid of them for good. Some people try for years to stop an ant infestation, to no avail.
Aside from the smell that sugar ants let off when squished, there are other reasons why you should not kill them in that way. Squishing ants makes them release pheromones, which are chemicals that send signals to other ants in the colony. Pheromones can convey messages about food sources, danger, and more. It may draw other ants to the area. The last thing that you want is more ants in your house. The pheromones that a squished ant releases notifies other ants in the area and makes them come investigate. Ants will come to the location of the dead ant to carry them back to the midden. Even if you don’t squish an ant, a dead ant will start to release a chemical scent after a few days. Make sure to clean up any dead ants around your home to prevent a funeral procession of ants from taking place.
Ant Control Puyallup
Ants usually take their dead colony members to something called a midden. Middens are waste piles located outside of the nest, where ants dump carcasses, waste, and more. There’s a misconception that ants are messy, disgusting creatures, but they are surprisingly organized and clean. Just like how humans take out the trash, so do ants. They put all unwanted materials into the midden so that they can keep potential disease away from the colony.
Although there are many DIY methods for ant pest control, the most effective thing to do is call a professional. DIY methods usually just kill worker ants and don’t do anything to stop the queen from reproducing. If the colony perceives a threat, it may also put them in high alert mode. This could lead to the colony splitting and setting up more nests. Independent Pest Solutions has extensive experience in ant pest control and can get rid of the problem quickly and thoroughly. We will locate the nest/nests and address the issue at the source. Our results are long-lasting. Our pest control technicians will also take steps to make sure that the sugar ants don’t come back again.
When doing pest control for any type of pest, one measure that Independent Pest Solutions takes is to inspect the perimeter of the home. Our pest control technicians can identify any potential entry points that sugar ants (or other pests) could be using to get into a building. We can seal off these crevices and cracks in baseboards, windows, doors, attics, basements, etc., to keep ants from entering. The trouble with ants, when compared to other pests such as mice and rats, is how small they are. This means that thoroughly sealing off the area is crucial, since ants can squeeze through even the smallest cracks. Ants are very skilled at finding entry points into a home and then leaving pheromone trails so that other ants can also get in.
So, what should you do when you see sugar ants in your home? Make sure to reach out to an expert pest control company as soon as possible. Independent Pest Control is a local pest control company that has helped many people deal with pest problems, including sugar ants. We have the experience needed to tackle even the toughest pest infestations. Ants can be difficult to get rid of on your own.
We know how to eliminate ant problems and prevent them from returning. Our reliable, effective services will get the job done. Let us help you.
You don’t have to worry– contact Independent Pest Solutions and say goodbye to your sugar ant problem!
