Ants do not tackle life in a casual way. They are hard-working, relentless, strong creatures, especially for their tiny size. Once they have found a food source, few things can actually deter them from getting to that meal. There are several habits you can develop to dissuade ants from coming back into your home. In addition, having a regular pest control inspection and treatment can drastically cut down on the ant population in and around your home so you do not have to throw out food covered in ants.
Ant prevention
Ants love to eat and collect food. If your home has places for ants to use as a food source, ants will find it. Keeping a clean, tidy home should be the first defense against ants. A few good habits for not attracting ants are:
- Sweep and vacuum: Crumbs on the floor while eating, food items get dropped or spilled while cooking, and eating a meal in front of the TV after a long day at work can all be reasons why food ends up on the floor in multiple different rooms. Sweeping or vacuuming your home once a day and especially under the dining room table will help reduce the number of crumbs in your home. Sweeping the kitchen and dining room after each meal is also a good idea.
- Wipe down surfaces with white vinegar: Not only is it important to clean up sticky spills, you can also make the surface even less appealing by using white vinegar because ants hate the smell.
- Take out the trash: Do not leave trash, especially food garbage, in the home for long. As soon as the bag is full, promptly take it out to an outdoor trash can with a lid.
- Try your best to contain all eating to one room: You may be very good at cleaning up after yourself, but if you have a child who often likes to eat in their room, it’s possible that you will find ants in multiple rooms in your home.
Make it difficult for ants to get inside
While ants can fit in the tiniest of cracks, you can still inspect your home for potential places these ants are getting inside.
- Caulk around doors and window
- Routinely spray white vinegar or essential oil solutions around your home to deter ants
- Replace missing or damaged weather stripping
Call a professional
An ant control professional will inspect and treat your property at routine times throughout the year to keep your home and yard ant-free. Your efforts to deter ants will certainly help the situation but if a colony of ants is determined to get into your home, having a pest control expert on your side will make sure you never have to deal with ants marching across your home.
If you are in Passaic County, NJ and you have an ant problem that keeps coming back, give Abarb Pest Services a call today.
