Manatee County Homeowners' Step-By-Step Ant Control Guide
4/30/2021
You may not think much of them when you see them marching in a line down the sidewalk, or swarming a dropped ice cream cone at the park, but the truth about ants is that they can be dangerous pests to have around the home. Some ant species can even destroy your home, causing immense damage that requires costly repairs. All things considered, there are a ton of reasons you don’t want ants coming around your Manatee County home. That’s precisely why you need to know the ant prevention techniques you can count on to help keep these unwanted pests out. Should your home become overrun with ants, you need to know the effective ant control solutions you can turn to in order to get rid of them.
Common Area Ants
There are over 10,000 species of ants in the world. Here in Manatee County, however, we only need to worry about a handful of them. Some species you might encounter in or around your home include crazy ants, red imported fire ants, ghost ants, thief ants, pharaoh ants, bigheaded ants, white-footed ants, and carpenter ants. Crazy ants are golden-brown and live in large colonies with multiple queens which makes getting rid of them quite challenging. Imported red fire ants are small darkish-red ants that are extremely aggressive and can inflict painful stings. Ghost ants are small ants with translucent brown bodies that make them difficult to see. Thief ants are yellow or bronze and get their name from the fact that they steal larvae or pupae from other ant colonies to feed upon. Pharaoh ants have yellow to red bodies, invade in large numbers, and can carry harmful diseases. Carpenter ants are large ants that are typically black or dark brown and some have wings.
Threats Posed By Ants
Because there are so many different species of ants in the area, there are a lot of potential threats posed by ant infestations. Sure, some are simply nuisance pests, but others can be harmful to your health or your home. For instance, pharaoh ants can carry and transmit salmonella and streptococcus. In addition to this, carpenter ants build their nests inside of wood meaning they can cause all sorts of damage to the structural wood of your home should they choose to build their nest inside of it. This can require expensive repairs if you do not address the problem quickly. Overall, there are tons of reasons you should want to keep ants out of your home.
Ant Prevention Tips
To keep ants out of your Manatee County home, you should try to remove any factors that might attract them inside in the first place. Then, you should try to seal off any potential entry points so that ants can no longer gain access to your home. To accomplish these steps, you should:
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Store all food in airtight containers or the fridge.
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Wipe up spills from countertops and floors immediately.
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Take out the trash regularly, and store trash in bins with tight-fitting lids.
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Install door sweeps under exterior doors.
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Install weatherstripping around windows and exterior doors.
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Fill in cracks in the foundation of your home.
Effective Ant Control For Your Manatee County Home
If you do find yourself dealing with an ant infestation in your Manatee County home, don’t panic, the professionals here at Keller’s Pest Control are here to help. Here at Keller’s Pest Control, we offer quality pest treatment services that you can count on to effectively eliminate any ant infestation with which you are dealing. So, don’t let ants live inside of your home. Give us a call today.
