Ant control is one of the many reasons people seek professional pest control in Elizabeth City. With the many different types of ants here, they all cause their own unique damage, and left uninterrupted, an infestation can quickly grow out of control. However, many people are not familiar with the basics of ant behavior and why they do what they do, which is crucial to understand if you’re going to control infestations. Read on to learn more about why ants do the things they do, and how the professionals at Albemarle Termite & Pest Control can help you have an ant-free home and yard today!
How Do Ants Feed Themselves?
Effective ant control starts with understanding basic ant behavior. It’s important to understand that ants invade because they are looking for the most basic of needs: food. Most Elizabeth City yards and homes have exactly what these pests need to thrive, which is why infestations grow so quickly and thrive so well. Because ants are omnivores, you’ll find them scouring your yard and home for:
- Plants: Ants will eat your plants and chew on the edges of the leaves of both flower and vegetable plants.
- Sap: Another common food source that ants love is sap from plants and trees.
- Milk from aphids: Because aphids feed mostly on sap and other sugar-rich foods, ants are drawn to eating the milk from these aphids.
- Other insects: In true omnivore fashion, ants will also eat other insects, both dead and alive.
The reason you find ants all over your home and yard is that they are actively searching for food, which they spend most of their time doing. The professionals at Albemarle Termite & Pest Control can provide the most effective ant prevention tips to ensure your home has as little appeal to ants as possible. Give us a call today.
How Do Ants Build Their Ant Hills?
It’s incredibly frustrating to be mowing your lawn only to find that ant hills have taken over your yard. But how do these tiny pests create such obnoxious mounds? This is also an important ant behavior that you need to understand in order to better control them. Ants build hills by:
- Tunneling through the ground: They start by tunneling underneath the ground and collecting the dirt from this activity.
- Depositing the dirt aboveground: Once they tunnel through underneath the ground, they bring that collected dirt outside, aboveground, and use that to build the physical mound we see.
- Continuous work: An ant colony will continuously tunnel and excavate underground to expand their home base, and then deposit the dirt aboveground to create the mound at the entrance of the ant hill.
There are often over 100,000 ants in a colony, making the challenge of building an ant hill an easy one. It doesn’t take long for ants to complete these tasks. Sometimes, ant colonies will combine and work together to create even bigger colonies and hills. In this case, you definitely need a professional’s help to disband the group and eliminate them from your yard for good. Give the pros at Albemarle Termite & Pest Control a call for help today.
What Happens If You Interrupt An Ant Trail?
When you see ants in Elizabeth City on the prowl, it can be tempting to throw them off course by interrupting them. Unfortunately, this is not a good idea. When this happens, they become confused and no longer know where to go. This can lead to them finding their way into your kitchen and other parts of your home in search of food, and once they find a food source, they will continue to return. If you see an ant trail, the best thing you can do is call a professional right away.
Professional Ant Control For Elizabeth City Homes
With more than three generations of pest control experience, the team at Albemarle Termite & Pest Control provides the most effective home pest control in Elizabeth City. We specialize in identifying, exterminating, and preventing ant infestations, all while providing a superior customer service experience. If the ants are crawling all over your counters, know that you’re not alone; give us a call for superior service today!