Ants are one of the most widespread insects in the world, with over 12,000 known species distributed all over the globe, with the exemption of Antarctica, Iceland, and Greenland. In their natural environment, ants live in loose ground, rotting vegetation, leaves, and plants and feed on pollen, honeydew, and fruit.
In the ecosystem, they fill in the part of garbage disposal, helping decompose dead animals, trees, and other plant matter and aerating the soil as they tunnel through it. Unfortunately, the same skills that make them so indispensable in nature make ants a terror once they make their way into your home, often necessitating home pest control for ant solutions.
Ants can raid your pantry, contaminate food and surfaces they travel on, tunnel through the wooden members of your home structure and inflict a painful bite if cornered. Let's take a look at how you can identify ant species infesting your home, the issues that accompany their presence, a few ant prevention tips, and, if prevention doesn't do the trick, where to find reliable pest control in Elizabeth City.
How Can I Tell What Type Of Ant Has Invaded My Home?
With thousands of ant species all over the world, we are fortunate that only a few have developed an interest in sharing our homes with us. In the Elizabeth City area, you're likely to run into the following ant species:
- Acrobat ants
- Argentine ants
- Carpenter ants
- Odorous house ants
- Pavement ants
- Citronella ants
- Crazy ants
Most ant species in Elizabeth City are harmless, capable of inflicting a barely painful bite or expressing an annoying smell when crushed. However, a few species can quickly become a serious problem and require a timely application of ant pest control. Carpenter ants, for example, can damage the structure of your home through their incessant tunneling. You usually need a carpenter ant pest control specialist to get rid of them before serious damage to your house occurs.
The Many Problems An Ant Infestation Can Create In Your Home
Damage carpenter ants can inflict on your home aside; most ant species are more of a nuisance than a threat. Ants can contaminate your food and surfaces they travel on and cause minor damage to the lawn around your home with their nests. If handled, odorous household ants and citronella ants will release annoying smells, which is their only deterrence from predators.
Natural Ant Prevention Tips For Elizabeth City Homes
For a homeowner, the best approach to Elizabeth City home pest control for ants is keeping the infestation outside of your walls in the first place:
- Clean up crumbs and spills of sugary drinks immediately.
- Store food in well-sealed containers.
- Don't leave dog food lying around.
- Keep plumbing in good shape to prevent drips.
- Don't store firewood next to house walls.
- Keep vegetation cut short around the perimeter of the house.
If you're starting to see ants in your home despite your best prevention efforts, it's time to get an ant control professional a call.
Contact Us To Completely Eliminate An Ant Infestation
At Albermarle Termite & Pest Control, we have over 100 years of combined experience helping to keep ants at bay in Elizabeth City. Upon arrival to your home, our experienced Service Professionals will start with evaluating the extent of ant infestation you're dealing with and determine the species of ants plaguing your residence. Once that's taken care of, we'll apply a treatment designed specifically for the ants in your home and their behavioral preferences and clear the adult insects and their eggs out of your house.
If your property is under siege from thousands of creepy crawly ants, call us today to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Elizabeth City.