If you’re tired of seeing a trail of ants marching (shout out to Dave Matthews) across your kitchen counters, floors, closets or anywhere else in your house, you're not alone. Ants are a common pest problem in the warm and dry climate of Sacramento, but we can help exterminate them from your home and stop them from coming back. As annoying as they are, few people realize how much damage they can do to a home, 

As with all of our other pest control and extermination work, everything starts with identifying the problem pest, determining the best course of action and then getting the job done so you can get back to living your life without those pesky picnic raiders. Let’s get started.

Identification

We talk about identification a lot and with good reason; not all ants are created equal which means different types of ants might require different treatment types and/or application. Though all ants can be a nuisance, some ants are harmless, while others can bite or cause damage to your home. Carpenter ants, for example, can demolish wood wherever they choose to start a colony; they don’t actually eat the wood, so much as “move it out of the way” or excavate it, to make room for their growing colony. This is why we identify the type of ant you're dealing with so we know what needs to be done. Again, in the case of carpenter ants, we look for signs of saw dust, inside of walls, around pipes and near electrical wire. Keep in mind also, that ALL ants can spread bacteria and disease, so whether the ants in your home bite, destroy wood or sing and dance, they all need to be exterminated from your home.

Treatment

As is our policy, we always use the most effective treatment for the job at hand; if we were gardening, we wouldn’t break out the napalm to get rid of a few weeds. Similarly, we stay away from harsh chemicals instead relying on our Integrated Pest Management experience to help us get the job done as quickly and safely as possible. This means we would recommend baiting the ants with a specially treated food source that would attract them and that they would bring back to their colony, which in turn would kill the ants all the way up to the queen. Of course, the deeper and more widespread an infestation is, the longer the procedure can take.

Keeping Ants Out

Another key element to our IPM service is keeping bugs out of your house. This is best served through a service contract, which can be set up at your discretion, to your goals and your budget. A key part of this maintenance consists of us setting up and monitoring ant bait stations as well as applying other people and eco-friendly treatments designed to keep ants away. We then routinely inspect your home and make corrective steps if and where necessary. Through it all, you can count on us to keep you informed while we keep the ants out.

As you might have guessed, there are several key things you can do as well, that will help...

Seal up entry points: Ants can enter your home through even the tiniest of cracks and crevices. It's important to seal up these entry points to prevent them from getting in. This can include caulking around windows and doors, repairing holes in screens, and using weatherstripping on doors.  These are services we can provide through our IPM program.

Eliminate their food source: Ants are attracted to food, so it's important to eliminate their food source. This means keeping your kitchen clean and storing food in airtight containers. And making sure all surfaces are wiped clean.



Need more info about getting rid of ants from your home or business? Call us @ 916.282.1822.