Ants are the most controversial pests worldwide. While some advocate for their pardoning because of their usefulness in the ecosystem, some feel that the little creatures need to be treated like any other pest and that is being eradicated forever.
Ants have their good side but they also have their shortcomings like any other living things. These shortcomings tend to be a problem to humans and that is what we are going to discuss about. This article is mainly focused on ants as pests, how to keep them away from your home, their habits, risks they inflict on humans, how to detect them, and how to eradicate them.
How to control ants
Ants are attracted to many things in your home, one of which is food.
Food is the major culprit in inviting ants into your house so make sure you store your food in such a way that ants will not get to it.
Store your food in airtight containers and make sure you don’t leave crumbs and mussels lying around.
Tidy places where you have made food and always keep your place clean because ants are attracted by dirt.
The same goes for your trash cans. Try to use sealable trash cans so that ants won’t find any reason to invade your home looking for food in those bins.
If you spot a trail of ants use bleach to clean off the trail so as to prevent more ants from coming in using the pheromone trail.
Ants like to take shelter in cracks in walls, pavements and anywhere they can find favourable so, repair all cracks so as to prevent ants from making their shelter there.
Ants are also fond of sweet things so make sure to store away your sweet foods like sugar, candies, cakes or even beverages. The banded sugar ant is one good example that can’t just resist sugar so if you don’t properly store your sugar, you are likely to find them in your sugar jar.
Also, trim and tidy your place so that ants won’t find shelters in fallen trees that lean on your house. If this happens, ants can easily get into your house from that tree.
The key to keeping ants away is just being tidy. Besides cracks, ants can get inside your house even though the door as are small enough to fit under the door or through the tiniest opening.
Habits of ants
Ants are found everywhere in the world except for Antarctica. This is because they don’t like very cold temperatures. Ants, like most insects, are also very active in summer because it’s warmer.
Ants are very social animals and live in colonies. There are worker ants who are responsible for hunting for food, the queen who is responsible for reproduction and always eggs waiting to evolve. Ants are the most hardworking creatures in the world. As tiny as they are, they possess a rich mindset that makes them the most prosperous amongst most insects.
They can cooperate and achieve greater tasks together. When one ant discovers food anywhere, it takes what it can carry and goes back to the colony leaving a trail of pheromone droplets on the way for others to follow.
Pheromone is a chemical that ants produce in order to notify others where food is and mark the way back to the colony from the food source.
Ants breed at a very high rate so if you have them in your home, the longer they stay there, the more they increase and the harder it will be to get rid of them.
Ants come in different types and sizes and each type has its own type of damage they cause to humans. There are carpenter ants, fire ants, black garden ants, branded sugar ants and some others.
There is also the bullet ant which is notorious for its painful stings. You’d think you were stung by a wasp.
How to detect ants in your home
Ants are visible to the naked eye so it’s not difficult to see them.
Their colonies are also very noticeable as they leave frass, dark sand-like debris outside their colonies.
You can also notice disturbed soil on the surface where they live.
Ants also move in trails sometimes so it’s very easy to see the trail of ants or even notice an ant in your food or sugar.
Damages caused by ants
Ants can be a nuisance as well as a health threat to humans. Due to their hunting nature, they can bring bacteria and other harmful things into your house as they carry them as food. Ants feed on dead creatures so they can drag those creatures into your home.
Ants are also said to be another cause for dysentery, smallpox and Salmonella.
Some ants have really painful stings which can cause anaphylactic shock to those with allergic reactions to the stings.
Carpenter ants can also damage furniture and wood. They can also damage crops too and cost you some money.
Ants can contaminate food sources forcing you to throw away the food and it can be a great loss if this happens in your business.
How to get rid of ants in your home
Ants are very hard to get rid of once they settle in your home.
You can spray the worker ants but if you don’t destroy the whole colony then you are fighting a losing battle because the queen will keep on producing more ants.
If you find ants in your place make sure to locate the colony so that you will eradicate the problem from the root.
Buy a pesticide specifically for ants and be cautious of making other useful and harmless insects collateral damage in your war with ants.
Clean your house thoroughly to sweep away all the ants and keep it clean so that they will never come back.
If the infestation is getting out of hand then contact pest control services to help you.
