{"id":11136,"date":"2024-05-23T17:35:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T17:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=11136"},"modified":"2024-05-23T17:35:50","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T17:35:50","slug":"when-to-call-an-exterminator-for-ants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=11136","title":{"rendered":"When to Call an Exterminator for Ants"},"content":{"rendered":"


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As someone with years of experience in the pest control industry, I can tell you that while ants may not carry diseases<\/a>, they can still be a major nuisance in your home. Some species, like fire ants, can even cause painful bites, especially for those with allergies. Regardless of whether they spread illness or not, ants simply don\u2019t belong in your living space.<\/p>\n

When it comes to determining if it\u2019s time to seek professional help, the key is to look for signs of an infestation. If you\u2019ve been spotting groups of ants consistently, rather than just a stray one or two, that\u2019s a red flag. It\u2019s understandable to try home remedies and DIY solutions first, but if those fail to resolve the issue, it\u2019s time to call in the experts.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen too many homeowners try to tackle ant infestations on their own, only to have the problem persist and potentially worsen. As someone who has dealt with countless ant cases, I can assure you that enlisting the help of a skilled exterminator can save you a lot of time, money, and frustration in the long run.<\/p>\n

Want to get rid of the ants yourself? Read our DIY and killer guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to Identify a Home Ant Infestation<\/h2>\n

Did you know that there are multiple types of ants? It\u2019s true \u2014 not all species of ants are the same, and not every species of ant causes the same damage to your property. The following are some of the most common types of ants you\u2019re likely to see in your home and how they might affect your life and the structure of your home.<\/p>\n

Types of Ants and How They Get into Homes<\/h2>\n

The following are the\u00a0common kinds of ants<\/a>\u00a0that will inhabit your home if given the chance. One or two ants can\u00a0easily be managed<\/a>, but large colonies can spring up in just a short time. Ants communicate primarily through pheromone trails \u2014 these are scents they produce to convey information to each other. <\/p>\n

Ants don\u2019t have the best eyesight, so they mainly communicate through these scent trails to pass along messages about food or potential threats. They use their antennae when close to each other, but pheromone trails act as message highways so that the whole colony can be on the same page. This is how ants come into your home and become a problem.<\/p>\n

Carpenter Ants<\/h3>\n

Unlike the rest of the ants on our list, carpenter ants can cause structural damage to your home. In nature, the colony settles in rotting wood, stumps, or fallen trees. However, they will look for equivalent wooden structures in your home once they find out that your home could be a good place to settle down. <\/p>\n

Carpenter ants don\u2019t typically work as quickly as termites, but they can eventually cause just as much damage as termites, depending on the size of the infestation. Carpenter ants are reddish black in color, and they prefer cool, wetter climates in North America. They can enter your home through a damaged part, like a rotting windowsill or cracked doorframe. You may even need to keep carpenter ants out of nearby trees<\/a> so that the ants don\u2019t kill them.<\/p>\n

Pavement Ants<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve ever seen an anthill rising out of cracks in your driveway or out of any concrete structure, including parking lots or sidewalks, these are likely entrances to pavement ant colonies. Pavement ants are black or dark brown and they make their homes in spaces and crevices in, well, pavement. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re found all over the country and are one of the smaller kinds of ants on this list. They do not cause structural damage to the places they inhabit, but should they infest your home, they can contaminate your food, so they should still be removed from your home.<\/p>\n

Argentine Ants<\/h3>\n

Argentine ants are found in the southeastern United States mainly due to the widespread availability of wet environments and humid, tepid weather. They are an invasive species that can disrupt the life cycles of essential pollinators and other native species of flora and fauna. <\/p>\n

Because Argentine ants aren\u2019t known to be particularly aggressive\u00a0toward one another<\/a>, this adds to their invasive capabilities because they can create extremely large colonies relatively quickly, as long as no predators get involved. <\/p>\n

If they infest your home, you don\u2019t have to worry about them damaging your home or biting you, but you do have to worry about the odor they produce when crushed as well as food contamination. Argentine ants will enter your home through cracks and holes and are drawn to readily available water sources.<\/p>\n

Fire Ants<\/h3>\n

These pests can be an absolutely painful nuisance. Also an invasive species, their full name is red imported fire ants, and they wreak havoc on feet and ankles all the way from Maryland to Texas, and some desert states like California. <\/p>\n

They are small, but they can produce large welts with their quick and nasty bites. These usually turn to blisters full of pus and are painful to the touch. If you or any of your family members are allergic to fire ants, it\u2019s especially prudent to eliminate any fire ant colonies either in your home or on your property. <\/p>\n

As their name would suggest, fire ants are orangish brown or reddish brown. Any homeowner needs to be aware of the potential problem of fire ants creating colonies on their property, usually in the yard or near sheds or other structures.<\/p>\n

Odorous House Ants<\/h3>\n

The odorous house ant is a black ant, sometimes dark brown in color. They are found all over the United States, and they are aptly named since even one ant\u00a0produces<\/a>\u00a0a strong, unpleasant odor when you smash it. Some say it\u2019s reminiscent of rotting coconuts. <\/p>\n

This type of ant is again not a health risk to humans, but it can be a huge nuisance if they infest your kitchen or even the crawl space under your home. They like to create their colonies in loose and open soil, which is an abundant material underneath most homes. They can also make their homes within walls and floors, and this is where the infestation becomes tricky to control.<\/p>\n

Crazy Ants<\/h3>\n

These ants are dark brown or black in color and they have little hair-like structures protruding from their exoskeletons. Caribbean crazy ants get their name because the worker ants, the type of ants you normally see, run around in an unpredictable and seemingly nonsensical, jerking way while they\u2019re out of the colony searching for food. <\/p>\n

Crazy ants adore honeydew, so they are likely to stay away during warmer months when the fruit is in season; however, they are known to enter and inhabit homes after heavy rains and when the weather changes to cooler seasons because they no longer have an abundant supply of honeydew. <\/p>\n

They can enter your home through damaged seals or cracks, and they will look for food sources within. Indoors, they build their colonies under carpets because their colony structures are naturally shallow and wide.<\/p>\n

Where Do Ants Hide?<\/h2>\n

Ants require both a source of food and a water source, so they tend to congregate in places where there are both \u2014 kitchens, near garbage materials, and anywhere that may have a steady source of moisture. If you have a basement with cracks through which ants can enter, they can find water there and then find food either outside or they can eat your food.<\/p>\n

Ants can hide within your wall voids, under, and behind door frames, behind windowsills, and, especially in the case of odorous house ants and crazy ants, within your floors.\u00a0Much like termites<\/a>\u00a0or wasps, ants make their homes in damaged wood structures or anywhere they feel is safe from predators but still close enough to food sources. <\/p>\n

If you have an area of your home where ants might easily find food (for example,\u00a0behind a dishwasher\u00a0that is not working correctly<\/a>) chances are high that you\u2019ll find ants congregating there.<\/p>\n

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