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Ants are looking for the sweets you keep in your kitchen; is your house safe from ants? |
As we transition from the winter to spring in Wisconsin, insects and rodents will be out searching for food and shelter. Among the many problem pests in our region, ants are a common household pest that could easily find their way inside your home this spring. Although ants (with the exception of the carpenter ant) are considered more of a nuisance than a threat, it does not make the control of ant infestations easy. Colonies can contain thousands of ants and once they have found a food source, say in your kitchen, they will be sending all of their friends along. The Wisconsin pest control experts at Wil-Kil Pest Control have a few tips to help control ants and prevent them from infesting your home this spring.
There are many different species of ants but the species most common to the Wisconsin and surrounding areas are:
Pavement ants
Pharaoh ants
Field ants
Thief ants
All of these ants are pretty small, ranging from 1/16 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch. Their colonies could be found in the soil, pavement, and even the molding of homes. These social insects will forage for food during the winter months in order to survive. When the spring comes, it’s all about breeding and forming new ant colonies to keep their populations up. This is not good news for homeowners who have ant problems. Ants are generally on a hunt for sweet, fatty, and protein based foods which leaves your kitchen a great target. In order to avoid ants marching onto your counters, here are some tips to avoid ant infestations:
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Keep your kitchen surfaces clean and always wipe up any spills after they happen. Leaving a sweet, sugary spill even just overnight could leave you with major problems in the morning.
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Consider a deep spring cleaning of your kitchen. Pull out your appliances, grab the scrub brush, and get all of the hidden nooks and crannies where grease and other food debris tend to accumulate.
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Store your open food in containers with tight fitting lids so you are not attracting any ants or other pests.
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Do not use sprays from the store that are designed to kill ants. You will only be sending them on a detour by spraying areas where you see them. Until the colony has been destroyed, the ants will keep coming back.
Hopefully these tips will help you to avoid any ant infestations this spring and summer. But if the ants do still make their way inside, Wil-Kil is ready to help those in Green Bay, Madison, and Milwaukee as well as elsewhere in our service area. With our home protection plan you can be sure that you will not have to worry about the negative effects of ant and other pest infestations while you are trying to enjoy the warm weather this spring and for the months to follow.
