Spring is just around the corner and with it comes warm weather, blooming flowers, and unfortunately for homeowners, ants foraging for food. If proper precautions are not taken to prevent ants, your home and property could become a home and feeding ground for thousands of ants. The good news is that most species of ants common to the area, except the carpenter ant, are simply considered to be nuisance pests, meaning they will not damage your home. The bad news is that once they settle onto your property and into your home, they can be very difficult to get rid of. The most common species found in the Wisconsin area include pavement ants, pharaoh ants, field ants, and thief ants.
You may think to yourself, ants are fairly common, so what is the big deal if a few are in my home? Well, the answer is that if you are seeing a few ants, that most likely means that there are thousands more in a colony nearby. Ants enter homes when foraging for foods that are sweet, fatty and high in protein. Basically any type of food that is found in a kitchen. Ants will leave a scent trail to their food source so that other members of their colony can follow. Once they find a food source, they will not stop going back to it unless they are forced to stop with an ant control treatment.
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Besides foraging for food and contaminating the food in your home, ants may also decide to make your home their permanent residence and build their nest inside. Depending on the species of ant, they may build their nests in the moldings of your home, behind wall voids, behind baseboards and even underneath your concrete slabs. Getting rid of ants once they have built a nesting area can be very difficult and more often than not, you will need professional help to safely and completely remove them from your home.
If sharing your home with ants isn’t something you want to do this spring, there are some easy prevention steps that you can complete around your home to stop an ant infestation. Ant prevention tips for your Wisconsin home include:
- Seal all cracks and crevices along your home’s foundation, windows and siding.
- Leave a barrier between your landscaping and home; don’t allow mulch, tree branches, or grass to be right against your home’s foundation.
- Keep dry goods in sealed containers; keep fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator instead of on your counter.
- Don’t leave dirty dishes in your sink for long periods of time.
- Immediately clean up spills and crumbs.
Ants can be very persistent pests, so despite taking precautions, you may still find yourself with an ant problem this spring. If you find yourself in need of ant pest control services, contact the experts at Wil-Kil Pest Control.