It’s ant season again. As a homeowner, you must think about ways to help prevent ants from invading your personal space. One of the best approaches to ant control in the home is cleanliness, according to the University of Florida.
Did you know that there are over 2000 ant queens per acre in the state of Florida? Believe it or not, the most common ant found inside your home can be traced back to a small hole on the exterior of your home. Trained experts are skilled at locating those ants on the outside. By applying the proper ant bait, a professional can take care of most inside ant problems without ever stepping foot inside.
DEFERRED MAINTENANCE
Ant issues can be caused by a number of issues. Some of the most common problems experts see in the field are usually caused by what we call in the industry “deferred maintenance.” Some examples of this would be as follows:
- Clogged gutters,
- Excessive mulch around the exterior foundation,
- Tree limbs touching the home/structure,
- Sprinkler systems not working, and
- The presence of organic and non-organic food material on the exterior (aka trash and litter around your yard)
To understand how each of these issues affect your home from a bug’s perspective let’s take a look at each of these deferred maintenance issues.
Clogged Gutters-
Ants for the most part need two things to survive. Moisture and organic decaying debris. Your unclean gutters are a perfect habitat and breeding grounds for colonies of ants. Once established the ants have the run of the house. Coming into the attic through the eaves and once they are there, pretty much can appear anywhere in the house.
Mulch around the exterior foundation-
Similarly to unclean gutters the mulch you spread around your house is often chemically untreated and rain and decay are happening beneath the visible layers of mulch.
Trees touching the house-
One of the most common things we see are tree limbs touching the house and upon further examination you will most times find ants pouring off the tree limbs onto your house. Once there they will go up the wall to the eaves and get established inside the eaves and at that point will be found throughout the entire home.
Sprinkle system not working-
What does dead grass have to do with ants? Answer: Everything. Ants love sand soil and dry grass to make their ground nests. The only chance they have to get water to sustain their existence is to make large mounds of earth so that when it rains they get the life sustaining water they desperately are seeking.
The presence of organic and non-organic food material on the exterior-
Clean up the trash around your yard. Ants love having fresh trash to eat. Not everyone has trash laying about at their house but you would be surprised what the professionals find.
As experts in the pest industry, Venom Pest Control’s trained technicians can assess your entire home and make recommendations on next steps and treatment options. Our experts will use a combination of baits, liquids and granuals to accomplish control and prevention. If you would like a free evaluation please call Venom Pest Control LLC at 352-223-3618 or CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment.
