ABOUT ANTS

If you own a home or business, you have likely battled ants in the past. They are among the most common pests in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and often require a trained technician to exterminate them.

There are a variety of different ant types found in Yardley and throughout the area, including: the carpenter ant, citronella ant, odorous ant, pavement ant, and the thief ant.

APPEARANCE

Ants also vary in size and color. They might be anywhere from 1/20” to ½” in length, and their coloring might be yellow, red, brown, and black. Some ants in this area are a combination of these colors.

HABITATS

Ants live in colonies where they build nests. These colonies consist of an average of 5,000 ants, but populations can reach into the millions. Some ants prefer to live outdoors, and others prefer to live indoors. Outdoor ants generally look for food outside, but sometimes they enter a home or business. Inside ants build their nests inside a home or business, which allows them to stay warm over the winter season. These nests might be in foundation walls, under floorboards, inside wall cavities, in insulation, behind cabinets in the kitchen, inside rotted window framing, etc.

DIET

When it comes to food, ants are as diverse as humans, even more so. Generally, ants are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant material (like fruits and vegetables), and “animal” material such as other insects, aphids, spiders, etc. One of their favorite foods is sugar, but they have also been known to eat engine oil, and even other ants. Whatever they will find they will eat, including human foods like bread, meat, sweets, cereal, pasta, fruit, and various other starches.

PROBLEMS WITH ANTS

With the exception of the carpenter ant, most ants are just a nuisance. Because there can be so many of them in one nest, they can easily make themselves known in kitchen cupboards, bathrooms, living rooms, etc. However, carpenter ants can cause actual damage to wooden structures, and the insulation inside them. This is why it is of the utmost importance to call a pest control provider if you see any evidence of ants in your home or business.

BEHAVIOR

For the most part, ants live solely to carry on their ant tasks. They are not inclined to bite or attack humans.

This is true, at least, for most of the ants found in the United States. Fire ants, however, are stinging ants. When a person is bit by a fire ant, the wound feels like a burn, hence the name, Fire Ant.

HEALTH ISSUES

On a grand scale, ants are not associated with spreading disease. They can, however, spread bacteria and germs where they walk, which is why you should always store food in tight containers, keep the kitchen clean, etc. Ants that spread germs and bacteria can do some damage in schools, hospitals, and in homes with young children. The Pharaoh ant, which is indigenous to the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area, can transmit Streptococcus, Salmonella, Shigella, and Staphylococcus, all of which are disease-causing organisms.

SIGNS OF ANT INFESTATION

Worker ants will scavenge for food anytime of the day or night. If there is an infestation in your home or business, you will readily see ants carrying out this activity. Even though one single ant might simply be a scout from outside, it’s more likely that there are thousands of others very close by. Nests of up to 40,000 ants are not uncommon and should be dealt with by a certified technician immediately.

PREVENTION TIPS

In an effort to prevent an ant infestation in your Yardley home or business, SafeGuard Pest Control, LLC suggests these actions:

• Keep all of your food sealed tightly
• Clean spills and crumbs from foods and beverages
• Keep pet areas clean
• Damaged screens should be repaired or replaced
• Foundation and structural cracks should be repaired immediately
• Keep bushes and tree branches trimmed back away from structures

ANT CONTROL

Effective ant control requires a thorough inspection of the building to locate all existing nests, identify the type of ant involved, locate entry points, and determine the best type of treatment.

SafeGuard Pest Control, LLC has been serving Yardley area home and business owners with successful ant eradication and control for over 20 years. Our trusted, licensed exterminators can identify the pest and implement immediate treatment so that everyone in the home or office can regain peace of mind.

FREQUENTLY ASKED ANT CONTROL QUESTIONS

DOES DIY ANT CONTROL WORK?

DOES DIY ANT CONTROL WORK?

Many people try DIY ant control before calling an exterminator. Ants seem like such a basic, common pest, that it seems reasonable that they would be easy to control. The reality is far more complicated.

One of the main reasons why DIY ant control methods fail is that they use the wrong kind of bait. Several ant species are commonly found in the area, and they all have their own behavior and habits. They also follow their own diets. If a bait does not appeal to the species of ant that is responsible for the infestation, it is destined to fail.

This may seem counterintuitive, but another reason why a DIY ant control product does not seem to be effective may be because it is working too quickly. This may be the case when the homeowner is confronted with numerous dead ants yet does not see a slowdown in the number of ants invading their property. Ideally, the bait kills slowly so that the ants have time to take it back to the nest where it can do maximum damage. Unless the colony is wiped out, the problem will simply continue.

In some cases, the bait that is used may not be sufficient to kill the colony. Some ant colonies may have thousands of members, and reproduction can happen with shocking speed. If the bait depletes too quickly, then the colony may be able to produce more new members than are being killed by the poison.

Homeowners who are really dedicated to the idea of enjoying an ant-free house are encouraged to contact a professional ant exterminator at once. With their ability to accurately identify ant species and their knowledge of ant nesting behavior, it is far easier for an exterminator to deal with the problem. Moreover, the exterminator knows precisely what sort of bait to use for each ant species.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CONTROL ANTS IN THE YARD?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CONTROL ANTS IN THE YARD?

It is possible to control ants in yards, but it is not always necessary to do so. In fact, ants can be a beneficial species in the garden. They provide natural control of other pests and they are unintentional pollinators. Ecosystems may be healthier thanks to the soil aeration that ants provide, and ants are instrumental in the decomposition of decaying plant matter.

However, having ants in the garden is not always good news. Many ant species are notorious for "farming" aphids. An aphid is an insect that secretes honeydew after feeding on sap from plants. Aphids are hazardous to gardens, and with ants providing care for them, their numbers can grow. Overall, this can have a detrimental effect.

By far the biggest concern is the carpenter ant with its habit of building a nest in wooden structures. They can cause extensive damage that could cost thousands of dollars to repair. A suspected carpenter ant infestation, even if it has not made its way to any structures yet, is certainly worthy of nipping in the bud as soon as possible.

People who find an ant infestation in their yard that concerns them are advised to contact an exterminator immediately. The exterminator can identify the species and provide recommendations regarding whether or not the colony needs to be destroyed.

HOW CAN PEOPLE GET RID OF ANTS IN THEIR CAR?

HOW CAN PEOPLE GET RID OF ANTS IN THEIR CAR?

For many people, discovering ants in their car is like something out of a horror movie. Moreover, these discoveries tend to happen at the most inopportune moment, such as when the car owner is running late for work. It is a baffling situation, and the person has to wonder why ants would bother to get into a car in the first place.

The answer is that the ants are doing what they always do: Looking for food. Ants typically do not look to cars when they want to establish a new colony. Instead, they are simply looking for an additional food source to keep all of the colony members fed.

Many people have eaten more than a few meals in their cars. No matter how careful they are, spills and crumbs are inevitable. With the ant's innate ability scent food wherever it may be, they will soon move in on those crumbs.

The car owner can take steps to get rid of the problem. Moving the car to a spot farther away from the ants' nest makes sense as does clearing all trash from the car. A thorough vacuuming of the car's interior is in order, and it may make sense to clean the tires and wheels too. An ant control professional may need to be called to take care of the colony before it can find another inappropriate food source.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET RID OF ANTS OUTSIDE?

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET RID OF ANTS OUTSIDE?

It is an unfortunate reality that it is virtually impossible to end an insect problem without destroying the colony. Knowing the location of the nest may make getting rid of the colony faster and more effective. Of course, if an exterminator is on the job, he can ensure that the appropriate bait is used so that it can be carried back to the colony. He also may identify the nest's location if he believes that additional control methods may be advisable.

The most highly recommended way to get rid of ants outside is with the assistance of an exterminator. This way, homeowners can be confident that the pest has been correctly identified, which means that the proper, and most effective, control methods can be employed.

These control methods are effective on the worker ants that are seen outside the nest and the colony members that never leave the nest. This ensures that the colony is eradicated, and that is the only way to put an end to the infestation.

When an exterminator performs this service, homeowners can rest assured that the methods used are safe for people, animals and the environment. Nonetheless, these methods are powerful enough to eliminate the problem.

HOW CAN PEOPLE GET RID OF ANTS IN THE WALL?

HOW CAN PEOPLE GET RID OF ANTS IN THE WALLS?

Ants are small and determined, which can lead them to be found in some incredibly out-of-the-way places such as inside the walls of a home. Such infestations can be extremely difficult to eliminate as access to the nest may be poor. In some situations, the nest cannot even be located.

Fortunately, a licensed pest control technician understands ant behavior. This makes it easier for them to determine where a nest might be located. Ants that are nesting inside walls are of particular concern because there is a strong possibility that they are carpenter ants. These destructive pests can cause a great deal of damage to any wood in the structure.

When ants are discovered inside walls, the exterminator is likely to use baiting to attract the ants so that they will take the poison back to their nest. A particularly bad infestation may call for the drilling of small holes in the wall and then the application of a powdered poison. The exterminator will present all available control methods to the homeowner so that an informed decision regarding treatment can be made.