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Seeing one or two ants in your home may make you wonder how many more of them are hiding where you cannot see them. How do you know if ants have infested your home or if you are just seeing a couple of bold explorers looking for food?
We are going to tell you what to look for in order to spot an ant infestation as well as how to deal with one. So, don’t worry; just look out for these signs.
Winged Ants- What Do They Mean?
If you spot one or two ants in your home, that probably doesn’t mean you have an infestation. But if you see flying ants in your home, that’s probably an indication that an ant nest could be set up indoors in the near future, if it isn’t there already. The ants that have wings are the scouting ants, and you will likely only see them when they are looking for a new nest. You might see them outdoors every now and then, but when they come indoors, that means they are scouting out your house as a potential nesting spot.
If they like what they see, they will report back to their queen and let her know that your home has shelter, safety, and food. You should not let these ants go free. As soon as you see them, then get rid of them, either chasing them out of the house or killing them. This will let the other ants know that your house is not a good place to set up their nest.
The Line of Ants
Are you seeing a line of ants in your home? You will likely see this in the kitchen or any other room that has food in it. The line of ants usually means that ants are carrying resources back to their nest. One ant told another that there is food or some other valuable resource in the area, and they formed a constant line to take all of what they found back to the colony.
You can trace this line of ants back to the source, and this is a good way to find out where the nest is. If it leads to somewhere inside your home, you know that ants have taken up residence there. You can see where the other end of the line goes as well, which is usually a food source. Make sure you clean that food up so that you cut off the supply of food in your home and deter the ants from returning.
When you follow the ants back to the nest, you may want to destroy their colony, which you can do by pouring water into the nest or using bug spray. Use something that can penetrate deep underground, though, if you want to get rid of the entire nest, including the queen and her supply of ant eggs. This should greatly reduce the ant population in your area for a while.
Finding the Nest
Are you having trouble figuring out where the ants are coming from and going to? You can set out some bait for them- either ant bait or some food. Sugar works really well as a type of ant bait, and it will attract them from very far and usually cause them to form a line, if there is enough for it to warrant bringing out the colony to collect it.
When the ants come out, you can trace them back to the nest, if you give them enough time to form a full line. You have to be patient, though, and let them spend some time signaling the other ants so that there is a clear line leading you to their nest. If you cannot trace the line of ants all the way back to the nest because they disappear behind or under some obstacle (like inside the walls of your home), you may want to call in pest control experts to take it from there.
Eliminate and Protect
Once you have found the nest and eliminated it, you have some work to do. You don’t want the ants to come back into your home, right? So, you need to take steps to ensure that your home is protected from ants and that it is not a place where they can easily find resources.
The first step to take is to clean your home thoroughly. One of the most popular home agencies for maid services can get your home tidy fast so that ants are not attracted to your living space. If you want your home cleaned well and you want to be sure that ants will be unable to find food there, consider professional cleaning. If you feel like you can handle it yourself, then go for it, but be sure your home is cleaned well.
Next, you need to secure your home against ants and other pests. Make sure that there are no cracks or small holes or crevices where they can get in. You may need to seal up some holes, using building materials or caulking to fill in gaps. It is especially important to do this right before winter, when pests are looking for a warm place to hide from the freezing temperatures. Make sure that your home is not accessible to them.
Then, carry out regular inspections, either on your own or with the help of a pest control specialist. Look for signs that ants and other pests are in your home. Make sure that your home stays tidy and is not attractive to pests. Cover any garbage receptacles and keep garbage away from the house when it is stored outdoors.
You can make your home free from ants very quickly if you follow the steps we gave you here and you deal with the ant population definitely and effectively. Ants may not be very dangerous or carry lots of diseases, but they can be annoying, and these suggestions will help you be rid of them.
