Pest Control: AntsCovering Ant Biology and Ant Control.

How to get rid of Ants in your kitchen and other targeted areas around your home.

AntsWith thousands of Ant species, it's no wonder homes get overrun with these little bugs. They can come through just about any crack or crevice, making your home vulnerable to attack. Their chemtrails lure other ants to their position as well.

Ants are the number one pest intruder afflicting homes in the Pacific Northwest. Of those species, Carpenter Ants are among the most aggressive and detrimental to your home. Successfully exterminating these pests takes skill and knowledge.

Ant BiologyAnts live in colonies and work off a social hierarchy. Very similar to a caste system. Each Ant has a different job and function within the colony.

There are three different kinds of Ants:● Workers - Find food, build nests, and care for offspring.● Swarmers - Winged males and females that settle new

colonies.● The Queen - She lays the eggs and runs the hive mind.

Ant Biology (cont.)After the swarmers mate, the males will trickle and die off.

The females will find a suitable site to start building a nest and begin a new colony.

As the colony grows and matures, after a few years, it will then begin to create swarmers on a yearly basis.

Ant ControlTo really take advantage of trying to get rid of ants, you must identify the species you are dealing with first. Baits can be used for some species, like the Pharoah Ant, while others will not be enticed by such controls.

To properly exterminate ants in your home, a professional must identify and locate the colony directly. The use pest treatments to destroy the colony before it spreads.

Carpenter AntsThey are among the most costly species of Ant, especially in the Pacific Northwest. They can burrow into your home and eat out your foundation.

They must have a consistent amount of moisture for their colony to survive.

This is why you should be on the look out for fallen trees, branches, and stumps on your property. These are the kinds of places Carpenter Ants will migrate to first, before invading your home.

Carpenter Ants (cont.)They may be tiny in stature but they will do big damage to your home if left untreated.

The problem you may face when dealing with Carpenter Ants is that they may have set up a slew of satellite colonies in your area.

This means that if you were to track them to their colony and destroy it, there may be others out there. This is why we take a comprehensive approach to treating Carpenter Ants and give you a full year guarantee. If for any reason we need to come back out and reservice, it's on us.

How to Get Rid of Ants in the KitchenThe kitchen is the most common place to find ants. Why? Because there are tiny scraps of food particles everywhere!

You'll find ants in your cupboards, on the counter, in and around your sink, just about anywhere you can imagine.

Just as in any case, to properly treat them you must identify which type of Ant they are.

Argentine AntsSimilar to the Carpenter Ant, the Argentine Ant can be difficult to treat. This is due mainly in part to the possible number of sub-colonies located on yours or other nearby properties.

It is important to have the right control measures in place if trying to deal with Argentine Ants.

Sealing off cracks and gaps in your foundation is a great place to start.

Argentine Ants (cont.)Removing piles of debris, lumber, or and source of heavy ground cover should be on your to-do list.

You want to decrease the odds that a colony might choose your area to nest in. Re-servicing on a regular basis may be what it takes to exterminate these pests.

Fire AntsFire Ants are another one of those groups of ants that may have multiple colonies within a small area.

You can treat fire ants with baits or even a residual contact product. If you do decide to go with baiting understand that the whole area may have to be baited.

Discuss a treatment plan with a professional about what to do and about re-servicing.

Pharoah AntsPharoah Ants are one of the species that can only be treated by the use of baits.

If you were to use residual treatments on their colonies, they will actually split into multiple colonies.

This will only make your problems a whole lot worse.

Sugar AntsWhen figuring out how to get rid of sugar ants, you must determine two things.

Are you trying to get rid of them in your kitchen?

Or are you trying to get rid of them throughout your entire home?

These are two separate questions with two separate treatment plans.

Sugar Ants (cont.)If you are trying to move them out of your kitchen you can set traps and clean up! Clean everything (I mean everything).

When you bait sugar ants you must understand that the bait will have competition with other food sources.

So to properly bait them, be sure you have removed any other sources that might attract them.

Sugar Ants (cont.)They will eat just about anything including nuts, bread, meat, cheese, seeds, honey, anything sugary, and other pests.

If you decide to use poisons, please consult a professional beforehand and follow the directions.

There are a few organic deterrents.

Sugar Ants - Organic DeterrentsYou can use pepper on the chemtrails to block the signals.

You can use vinegar as a top coat after you've cleaned your counters and floors.

Mix apple vinegar together with water (50/50 mix) and use it in a spray bottle.

Use on the areas of concern.

What to do?Are You seeing a pattern? Ants can be very difficult to control.

In any case, calling a pest control professional isn't going to hurt, and in some cases may just be your best course of action.

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