Well, we have some good news for you: with in-depth knowledge and professional assistance, you can overcome even the worst ant problem. We’re about to share our expertise with you so that you can turn the tide and keep your home safe.
Ant Behavior: Social Hierarchy And Communication
The first step is to gain an understanding of how ants in Virginia Beach communicate and organize themselves. Let’s start with the communication side of things.
Ants use pheromones to communicate, which are basically excreted chemicals. So without using words, ants can ‘say’ basic things to one another, which allows them to stay organized and pool together to overcome a problem.
Of course, the social hierarchy of ants is also important to accomplishing tasks. Generally, ant colonies have drones, workers, and queen ants. Importantly, queen ants are basically in charge, and they reproduce in order to supply the colony with more members.
How long do queen ants live? There’s variation between species, but generally, ant queens live much longer than the other members of the colony. This could even be multiple years.
This structure is what allows ants to tackle problems and cause all kinds of issues in your home. Let’s talk about some of those issues now.
Ant Problems: Health Concerns And Property Damage
Are ants actually dangerous to humans? Can they cause property damage? Most importantly, are ants dangerous to your health?
The answer to all three of these questions is yes, though there are key differences depending on which ant species you’re dealing with.
Basically all ants can cause health issues for humans, mainly by contaminating surfaces around the home, especially in kitchens. Species that sting can cause medical problems more directly, though most people will recover from a sting quickly.
Ants can unknowingly cause property damage, especially carpenter ants, which are well-known for chewing through wood. Because every home contains wood structures, this is bad news for homeowners.
Identifying the type of ants in your home can go a long way toward estimating what kind of damage they might be causing and what kind of health risk they represent.
Of course, if you’re unsure or just want some expert advice, contact a professional pest control service like Hawk Mosquito & Pest. More on that later.
Ant Prevention Mistakes To Avoid: Common Pitfalls And Solutions
To help you get on top of successful ant prevention for your home, we want to address some common ant prevention mistakes. We’ll follow up on these mistakes with genuine ant prevention tips.
- Mistake: leaving small pieces of food on the floor. Every bit of food should be cleaned. Form a habit of daily floor cleaning when you know ants are nearby.
- Mistake: only checking human-sized entry points. Ants can fit through tiny gaps in your windows, walls, or doors, so check for openings regularly.
- Mistake: setting glue traps in the kitchen. While these traps may catch some ants, they definitely won’t catch all of them.
- Mistake: Composting near the house. Compost and garbage should be kept relatively far from the exterior walls of your home.
By avoiding these mistakes, you can enact some effective ant prevention that will mitigate future headaches and concerns.
Professional Ant Control: A Great Way To Keep Ants Out For Good
Here’s the good news: professional ant control in Virginia Beach can solve any kind of ant problem you might be having. Professionals know where to look to find ant colonies, and we can also easily identify various ant species and respond accordingly.
If you’d like to learn more about ant extermination for your home, all you need to do is give Hawk Mosquito & Pest a call or message us online today.