Many people consider ants harmless and commonplace. After all, you can find ants almost anywhere — from office buildings and houses in the city to rural areas and camping grounds.
In most places you find ants, they are only ever sources of mild irritation when they get into food that you might have been saving for later. However, ants in large numbers can also potentially cause large-scale and more serious problems to your home.
Thankfully, ant infestations are easy to resolve. While you could try to do it yourself, hiring a team for ant extermination in Baltimore will quickly rectify the problem.
The following are some ways to prevent an ant infestation from occurring in your Baltimore home.
What Qualifies as an Ant Infestation?
Seeing a couple of ants inside your home is not yet a cause for concern — neither is finding several ants when tending to your garden. These don’t require a call for any ant extermination just yet.
A sure early sign of a potential ant infestation is finding large groups of ants converging in various places around your home, particularly in places near food or damp, rotting wood.
Check the corners, windowsills, and such for lines of ants moving along the walls or floors. The best areas to check are your kitchen, pantry, and bathroom. It’s also good to check your garden for signs of ant hills.
Seeking help from a professional ant exterminator in Baltimore is the best and most effective way to solve the problem. Rosenbloom Pest Control is the most trusted, qualified professional ant control services company in Baltimore, solving ant infestations from Owings Mills and Pikesville to Timonium to Catonsville and everywhere in between.
Knowing the potential cause of an ant infestation can help you rectify the situation. Here are a few common reasons behind infestations that Baltimore ant exterminators encounter:
● Large quantities of food sources. Ants are attracted to food lying around, particularly sugary food like fruit, soda, candies, or syrups. Food left out on the table or on countertops as well as opened packs of food, and unopened food packaging with small holes will draw in ants.
● Drink spills and food droppings. Residues from sweet food and drinks will also attract the attention of ants.
● Pet food. Ants also target food for cats, dogs, and other pets, especially when they are not stored in airtight containers.
● Open trash bins. Trash bins or containers that are not closed properly can attract whole colonies of ants, especially if the trash container is used for food waste and leftovers.
Signs of a Possible Ant Infestation
A full-blown ant infestation is not something you should dismiss. Depending on the type of ants that infest your home, you may be facing serious damage and consequences.
However, there is no need to panic, either. Ant infestations are easy to resolve with the right equipment or company offering ant extermination in Randallstown. Timely response upon noticing signs of possible ant infestations will help you prevent the issue from growing bigger.
Reaching out to any professional ant exterminator in Baltimore is the best way to solve the infestation swiftly, effectively, and safely.
Here are a few signs indicating your home may have an ant control problem:
● Ants in your food. If any food you leave out in the open gets overrun by ants right away, then you likely have an ant infestation. Ants can quickly sniff out leftover food, open food packets, food droppings, and even pet food, and converge upon them.
● Ant hills or mounds in the garden. Many ant infestations start in your yard, rather than immediately inside your house. Check your front and backyard for ant mounds or colonies, even if it’s far from your kitchen or pantry. Ants are known to travel long distances in search of food.
● Rustling noises inside the walls at night. If your home is playing host to a carpenter ant infestation, you may be able to tell by listening to your walls, especially in the evening. Carpenter ants are largely active at night, during which they build their nests inside wooden walls.
● Hollow-sounding walls. Rustling noises often come hand in hand with hollow sounding walls. As carpenter ants make themselves home inside your wooden walls, they will create tunnels and hollow out the solid wood.
● A trail of wood shavings. When carpenter ants hollow out your wooden walls, they produce a trail of wood shavings or sawdust. Take a closer look at your floors, especially around old wood in moisture-prone areas, such as windowsills or doorways.
One important thing to note about ant infestations is that they can happen at any time of the year. Make sure to check your home regularly for signs of ant infestations.
Ant Species That Commonly Require Ant Control in Baltimore
There are many species of ants that could invade your Baltimore home.
Here are several of the most common ant species that can plague residents and businesses in the Greater Baltimore area.
● Carpenter ants. These ants are usually black and red in color, have wings, and are one of the largest kinds of ants that infest homes. They burrow into wood walls or floors, seeking out damp or wet wood in particular.
● Acrobat ants. These ants have heart-shaped heads and abdomens. They can typically be found in kitchens. Acrobat ants have a stinging bite, which they employ when threatened.
● Pavement ants. These small ants commonly invade homes in the U.S. east coast. Pavement ants are often light brown to black in color and live inside pavement cracks.
● Odorous house ants. These ants produce a foul odor similar to rotten coconut when they are crushed. This is another small species of ants that are black to brown in color. They often converge on sweet food.
● Thief ants. These ants are one of the smallest species of house ants. They usually feed on rotting rodent corpses and may contaminate your food sources.
● Harvester ants. As the name suggests, these ants primarily target harvest seeds, rather than sugary food. They can be brown, black, or red in color and can greatly damage grass and plants in your garden.
● Fire ants. These are one of the more aggressive species of ants. Fire ants are reddish-brown and often make large, flat nests in gardens, particularly in spacious and sunny areas.
Potential Issues Ant Infestations Cause to Homes
Ants can be quite the nuisance causing aggravation for homeowners.
More importantly, there are potential dangers that ant infestations can bring into your home. The top three dangers are listed below:
● Food contamination. Ants can bring in bacteria and contaminate your food sources. Even unopened packs of food may be burrowed into by some ants, leading some homeowners none the wiser. Odorous house ants and thief ants are the primary causes of this danger.
● Allergy and bite infection. An infestation of fire ants can pose a danger to you and anyone you may be living with. Aside from potential allergic reaction to fire ant venom, the bites may also get infected. This is a serious physical threat, particularly for younger children.
● Structural or insulation damage. Wood-burrowing ants like carpenter ants can greatly compromise the structural integrity of your home. Other ant species that make their home inside damp or old wood may also damage the insulation between your walls.
Tips to Prevent Ant Infestations
Companies that offer ant extermination in can also you ensure such problems do not happen again. You can ask any ant exterminator from Baltimore for more tips and suggestions to prevent ant infestations.
Some ways you can prevent another ant infestation:
● Clean your kitchen and dining room regularly.
● Sweep the floors in rooms where you usually eat food or entertain guests.
● Wipe tables and countertops after every use.
● Mop up or wipe food and drink spills right away, instead of letting it dry, especially if the spill is from sugary or sweet drinks.
● Check your pantry and food items occasionally for any ant holes and ant lines.
● Dispose any food waste properly.
● Avoid leaving any dirty dishes on the sink overnight or throughout the day.
● Make sure your garbage bins and containers close tightly, especially garbage bones for food and other organic waste.
● Repair and replace any areas with damp or moist wood.
● Seal any holes and cracks in your house foundation, siding, door jamb, windowsills, and similar areas.
● Be on the lookout for scout ants.
DIY Ways to Eliminate Ant Infestations
Hiring an ant exterminator in Towson or from anywhere in the general Baltimore area is generally the best course of action when it comes to ant infestations. However, if you prefer, there are some do-it-yourself solutions you can try first.
Some DIY solutions you can spray on ants to repel them are:
● A mixture of water and dish soap or liquid detergent
● Tea tree oil or peppermint essential oil mixed with water
● Undiluted lemon eucalyptus oil
● White vinegar and water
● Lemon juice
Alternatively, you can also sprinkle the following on ants or their path:
● Ground black or red pepper
● Cornstarch
● Brewed coffee grounds
Boric acid and borax are two other effective and commonly used ant repellants. When using either of these chemical compounds, make sure to wear plastic or safety gloves. Make sure to keep these away from your food, any pets, or children, too.
Mix boric acid or borax with eight teaspoons of sugar and a cup of warm water then use the mixture to saturate cotton balls. Place these cotton balls in areas where you commonly find ants.
While DIY solutions can provide immediate relief and get rid of the ants you can see, only a trusted ant control service will be able to get rid of the ants in your home that you don’t see and help you to effectively prevent future ant infestations.
Safe and Effective Ant Extermination in Baltimore
If you’ve noticed signs of an ant infestation in your home, make sure to call an expert and trusted team right away. A professional ant extermination team can guarantee not only the success of the operation but also your family’s health and safety.
If you’re dealing with an ant problem in the Baltimore area, reach out to Rosenbloom Pest Control. Rosenbloom Pest Control has a trusted reputation of being the best pest control company in Baltimore, serving Towson, Timonium, Catonsville, Pikesville, Owings Mills, and Randallstown. Our team has the necessary experience and knowledge to use appropriate methods to remove and prevent ants from your yard, basement, garage, or any part of your home.
Ant colonies on your property becoming a nuisance?
It’s time to call in the professionals!
Rosenbloom Pest Control is the premier pest control company in the Baltimore area. Our technicians will get rid of those pesky ants in no time.
Reach out to us and schedule an appointment today!
(410) 358-5583 office@rosenbloompest.com
Recent Comments