Pest control services remain in demand in the United States simply because pests of various species continue to invade and cause trouble in many American homes. From crawling critters like ants, bed bugs, and rodents to flying insects like carpet beetles, flies, and mosquitos, homeowners have to deal with pests every now and then.
As long as they find the food, moisture, and warmth they need inside your home, pests will stubbornly look for ways to gain access to your property so they can breed, hibernate, or survive all year round. Unfortunately, people’s households offer pests enough hiding spots and food sources.
Ants
Among the most tenacious pests that are so challenging to get rid of are the ants. These tiny crawlies are known for being hard workers and social creatures.
Here’s the thing:
Once you spot one or just a few ants within your house, expect that there will be hundreds or even thousands of them nearby. Indeed, a single ant does not invade people’s homes alone. Considering the pheromones that ants release along their way, it makes it so much easier for the rest of the colony to track and track each other.
Also, keep in mind that a queen ant is capable of laying as many as 800 eggs per day. In the US, for instance, you can find about 700 species of ants. Unfortunately, ants don’t go away that easily. Even if you exterminate hundreds of these annoying critters, it does not mean they will no longer re-infest and attacks your home. This is because ants thrive in colonies. If you have not destroyed their nests, they will always find ways to come back to your household.
4 Easy and Natural Ways to Eliminate Ants
To prevent heavy ant infestations, which can happen in no time, it is ideal for homeowners to immediately consider getting ant removal services through the help of a trusted pest control expert. However, getting rid of ants may also be done by yourself at home without necessarily calling in a professional ant exterminator and applying pesticides. There are actually numerous DIY strategies that you can do on your own and still be able to successfully keep those annoying pests at bay. Here are natural removal methods that effectively help eliminate ants:
1. Starve them.
Ants are infamous food scavengers and can smell food even from miles away. Anything that involves food always attracts ants. Thus, if you wish to keep them at bay, do not give them the satisfaction to obtain the food they need. So, keep food sources unavailable by properly storing food, especially the sugary ones, in airtight spaces such as well-sealed containers, refrigerators, and freezers.
2. Apply lemon juice or vinegar to deter ants.
The scent of the pheromones produced by ants is like a tracking device for the rest of the ants in the colony. Blocking or disrupting this scent will prevent those pesky pests from navigating their way to your home. Squeeze lemon juice or spray a vinegar solution onto areas around windows and doors and other entry points for ants to deter them from invading your household.
3. Use essential oils (i.e. peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, neem oil, and cinnamon leaf essential oil).
Essential oils are natural insect repellents. They are not harmful to the environment and their scent is definitely despised by ants. You can saturate cotton balls with undiluted essential oil and place them in spaces that ants frequently inhabit. Other essential oils have to be mixed with water first and then sprayed on areas where ants usually dwell.
4. Observe good sanitation at home.
Keep the home environment always clean and free from garbage and food spills. Besides simply wiping food debris on your kitchen counters, furniture, appliances, and cabinets using a disinfectant, you also need to vacuum your floors regularly. Moreover, make it a habit regularly empty your trash bins.
Having ants can be very problematic. Ants transmit harmful bacteria since they trail across different spaces and filthy zones like garbage areas in search of food. Thus, having them anywhere near your food at home is not good. The best option to deal with a heavy ant infestation would be to seek help from a pest control professional.
