Ants can be annoying, especially when they get in your house. Since they live in colonies, they will enter your house in large numbers in search of food and shelter. However, ant control methods are possible once you have a basic understanding of ant behavior.
Ants use pheromone trails to mark their routes. The paths are set by the food searchers to direct the worker ants to the food source. To effectively get rid of ants in buildings, you have to wipe off the pheromone scent and kill the queen ant. The queen ants are the hardest to kill because they stay at the hardest to reach places in their mounds.
Below, we will look at different ants found in Utah and the best ant control methods for each of them.
Sugar Ants
As their name suggests, sugar ants like feeding on sweet, sugary stuff. They also feed on greasy foods, protein from other insects, and pollen from plants. They live outdoors but springtime invites them indoors when they need food and water.
Sugar ants have functional receptors and can follow trails from far away. Any cracks and crevices are an opportunity for them to stay in your house because they like warm and dark areas.
The best ant control measures for sugar ants are to lay bait. Bait works the best because it kills even the queen ant once she feeds on it. Bait must be administered in small portions to prevent instant death of the worker ants.
Other sugar ant control methods include pouring bleach down the ants’ mound, sprinkling baking soda in their trails and nest, and also using a garden hose to run water into the mounds.
You can also choose to go organic and use vinegar to wipe surfaces that are prone to ant infestations. Coffee grounds and cloves are also good repellents that will keep the ants away from your house. A common powder that is also effective for ant control is diatomaceous earth.
Fire Ants
Fire ants are intruders that sting and can harm people, animals, plants, or buildings. They like warm and sunny areas. When inside buildings, you will find them near areas with electricity lines such as telephone wires, air conditioners or electricity cables.
The best way to control fire ants is by using baits that target the queen. Other methods that work well are the drenching of liquid insecticide into and around the outside of the mounds. For greater efficiency, target individual mounds around the compound. You can also use spreaders to ensure that insecticide granules are well spread throughout the area.
Cement Ants
The best way to find the source of cement ants is to look for displaced soil in concrete areas. Once you have noted their source, you can use bait chemicals to get rid of the ants. The baits should be sugar, grease, or protein-based to attract the ants.
Household Ants
Household ants are found around the kitchen counters and floorboards in houses. They invade homes in search of food or warmth during the winter season. They like sweets and any sign of sugary foods is an opportunity for them to invade. It is easy to control household ants because they can be spotted during the day and night. Use slow-acting baits to kill the queen ant or opt for organic repellents like vinegar.
When Ants Are Out of Control
Understanding the common types of ants in Pleasant Grove, UT as well as their common behaviors will help in applying the best ant control measures. If infestations get to a level that do-it-yourself techniques do not work, contact a professional exterminator in Utah County, namely the ant experts at Bamboo Pest Control.
