Ants

What Are Ants?

Just about every building owner has had a run-in with ants. Heck, you didn’t necessarily have to have a run-in with the critter in the home or building to know what a nuisance the critter is. Maybe it was during a picnic. Perhaps it was at a family cookout. Whatever the odds were, there is a good chance that your event ended up overrun with ants. This is because they are everywhere. And, they are just as big a nuisance as they would be in the home. Your area is plagued with ants from the Formicidae family that live and construct large underground colonies.

While there are over 14,000 different species of these creatures, most of them can be easily identified. With their 90-degree antennae and distinctive body structure, these guys stand in a class of their own. All this being said, the ant is such a nuisance because, unlike other critters, these guys work together. They work towards one common goal throughout their entire life, and that goal is to further the growth of their colonies. They’ll eventually spread out and start new colonies as well, but it is all about the survival and growth of these colonies.

What Do People Have Ants?

If you have ants on your property, you can guarantee it is for one of three reasons. It’s either because of food, water, or shelter. While these guys prefer to be outdoors and live in underground colonies, they will take up residence inside the home when and if necessary. One of the things that make eliminating them so difficult is they, establish colonies outside and burrow into the home via tunnels. They build multiple tunnel systems that provide them entrance and exit to the home. In order to successfully eradicate and eliminate the species, you have to shut down all the entrances and exits to these tunneling systems as well as destroy the colonies entirely.

Sounds pretty difficult, right? It is, and this is why successful ant elimination usually requires the assistance of a trained pest management professional. It usually takes tricking the any into carrying poison back to the colony, where the colony will be infected and die.

Are Any Dangerous? Do They Pose Health Risks?

As a pest management professional, these are questions we get asked all the time. Generally, ants are not dangerous. At least not in terms of physical health. There have been some reports of some species biting and nipping people, but these cases are extremely rare in your area. Most of the species in your area are docile. The primary worry for this species is always their ability to cause damage. There are times when they can contaminate viable food and water sources, but other than this, they don’t pose a threat.

How Does One Successfully Eliminate Ants?

If you’ve read the information above and fully taken it in, you know that ants are complex species. You don’t have to be a pest management professional to see that. That being said, successful elimination starts with shutting down the tunneling system and poisoning the colony. If you want to get rid of ants on your property, you are going to have to eliminate the colony. This usually requires tricking one of the ants into taking poison back to the colony, which is what they do. They travel into the home via the tunneling systems, get food, and take it back to the colony.

Trick them into taking poison back into the colony and you’ll be golden. Of course, this is much harder said than done. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing professional pest management.

Can I Get Rid Of Ants On Myself?

All in all, the theory for eliminating ants is pretty simple. It’s just a matter of tricking one of them into taking poison back to the colony, which is easy enough. The problem is, finding the right chemicals. With a little time and research, you’ll find that there are all kinds of treatments and solutions available online for ants. The only problem with these is, they really aren’t effective. This is because they don’t contain all the pertinent ingredients for successful elimination.

The chemicals needed to kill ants can’t be purchased over-the-counter. The chemicals that the pros use take special licenses and certifications. Anyone handling or distributing these chemicals without the proper license is doing so illegally. This is just something to keep in mind when choosing a professional pest management firm to handle your ant problem. You might have some success with over-the-counter products, but they likely won’t offer the results you are seeking.

When Will Help Get Here?

Given our unique understanding combined with our access to the right tools and techs, we stay busy all year. Add this to the fact that we treat multiple pest problems, and you probably don’t have a problem seeing how we are in and out of the office all hours of the day and night. That being said, we are always more than willing to accommodate our clients. Whether you have a question, a common concern, or just want to talk about ants, we are here. We always have someone standing by. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call. While we do offer emergency services, we can usually have someone out to evaluate the property within 24 to 48 hours after you make that initial call.

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