What You Should Know If You're Seeing Ants In Your Houston Home
March 15, 2023
Ants are tiny insects and may not seem like much to worry about, but ants can become more of a nuisance than you ever considered. Ants live and work in colonies that implement a hierarchy with a queen ant. The workers provide the food, the soldiers protect the ants, and the swarmers reproduce and expand.
Hundreds of ant species exist across the United States, but regions attract different species based on what is essential for their survival. The main types of ants you may find in your Houston home are carpenter ants, fire ants, black ants, and acrobat ants. The lucky thing about ants is that their names are good indicators of their habits, behaviors, or appearances. Learn what you should do when spotting ants in your home, the problems an infestation can cause and how pest control in Houston from Samson Pest and Termite Services can help!
One Ant Usually Means More
Ants live in colonies that they build underground. They create smooth tunnels that provide means of travel to water sources and other nesting sites around your property. Most types of ants are attracted to sweet and sugary food products. When they locate a viable food source with plenty of moisture, ants alert their colonies and tunnel in.
Store-bought products can't remove an ant problem at its source. They work best with direct contact with a single ant but do little to harm the nest or main colony. DIY methods are unreliable and a constant hassle. Only a certified and licensed pest technician can safely remove ants from your Houston home before the problem worsens and becomes a financial hardship.
Ants In The Home Can Create Many Problems
Most ants in Houston are relatively harmless but can contaminate food, causing illnesses such as food poisoning or salmonellosis. The two most dangerous ants to invade your home are carpenter ants and fire ants.
Carpenter ants have strong jaws that chew through damp wood and create tunnels that lead into your home, allowing other ants access. Signs of carpenter ants can often be mistaken for termites, given that both produce sawdust-like piles near tunnel openings in damp wood. However, carpenter ants don't eat and digest the wood. Carpenter ants are attracted to your home because of rotting wood, but they'll stay to damage dry wood that's incorporated into your home's structure. Beware of a carpenter ant's bite. Their strong jaws cause painful bites for humans.
Fire ants differ from other ants because they technically sting rather than bite. Their stings create a burning sensation for the victim and produce a red and itchy welt. Fire ants are defensive pests, and any disturbance to their nests will result in bites to the offender. Fire ants can also cause damage to your home. Not only are they attracted to sweets, but to cables and wires around your home or inside your walls. A frayed wire is a potential fire hazard and could be costly in repairs if ignited. Contacting Samson Pest and Termite Services is the safest choice for getting rid of fire ants in Houston.
Five No-Nonsense Ant Prevention Tips For Around The House
Ant control is a simple process with the correct information to help deter these pesky creatures from your home. Seeing as most ants are no larger than an inch, there are many ways for them to gain access to your home. Don't let their small size fool you, either. A fun fact about ants is they are deceptively strong and can lift 5,000 times their weight.
To help prevent ants from entering your home, we recommend following these proven methods:
- Block off access points.
- Eliminate sources of water in and around the home.
- Keep a clean kitchen.
- Keep clean pet bowls.
- Keep an eye on popular ant hangouts.
Using these methods alongside a professional pest control company to get rid of ants in Houston is a part of a popular method in pest control called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which focuses on the safety of homes and the environment.
Call The Pros At The First Sign Of Ants in Your House
Samson Pest and Termite Services is redefining pest control in Houston. We want to provide outstanding pest control services to surrounding communities to protect family, friends, neighbors, and the environment. With more than 25 years of experience, we know how easily pests can adapt. So we've learned it's best to adapt quickly, as well. We commit to that by continually exploring safe and effective alternative pest control solutions that allow us to customize treatments for every customer based on their pest needs. Contact us for a no-obligation inspection, to request immediate service or to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Houston.