Ants Be Gone: An In-Depth Guide To Ant Control Solutions In Del Rio

When ants in Del Rio become a problem in your yard or inside your home, boy can they pose a problem! Ants are among the most annoying pests that home and business owners deal with. Don't you wish you could just wave a wand and say, "Ants be gone!" Unfortunately, that method doesn't work, for obvious reasons. Is there a way to magically make ants go away? Yes, there actually is a way. The secret lies in the application of science. Join us as we unlock the secret of ant control using a science called entomology. We'll discuss the characteristics of common ant pests and look at how you can use knowledge of these characteristics to keep them away from the structures on your property and keep them from entering structures. If you've always wanted to know why ants behave the way they do and what works best to deal with ant problems, you've found the resource to answer your questions. Let's get started!

Every Del Rio resident knows something about ants. Some of what we'll share with you today are probably facts you already know. But we're sure that you haven't considered these facts the way we're going to present them. Here are the characteristics of common ants we will explore in this article and why they're helpful to know.

Ants are always searching for food: They are social insects that work as a team to find food resources that each individual ant couldn't find on its own.

Ants eat a variety of things you may not expect: The many pest ants we have in Del Rio have a varied diet. Some food they eat that may surprise you are plant sap, nectar, bird seeds, nuts, decaying organic matter, detritus, fungus, insects, and other bugs.

Ants work together to gather food: When an ant finds food, it leaves a pheromone trail as it returns to the nest. The trail helps other worker ants find the food. When they do, they leave a trail as well. 

Ant colonies grow in response to available food: The more food ants find, the faster the queen(s) will produce offspring. There is also the likelihood that the colony will bud or that reproductives will create a satellite colony, allowing ants to spread. 

Ants climb on vegetation: Ants have many reasons to gravitate to vegetation. They eat bugs, honeydew, plant sap, and nectar, and they also drink droplets of moisture or carry those droplets back to their nests. In landscaping, ants often use branches to climb onto exterior walls near window frames. This can lead them to enter a home in large numbers. 

Ants are drawn to damp environments: They drink the moisture in damp areas, use the moisture for hydration, and also find pests to eat in these attractive environments. 

Ants groom each other: As ants scurry around, they run into each other. During the process of bumping heads, they examine each other for dangerous materials, which is one way they work to avoid treated areas. 

When considering ant control solutions, keep these characteristics in mind. They are the key that will unlock effective ant control in Del Rio. The first way you can apply these facts is in preventing ants from getting into your home. Let's take a look at how this works.

Why And How Ants Find Their Way Into Our Homes

Ants can't help but encroach upon the exterior of your home. They're drawn to food sources, vegetation, and moisture. As they explore your exterior, they can't help but get inside. The easier it is for ants to enter your home, the more trouble you'll have with these tiny pests. Once inside, ants can't help but gather other ants together when they find food in your home. When ants enter your home in large numbers, they may decide that it is best to create a satellite nest within your walls than to make the long trek from the nest that produced them. The more food ants find in your home, the faster they'll grow a population and create trouble for you. If you don't want an ant infestation, you need to begin by applying outdoor ant control.

There are a few ways to protect your home from ant invasions by using the facts we provided earlier. These methods work to counteract the natural behavior patterns of pest ants to deter activity, block access, and stunt population growth. We'll share some ant prevention tips in a moment. First, let's look at how professional pest control in Del Rio works in meaningful ways to keep outdoor ants from becoming indoor pests.

1. If your service provider offers lawn care and lawn pest management, like Gold Star Exterminators does, ants will have a harder time finding food sources on your property that can lead them to your landscaping and exterior walls.
2. Spot treatments around your home work to reduce pest activity. Since ants eat bugs, a reduction of bugs will have an impact on ant populations.
3. When ants create mounds and activity is seen near your home, your pest control service provider can use targeted methods to eliminate the colonies if needed.
4. Routine liquid treatments applied to your exterior help keep pests out and deter them from living near your home. When ants can't enter and exit your home, they'll have trouble enlisting an army to invade.

Year-round pest control service provides layers of protection to stop ants in their tracks. It also provides you with direct access to a licensed technician who is familiar with your home and is able to address indoor ant problems quickly, like applying carpenter ant control in your house.

Professional ant control varies in effectiveness depending on certain vulnerabilities that you're able to control. For example, an exterior door with gaps around it can provide an easy entrance for ants, and the materials used to keep them out could wear off enough between services to leave a small vulnerability in this zone. Let's look at five useful ant control tips you can apply based on the facts we've discussed so far to help you get the best ant control possible.

Five Useful Ant Prevention Techniques

When you hire a professional, you don't have to do anything. But your ant control will vary depending on the conditions present and the potential vulnerabilities. If you don't mind a few ants now and again, and you only want a general reduction of indoor ant problems, you don't need to apply these tips. If you are hoping to have an ant-free home, these tips will help you get there.

1. Weather-Proofing

Let's start by talking about that unsealed exterior door we mentioned above. Weather-proofing materials, such as weatherstripping and door sweeps don't just help you keep the hot air out of your home, they also help to keep ants and other pests out. It is smart to replace damaged materials, align doors so they seal correctly, fill in wood holes in frames, and seal around the frames of your doors and windows. 

2. Home Repairs

A large gap around a pipe is a superhighway for ants, but some expanding foam can fix this problem. Damaged mortar around bricks or unprotected weep holes will allow ants into your home, so it is helpful to address these vulnerabilities. Damaged screens, window panes, and other building materials provide entry points, but making repairs will keep ants out.

3. Gutter Management

One way the perimeter of your home can become damp is when your gutters are clogged or damaged. Since dampness attracts the pests ants eat, and also attracts ants, managing your gutters can prevent pest problems. Working gutters also help to guard your home from the many issues that arise from perimeter dampness and oversaturation of exterior walls.  

4. Trash Management And Sanitation

Decaying material has a strong odor and many ants are attracted to this odor. Keeping your receptacles as clean as possible, storing trash inside plastic bags, keeping receptacles covered, and removing trash weekly will help you prevent your trash from attracting ants and the pests ants eat. 

5. Landscape And Lawn Management

Since ants eat nectar, feed on pests that hide under leaves, and thrive in dense landscaping, yard work and lawn care has a big impact on ants. Keep your grass cut an appropriate length, address weeds, trim landscape vegetation, and stay on top of leaf removal to stay ahead of ant problems.

Hopefully, the big picture is coming together. There are many ways you can deter ants on your own or take steps to increase the effectiveness of your year-round pest control. But who should you call for the highest level of service and all the options you need? We have an idea.

Call Us For All Your Ant Control Needs

When you need home pest control in Del Rio, Gold Star Exterminators is the right choice. We offer lawn care solutions, general pest control, and targeted ant control. We also employ licensed and certified pest control technicians. You'll always get a science-based solution and impeccable service for your Del Rio property. Would you like to learn more? Jump to our contact page and connect with us. We can answer your questions directly, set up a service visit, and get you on your way to having an ant-free home. When you have ant trouble, we're the company to call for ant solutions!

Gold Star has been spraying our house for a few years now and I can't express how much it has helped.  I was spraying Demon WD myself and barely made an impact on the scorpions and spiders.  after they started doing it, we have very few sightings now.  Great company.

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