The Best Way To Prevent Ant Infestations In Del Rio

It is no fun to walk into your kitchen and find ants crawling all over your trash receptacle. It is even less fun to sit down on your couch and realize it is covered in ants. There is no denying the fact that ants are annoying. Their ability to annoy U.S. residents has put them at the top of the pest control list. What does that mean? It means that more people call about ant problems than any other pest problem. Today, we're going to zero in on a specific ant pest that is less annoying than the others, but is far more of a problem. They're called carpenter ants. We have fourteen species in the state of Texas and while Del Rio is too arid for certain carpenter ants, we're not without our issues. We'll look at why carpenter ants are a problem, why it is bad to find black carpenter ants in your home, and five simple prevention tips to keep ants out. If you think you have a carpenter ant problem and you want expert advice, jump to our contact page for professional ant pest control in Del Rio. We have answers.

When residents search the internet for big black ant control in Del Rio, carpenter ants are the culprits. The most important fact to know about carpenter ants is that they are big. How big is a carpenter ant? It depends on a few factors. Carpenter ant colonies have major and minor workers. The minor workers are smaller. In most cases, and with most species, carpenter ant workers are between ¼ and ½ of an inch in length. The alates are twice that size. An alate is a winged ant. You may see an alate or you may see one of these reproductive ants after it has shed its wings. In both cases, they are ? of an inch to over 1 inch. Checking the size of an ant is helpful but not conclusive. The alates of other ant species may exceed the size of minor workers in a carpenter ant colony and, after alates from other ant species shed their wings, they may look like carpenter ant workers because they share the same coloration. Carpenter ants are black, red, or red with black abdomens. Most ants are black or dark brown to black. Some ants are entirely red, such as fire ants. A fire ant reproductive is hard to differentiate from certain species of carpenter ants.

Another helpful characteristic to look for is the node between the thorax and abdomen, which you might consider to be the waist of the ant, though ants don't really have a waist. Many ants have one node, like a carpenter ant. If you see two nodes, you know the ant you're examining is not a carpenter ant. As an example, a fire ant has two nodes. That will help you tell what larger red ant you're looking at, without having to let that ant sting you to find out.

The last point to consider with carpenter ants is that the workers are polymorphic. When you see lots of large ants that vary in size, you are likely looking at carpenter ants. Knowing this will help you differentiate between carpenter ants and ants that are a monomorphic species.

Now that you know how to identify carpenter ants, let's turn our attention to the ways carpenter ants create a problem in Del Rio homes. These problems are linked to how you can detect them.  

Why Carpenter Ants Are More Problematic Than Other Ants

While other ants spend their time annoying you, carpenter ants spend their time hiding from you. They prefer nocturnal behavior and come out while you're sleeping. On top of this, they tunnel inside wood and create nests that don't have mounds, so you can have a large nest inside your home and not realize it. You may also have several nests and not realize it. Both are common. If these two factors were not enough to keep carpenter ants hidden from your attention, it is also true that they tend to feed on food sources found outside, food such as honeydew and nectar. You may never see an army of carpenter ants crawling around in your kitchen or pantry. These behavior patterns allow carpenter ants to continually sneak around inside your home and cause damage to wood. How much damage can they do? It depends. If you have moisture problems and an ample food source in your landscaping, these ants can cause considerable damage.

Five Simple Tips To Prevent Ant Infestations

Ant control in Del Rio is the same for most ants if you use all-natural methods. It changes when control products are required. We'll focus on all-natural methods because control products can make your problem worse if they are misapplied. Here are five simple-to-understand ant prevention tips. You may also apply some of these ideas for effective ant control in your home, under certain circumstances.

1. Deep clean. 

Ants are looking for food. When they find food in your home, they enter in large numbers to collect it. They will feed on crumbs, dirty dishes, grease, oil, cereal, bread, organic matter in your trash, and more. While carpenter ants often find food sources outdoors, you may limit their population growth and deter health concerns by deep cleaning.  

2. Protect your food. 

Store certain pantry and kitchen foods in sealed containers. Keep food covered when you set a dish out on your counter. Put pet food down only during mealtimes and never allow food to sit overnight. Once again, food sources are at the heart of the problem. If carpenter ants access food in your home at night, you may not realize it. 

3. Block routes. 

Ants get into your home through gaps, cracks, holes, and other entry points. While carpenter ants can make holes of their own, they typically use available holes to enter initially. A caulking gun can seal gaps around window and door frames. Expanding foam can fill in voids behind joists and seal gaps between two wood members. Along with sealing gaps and filling in holes, replace and repair protective items, such as door sweeps and weatherstripping. Fill in even the smallest gap for ants to get through.

4. Plant health and yard work. 

The more carpenter ants you have exploring the exterior of your home, the greater the chances of an indoor infestation. A big reason carpenter ants move onto a property is the availability of honeydew or nectar. They get honeydew from aphids, white flies, and other plant-damaging insects. Plant health is critical to deterring these pests and preventing them from producing honeydew for carpenter ants to eat. Carpenter ants get nectar primarily from flowering weeds. If you have a lawn weed problem, it can invite a carpenter ant problem. Address weeds and carpenter ants may not target your home.

5. Address harborage. 

Carpenter ants create their nests in wood. The best carpenter ant control solution is to remove wood sources. Pull up any stumps in your yard or burn the roots. Remove logs. Pick up dead branches and store them in a plastic bin. Nurse dying trees back to health. Move scrap wood away from your exterior. Refrain from burying any wood in your yard. Replace wood fencing with vinyl. Paint your back deck. All of these will deter carpenter ants from tunneling into wood on your property and establishing a nest.

If you already have a carpenter ant nest (or several) it is time to call an exterminator. There is no telling how much these ants will damage your home, over time. It is best to make sure all nests are found and that no ants remain inside your home.

Total Ant Control For Del Rio Homes With Gold Star Exterminators

Del Rio residents can contact Gold Star Exterminators for industry-leading pest control solutions. Our licensed technicians will track down carpenter ant activity, locate frass, evaluate conducive conditions, seal minor entry points, and apply general pest maintenance to give you complete control of carpenter ants. We also offer residential pest control service plans that provide year-round protection from ants and other pests. When you have routine treatments, the exterior of your home has layers of protection to reduce pest activity that will keep pests from invading your home.

Want to learn more about how we do pest control? Check out our residential pest control page, give us a call, or fill out our simple contact form located on our "contact us" page. In all cases, we'll help you find answers to your ant questions and guide you toward a plan that will help you address all your pest concerns. While carpenter ants aren't nearly as destructive as termites, they can do a number on your home if they're given the opportunity and the right circumstances. Let our service team help you guard your property investment against pest infestment. Connect with us today for assistance. We're here to help. 

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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