Why You Should Call The Professionals About Ants In Your Del Rio Home

How much do you know about ants? Do you know that most ants are tiny and that seeing large ants in your home is a warning sign that your home is being damaged? Do you know that some ants are more prone to making you stick than others? The secret to knowing the threats that ants present to your property and health is knowing how to identify ants. Ant identification is also critical for ant control. Do you know that some ants will refuse sweet baits and others will reject protein-based granular baits? Are you aware of the behavior patterns ants use to avoid treated areas? Do you know where to find ant nests so that you can treat them? These questions provide insight into why it is essential to contact a professional for ant problems. Stick with us as we look at common ant pests in our area, the problems they create, and why do-it-yourself ant control falls short. And, of course, we'll tell you how ant pest control in Del Rio is done right. 

We have far too many ant pests in our area to cover each individually. So, rather than discuss each species, let's look at the common types of ants you can expect to see. 

Ants That Sting: You know these ants. They're infamous. When fire ants come onto your Del Rio property, they ruin outdoor fun. They also present a threat. Some people develop a stinging insect allergy as they grow older and are repeatedly exposed to stinging insects. You may even have an allergy and not know it. If so, these ants could cause you to have an allergic reaction. We strongly recommend that you see an allergist if you've seen these ants on your property or contact a licensed professional for lawn ant control in Del Rio. These ants are entirely red or red with a dark-colored or black abdomen.   

Ants That Damage Your Home: These ants are called carpenter ants, but unlike a carpenter, these ants don't come to your home to fix things. They carve galleries inside wood and weaken timbers. They're likely called carpenter ants because they produce sawdust. If you see sawdust or these large ants crawling around in your home, it is time to get professional assistance. While carpenter ant workers can be ½ of an inch long and winged reproductives are a full inch long, these ants are surprisingly sneaky as they destroy homes.

Ants That Make You Sick: All ants have the potential to make you sick but pharaoh ants are particularly good at it. These ants are a mere 1/16 of an inch long and yellow to reddish with a dark-colored or black abdomen. These ants are a "plague" in hospitals and food-processing plants because of their unique ability to spread organisms such as Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, and Salmonella.  

Ants That Make The Power Go Out: A few species do this, but one is scary—dare we say CRAZY. Yep. We're talking about crazy ants. These ants can enter your yard in large numbers. When they get into an automobile, they may cause engine issues. When they get into homes, they may cause electrical issues and circuits to trip. If you see a bio-mass that looks like something out of a science fiction horror movie, or so many ants on your property that it looks like the ground is moving, you're probably looking at crazy ants. These ants swarm together, stack on top of each other, and advance in large numbers.  

Ants That Drive You Crazy: Since we've already discussed crazy ants, you know these are not the ants we're talking about. Most of the ants that get into your home are nuisance ants. While they have the ability to cause stomach illness, most of the time your stomach will only be ill from the overwhelming site of seeing ants everywhere.

Ants That Cause A Stink: We have a type of ant that is almost unique in its ability to stink up the place. While not the only ant that smells bad when you crush it, these ants have earned a reputation. They stink so bad that they are referred to as odorous house ants. We should add one more word to this name and call them "bad" odorous house ants, just to be clear. When you squish odorous house ants, you'll notice a scent that some describe as rotting coconut.

Hopefully, these quick facts will help you determine what you can expect from the ants you're finding in your home or on your property. We also touched on the problems these ants create. Let's take a quick moment to drill a little deeper so that you have the big picture. 

Ant Infestations Can Create Many Problems In Your Home

You now know how to identify carpenter ants and other ant pests that may get into your home, but you don't know what it means to have ants in your home. Sure, they can damage your property, make you sick, and cause circuits to trip, but how does this work? And more importantly, why should you know how it works?

The Problem: Ants often get inside because they find a food source. A food source does more than bring thousands of ants in from the outside, it can cause ants to create an indoor nest. Once an indoor nest is created, your troubles will increase.

Tip: Remove food sources in your home. 

Health Threat: As ants move about inside your home, they're going to get into things. They may climb in the trash, get into an open wound on your pet, check out the cat's litter box, climb on a dirty mop in the closest, etc. When they go from these places to your kitchen counters, dishes, silverware, cutting board, and other sensitive locations, you can get sick. 

Tip: Deep clean and keep things clean.

Property Threat: When carpenter ants live in your home, they will tunnel in wood, expand their tunnels, produce swarmers, create new nests, and create even more tunnels. These ants can do extensive damage in your home without ever raiding your pantry or kitchen. They can feed on nectar, honeydew, insects, nuts, and other food sources found on the outside of your home.

Tip: Perform routine inspections for wood damage and the appearance of frass.

Stinging Threat: We put this last because fire ants rarely get inside, but it can happen. If you have fire ant mounds near the exterior of your home, these ants can find their way indoors. On the inside of your home, they can present a serious threat to babies, certain elderly people, and individuals incapacitated by sickness.

Tip: Look for fire ant mounds near your exterior.

It is hard work to stay on top of cleaning your home and performing routine inspections, but it is well worth the effort. General pest maintenance can have a big impact on how much of a threat ants are allowed to pose.

Why Do-It-Yourself Ant Control Often Fails

The reason do-it-yourself ant control often falls short is that ant pest control isn't easy. Ants rarely behave as you would expect them to behave. When they do something unexpected, you might be fooled into thinking that your do-it-yourself ant control worked, and this can allow ants to continue to infest your home.

Sometimes, unexpected behavior can cause you to fail before you even start. As an example, you may discover black carpenter ants in your home. You may see worker ants crawling on the floor or winged ants crawling on window panes. You may be curious whether those ants are causing damage to your home or just coming in from the outside for a short visit. You put down a little plate of sugar to see if they'll come out and eat it. When nothing happens for a day or two, you may think that the ants you saw inside are from an outdoor nest and shrug off the problem. What you may not know is that carpenter ants don't always go after sweet food sources. The species in your home may prefer protein. Plus, putting food down for a short period will not give you a clear indication of whether or not ants are in your home because the ants may not find it in time. There are many ways you can misunderstand ant behavior before and during the process of applying ant control solutions. It is best to have a licensed pest control provider deal with ants so that you can know for sure when the ants are gone. 

Contact The Professionals For Total Ant Elimination In Your Home

Are you in Del Rio? If so, contact Gold Star Exterminators for complete ant control. We will properly identify the ant pests on or in your property, select an appropriate treatment plan, and perform the follow-ups needed to make sure no ants remain in your home. Connect with us today to schedule service. 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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