Prevention Tips for Ants

Tired of ants marching in your kitchen? Do you keep finding lines of ants crawling around your basement or near your garage? Is your pet’s food being eaten by those unwanted insects rather than your pet? Ants are one of the most common nuisance pests in Tennessee, and you might be surprised at how readily they can invade your property.

At U.S. Pest Protection, we offer both Tennessee pest control for your home or commercial building, including both eradication and exclusion strategies. Most ants aren’t big threats to your health or your property, but they can still be annoying nuisances and can still ruin food. If you’ve got an ant problem, you can call us—we’ll be there within 24 hours. 

However, you can take a few steps to minimize the potential for ants invading your property and to make it harder for them to do so. 

Don’t Leave Food Out

Ants nest outdoors, and while they can survive indoors, that isn’t their preferred place to be. Indeed, if you spy ants in your home, you’ll see them carrying food with them back to the nest. If you don’t leave food out and available for ants to get to, you will have taken a big step in preventing an infestation.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Ants don’t just search for uneaten food. They scavenge for crumbs and are perfectly happy to consume spills. Furthermore, ants are tiny, and they can very easily get into spaces that you might otherwise think are inaccessible. If you do have an ant infestation, take a look at what kinds of things ants are drawn to, and try to remove as many of those as you can, whether it’s via a vacuum or in the trash.

Caulk and Close Entry Points

Ants don’t fly, and while they can lift items many times their strength, they aren’t going to force open huge holes in your home. It’s the small holes in your home you have to worry about. Make sure you close the various entry points into your home. Consider caulking and closing holes in the following places:

• Doors and windows
• The foundation or roof
• Ventilation
• At the base of the home exterior
• Plumbing and piping

Don’t just focus on the ground, either. Ants can and do climb and can just as easily make their way into unsecured windows in your upper floors. If you’re only focused on underfoot surfaces, you’ll miss the potential for other infestation points.

Call U.S. Pest Protection for Professional Ant Control 

Even with DIY ant prevention strategies in place, ants can still make their way into your home or business. The small nuisance pests are experts at finding food and water in buildings despite your best efforts. Thankfully, the pest control technicians at U.S. Pest Protection are also experts—experts at getting rid of insect problems and keeping your home free of pests of all kinds. Get started by scheduling your free pest control inspection today!