There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with being a homeowner. Yes, you get the benefits of owning a place and really calling something home. But that comes with a lot of work and a lot of obstacles you need to maneuver around. One threat to your home will be of the minuscule variety. Don’t let the size full you, though: pests of all signs can mean some serious problems for your home and for your day-to-day life. Ants are some of the most irritating pests to deal with, as their invasions of your space can feel endless. At what point do you need to call pest control to manage the situation?
How do you know when you have an ant problem? There are certain signs that you can look out for. Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.
1. You’ve Spotted Ants In and Around Your Home
Let’s start with the most obvious sign that you’ve got an ant problem: ants. If you’ve stepped into your kitchen and found a colony of ants swarming your cabinets, it’s safe to say you’ll know pretty quickly that things aren’t as they should be.
Of course, the ants that you spot don’t need to be climbing all over your belongings to inspire the realization that something is amiss.
If you notice a trail of ants anywhere around your property it could be an indication that a problem is brewing.
Ants run a very sophisticated ecosystem, with different ants among a family operating in specialized roles. Before an ant colony will send out a whole army of ants, they’ll send what we commonly refer to as worker ants.
These are scouts who leave the colony in small numbers in search of food. As they leave the nest behind, they leave a scent trail that other ants can follow. When they do find food, they’ll leave a large number of pheromones in the area.
Ants from the colony can then follow this trail to the source and swarm the food as a unit. If you see a trail of ants moving their way across your yard in the direction of your home, they are likely following this trail.
Take it as a sign that if you don’t already have a problem, you might be about to develop one!
2. Ant Nets Around Your Home
Even if you don’t see any ants traversing the grounds of your property, you might be able to witness the sudden appearance of many of their homes.
If you look around and discover small piles of dirt popping up in the grass near your home, all of a sudden it might appear as if you have an ant problem. If you see a few ant mounds, it likely means more are on the way.
If you don’t want this problem to increase exponentially, it’s important to act fast and talk to a professional pest expert.
These ant mounds might prove to be a threat to children and animals, so it’s better not to take any risks, even if the ants have not yet breached your home.
Ant nets might also be made inside the crooks and crevices of walls and less visible places. Do a thorough check around your home to ensure the colony is setting up shop even closer to your home.
3. Sounds Coming From Your Walls
Ants are extremely small. As such, they can get into your home through even the tiniest of cracks. Often, they’ll make it through your walls, which will remain as an easy hideout during their raid of your home.
It can be difficult to know for certain if there are ants hiding in your walls or not. Sometimes, if you have a serious infestation, you may be actually able to hear the colony moving behind your walls.
If you put your ear against a wall and hear a kind of consistent rustling, it might mean that ants are moving to and fro back there outside of your vision or reach.
You’ll need to call a pest control service to reach ants who have made this kind of hiding place their home.
4. Rotted Wood
There is a specific type of ant, the carpenter ant, that prefers to live in wood as a home. This type of ant is particularly dangerous for a homeowner because it can do great damage to the support and foundation of your property.
In fact, this species of ant is responsible for hundreds of thousands worth of property damage across the country each year.
Look around your home for areas where wood might have gotten damp or rotted. Check the exterior of your home. If you have seen any sign of ants at these locations, it can be cause for serious alarm.
Carpenter ants are generally bigger in size and stand out easier to the eye. If you’ve seen carpenter ants in your home you’ll want to call a professional for an inspection as soon as possible.
The sooner you can resolve this kind of problem, the better.
When to Call Pest Control
An ant infestation can pose serious threats to the safety and comfort of your standard home. If you’ve noticed any of the above signs of an ant infestation, you’ll want to call pest control as soon as possible. Doing so can help stop a pest problem before it becomes more serious and expensive to manage.
Need immediate assistance for your home? Call us at any time.