The best and fastest way to get rid of ants in your home is to get the services of professionals. Pest control professionals that is. A lot of us simply have no time to do things ourselves, especially during weekends when we would just want to sit back and relax after a long week of working hard, instead of having to deal with some chores, especially dealing with pests!
When hiring pest exterminators, we naturally want the best. It may set us back some money, but it is okay as long as we know it is going to be worth it. We naturally would want only the best in pest control management in North Carolina handling our homes.
What Should We Look for in a Pest Control Company?
We would not want to hire just any pest exterminator out there who claims they are the best. We should always practice due diligence since it is our safety and the safety of our home is at stake. As part of our public service to you, here are some guidelines on how to look for the perfect pest control company for you.
- Do they experience pest control exterminators who are able to handle all kinds of pests, including ants, mosquitoes, cockroaches, mice, moths, spiders, weevils, rats, and silverfish?
- Do they use the latest and most advanced equipment in the business? Do they use family-friendly and pet-friendly methods that would make it safe for you and your family?
- Is it highly rated on all social media platforms? Check Facebook or Google the company’s name and see what customers have to say about them.
- Have they earned the trust of local residents and business establishments?
There are a lot of people though, who avoid spending like a plague. That is just fine since there are budget-friendly ways to control ants. We will discuss that later on.
Are Ants Real Pests?
There are actually 10,000 species of ants. While we all probably have seen millions of ants in our lifetime already, and probably millions more in the future, most of these ant species are found in the forests. Only a few make it inside our homes or offices. Because of their sheer numbers, they can become harmful too.
Ants, especially carpenter ants, can easily match the termites in terms of damaging structures. In fact, ants can do more structural damage than termites. Not many people are actually aware of this fact.
Ants also manage to steal food. They are mostly attracted to sweets but seem to eat anything that is on our table. How many times have we placed a slice of cake on the table only to be swarmed by ants? What a waste since we would have to throw that away.
And of course, ants bite. They do not bite just for self-defense though. Even when they are not provoked they still bite.
The Makeup of the Ant Colony
Ants are social insects and they all live in a colony. A colony is led by a queen. A queen can live for years and can have millions of offspring. The queen ant’s only reason for existing on this planet is to lay as many eggs for the survival of the colony. The queen has wing; and sheds these wings when they start a new colony. The colony can survive for only a few months if its queen dies. The rest of the female ants in the colony are not capable of laying eggs because they are sterile. The life of the colony ends once the queen dies, as there would be no more new ants to replace the older ants who would eventually die too. But there are some ant species that have more than one queen.
The male ants, on the other hand, have only one mission in life and that is to mate with the queen. They really do not live long after mating.
The worker ants are female ants that are sterile. They are smaller than the queen but have otherwise similar physical attributes. They play plenty of roles, including protecting the colony, foraging for food, feeding the colony, keeping the nest clean, caring for the newly hatched ants, protecting the nest, and even attacking other colonies to get food and even the eggs of the other ant colonies. These eggs will be kept until they hatch, and once they become adults themselves they will become slaves of the colony.
Usually, the colonies can last as long as there are queens. Some colonies have queens in waiting, and this new queen would step up when the old queen dies. Colonies can last for several years, even decades. Sometimes, the colony stays in a single place in all of its existence. At times, when ants feel there is a threat or they can no longer find any food source, they vacate their current spot and relocate to a safer place.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are wood-destroying ants. They are generally known as the most destructive among the house ants. They caused more structural damage than termites by building their nests inside a house’s structural wood. Unlike termites which eat the wood they just chew on the wood to dig tunnels. They prefer wood that is damp and had been previously damaged by water. The size of the carpenter ants is about ¼ to ½ inches in length, and they are black in color. Carpenter ants would always come from the outside and getting into your house to look for food. They prefer sweet foods and drinks. Once inside, they look for wood that they can convert into their nests.
Budget-Friendly Ways Of Getting Rid Of Ants In Your Home
If you are on a tight budget and would like to call the local ant exterminator professionals only as a last resort, do not worry. There are still several ways to get rid of ants without having to spend so much cash. Here are some of the things you can do:
- Seal off cracks and openings. These could be used as possible entry points by the ants. Do this even if you have already gotten rid of them to avoid future infestations.
- Try using a vacuum cleaner to remove the ants. After vacuuming immediately remove the bag and throw it out of the house so that these ants would not be able to come back to where you picked them off.
- Put some dishwashing soap and water in a spray bottle. Spray the ants with this combination. Dish soap sticks to their bodies. This would dehydrate them enough to kill them.
- Use diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is made from fossilized remains of diatoms. Diatomaceous earth can cause several cuts on the ant's body when they crawl on it, causing them to dehydrate and bleed and eventually die. It works this way because diatomaceous earth is like small, jagged granules. Choose food-grade diatomaceous earth so that it will be safe around kids and pets. Sprinkle this around areas where you always find ants. You can purchase this from a local gardening store near you
- Use a perimeter of tape and place it around a food source to trap them. Ants will be attracted to the food, and they will soon be trapped once they attempt to go near the food.
- Look for the anthill, then once you find it, pour boiling water into it. This would kill the ants.
- Use baking powder mixed with sugar. Baking soda can kill ants. Powdered sugar’s purpose is to mask the smell. When ants crawl on this mixture, it sticks to their bodies and bring it back to their nests. This would then affect every ant in the colony, including the queen.
Let us say you have put in all your best efforts to get rid of these ants and yet you remain unsuccessful, then it should be time to call in the best pest control management in North Carolina.
Go-Forth Is Simply The Best
Go-Forth Home Services is a family-owned commercial service solutions provider of modern pest control services and techniques, using the latest and most advanced technology in the business, making our service to you more efficient, safer, and more convenient. We have a team of expert professionals who can provide the best pest control services to residents and business establishments all throughout North and South Carolina.
We bring in a new and fresh approach to the pest control industry, using family-friendly and pet-friendly methods of extermination for ants that caters to your specific needs. Our expert experience in exterminating pests like cockroaches, wasps, weevils, mosquitoes, mice, flies, termites, ants, and spiders can really make you say goodbye to these pests in your home. You may check us on Facebook or Google us to see what our satisfied customers have to say about us.
Go-Forth Home Services has earned the trust of residents and businesses in North Carolina for more than 50 years. For more information, or to set an appointment, just dial (877) 274-1475. Our friendly operators are standing by.