Ants

These are one of the most common ants you’ll find inside your home. They like to eat sweets left on counters or in the sink. You will find them near moisture sources such as your kitchen and bathrooms. Often times, you’ll see these ants in a long trail in your home. If you see a trail of ants, start from the food source and wipe backwards to the trail entrance with a soapy sponge or with a mild disinfectant.  Plain water will not completely eliminate the trail. If you cannot get the trail all the way to the entrance to your home, block the trail at the point you can get to with caulk.  They will seek a way around, but if you act quickly and are persistent, the ants will likely give up after anywhere from a day to a week.

The carpenter ant has a small middle section and bent antennae. They burrow in decayed, moist wood to make their nests. A good sign of infestation is left over grainy sawdust. Caulking the exterior cracks is a good safeguard to help keep carpenter ants out of your home. Use weather-stripping in windows and doors.  You should work at preventing moisture problems in your home that attract these insects. Do not allow tree branches to brush against your home, and keep any fireplace wood a distance from your house.  Replace decayed wood and keep gutters free from rotting wood, leaves, and debris.

Citronella ants are yellow in color and give off a citrus-like odor when they are crushed.  They establish their nests in areas of high moisture and can be found in your home in damp wood, often located behind tub tile walls in a bathroom or in a damp crawl space.  Finding these ants indoors could indicate a possible moisture problem.  You can easily remove ants from your home with a vacuum cleaner, but an infestation could require help from a pest control professional, like us!

Acrobat ants are light brown or black. They can find their way into your home by using tree limbs that are up against the house and through holes in window frames. Sometimes you will find their winged swarmers which can be confused for termite swarmers because of their similar look.   Acrobat ants may bite when threatened. If an infestation is not eliminated it can cause damage to your home by stripping the insulation from electrical wires, which can cause short circuits.