Ants are the most common pests that you see inside or around your house so it makes sense to prevent an ant infestation before it becomes a full-blown pest problem. If you can see just a few ants inside your house, then it is almost a certainty that there is a colony somewhere nearby.
Most people don’t really bother with an ant infestation. However, certain problems may arise if you neglect the issue. In this article, we will discuss ant infestations, the problems they may bring, and how to get rid of ants and keep them out of your Oregon home.
How to determine if you have an ant infestation
Before we move on to the problems that an ant infestation brings, you must first be able to identify if your home is indeed infested by ants. There are several telltale signs and once your house is infested, we highly recommend using organic ant pest control treatments to counter this.
You see a few ants running about your home. The first and most obvious sign of an ant infestation is when you see ants in corners scrounging for food, or even in your kitchen near the sink or on the table. Ants are social creatures, and their society is very organized and complex.
When you see a few ants in your home, you can be certain that they have friends nearby. Have you seen them walking in a line as if making a trail? Ants will leave a trail for other ants to guide them toward a source of food.
You see several ants walking in a line. This is a strong sign that a colony is nearby and that your house may be infested. Later on in this article, you will learn how to utilize this trail of ants and how to use organic pest control methods to eliminate them.
You actually spot an ant nest. Look around the surrounding areas of your house. These ant nests are so easy to miss as they will oftentimes look like just a pile of dirt. Take a look at the ground and see if you can see any humps or protrusions. Be careful, though, as you do not want to disturb it if it is indeed an ant nest. There is a tendency that when you disturb an ant nest, the colony will split into two or even more colonies, and then you will have a bigger problem.
You see small mounds of sawdust. If you notice some sawdust trail around your house, then it may be because of carpenter ants. Carpenter ants like to burrow inside wooden objects such as on your wooden doors, tables, chairs, and other furniture. You may notice a trail of sawdust in some parts of your house, and you may notice that some of your wooden furniture starts to hollow out.
This is very alarming, and you must consult an expert for this. In Oregon, there is a good organic ant pest control specialist that you can contact. You can look up Ant & Garden Organic Pest Control in Beaverton if you are in need of organic pest control in Oregon.
You may also notice that your wooden objects in your house are starting to crumble. If left unattended, these carpenter ants can do irreparable damage. Apart from furniture within your house, also check your surroundings for any dead trees. These ants love dead trees and will not hesitate to inhabit them and start a nest.
Problems that an ant infestation brings
Most people are not alarmed when they see ants scurrying about in their homes. And this is not surprising. I mean, how can these tiny little creatures ever affect us? Unbeknownst to many people, an ant infestation can bring many problems. By learning about the dangers of an ant infestation, homeowners can act accordingly. One of the effective and environmentally friendly methods to counter ant infestations is organic pest control.
Ants can cause damage to structure and property
Almost everyone knows how termites can eventually destroy your home if left unattended. They enjoy making burrows in wooden objects, which can result in the said object crumbling and getting hollowed out. Just like termites, carpenter ants like wood.
Carpenter ants can do similar damage to your furniture and other wooden objects as termites do. Carpenter ants love to create nests in the hollow areas of wood, especially when it is a bit moist or wet and when it is starting to decay. However, these carpenter ants do not eat the wood. Instead, they damage the wood by tunneling through it and nesting inside. Luckily there are many organic pest control methods available to counter a carpenter ant infestation.
When perceived outside, it seems as though there is no problem with the wooden wall or wooden object. But when you try to knock on it, you may notice a hollow sound, or when you try to apply pressure, it may crumble. Also, since most of the damage cannot be seen, it is significantly harder to determine whether you are infested by a carpenter ant.
Regardless, there are many ways to fix the problem, and one of them is by organic pest control. Natural pest control methods employed by Ant and Garden located in Beaverton are among the best in Oregon and you should consider calling them if you suspect that you have a carpenter ant infestation.
When your home is infested by carpenter ants, you may be able to hear some rustling in your walls. You may actually hear the ants tunneling in the wooden objects of your house. You can hear them much more clearly at night when it is very silent.
Ants can bite or cause allergies and other health issues
The next potential danger of ant infestation is health risks. What you should always remember is that all ants have the potential to bite you. Although this is not their natural purpose, an ant may bite you when provoked or when they just happen to crawl over your body, and then for some reason, you may have provoked it by moving.
Ants use their mouths and mandibles to bite the skin. Usually, ant bites are not dangerous – they only make you uncomfortable for a short time. However, there are some people who are more sensitive to ant bites that can become infected or inflamed. For this reason, a potential ant infestation must be nipped in the bud.
Some types of ants possess stingers. It is important to take note that ant bites and ant stings are entirely different. An ant bite is simply an ant using its mandibles and its mouth to pinch you, and this causes pain and discomfort. An ant sting, on the other hand, means that the ant injects you with some sort of venom. Take a fire ant, for example.
When a fire ant stings you, it injects its venom through its stingers. Generally speaking, stings are more painful than bites. A fire ant’s sting is particularly painful and extremely discomforting. In extreme cases, it may cause serious issues and may even be life-threatening, which is why it is vital to prevent a fire ant infestation.
Different people react differently to a sting of fire ants. The most common include pain, redness, swelling, irritation, and itchiness around the area where the fire ant stung. People who are more sensitive to bites and stings may experience nausea, dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing, and many other symptoms.
Some people are also allergic to fire ant venom. In these cases, the victim may suffer swelling around the area of the throat, and then the victim will have difficulty breathing. Because of these several dangers, you should always be attentive and seek organic pest control when you are infested with ants and especially fire ants. Luckily, if you are residing in Beaverton, Ant & Garden Organic Pest Control easily takes care of your ant infestation problems.
Ants can attract other pests into your home
Every living thing is a part of our ecosystem. Ants are no exception. Ants can attract other pests into your home. There are many animals that include ants in their diet. If your home is infested with ants, these other unwanted pests might also be attracted to visit your home.
Some of these pests include spiders and many of which are poisonous. When given the opportunity, these spiders eat ants as well. If there are many ants in your home and in the surrounding areas, these spiders may pay you a visit and may bite you when provoked.
Some species of bats also have ants in their diet. Albeit unlikely, bats aren’t exactly the type of animal you want in your home. Apart from spiders and bats, there are many other pests that have ants in their diet, and they could visit your home as well if it is infested with ants.
Structure of an ant colony
A colony of ants is very organized. There is no lone ant. Every ant is part of a colony and has a specific job to do. The most important member of their colony is the queen ant. The queen ant is responsible for reproduction. It is usually nested in the heart of their nest. In a nest of ants, there may be more than one queen, depending on how big the nest is.
The queen’s only role is in maintaining or expanding the colony through reproduction. The rest of the work depends on the majority of the population of worker ants. Generally, the younger and smaller worker ants stay inside the nest where they attend to the needs of their queen or help in building and expanding the nest. They are also responsible for repairs if the nest is damaged.
The older and bigger worker ants are the ones who go outside to forage for food. These are the ants that you can see wandering about your house. Understanding how a colony of ants is structured is key to preventing an ant infestation and keeping ants out of your property.
Most people try to prevent ants by simply eliminating those they can see roaming around their house. They may even try to use pesticides and other sprays to do so. Although it is true that you can eliminate the ants roaming around, it doesn’t solve the problem of an ant infestation. Remember that those ants roaming around your house are the worker ants and comprise just about 10% of the entire ant colony.
If you eliminate these worker ants, the queen ant – which is nestled safely back in their nest – will just simply reproduce more ants to take the place of those worker ants you have just killed. The only way to get rid of ants is by striking at the heart. Although it may seem weird at first, the trick to solving an ant infestation is by targeting those ants that you cannot see. Remember that the queen never leaves the nest. Therefore, it does not matter how many worker ants you kill since the queen will simply replace them.
How to get rid of ants
The key to addressing an ant infestation is by observing the worker ants. Worker ants forage food by roaming around your house. The main reason why the ants are in your house is that they are looking for food. They will take what they can carry and bring it back to the nest.
On the way back, the worker ant leaves behind a chemical trail so that the other worker ants can locate the food source. This is how they forage food. However, this can also be their weakness.
Since the worker ants carry the food back to their nest, one way of eliminating the ants is by tricking them into carrying poisonous food into their nest. This is also known as ant baiting. Many organic pest control methods use ant baits. Several other methods employ chemicals, but these chemicals can be very harmful to the environment and may even be poisonous to humans.
Because of that, organic pest control alternatives are the better option. With organic pest control methods, you can be sure that the materials you use are friendly to the environment and are not dangerous to humans. Furthermore, most of these organic ant pest control methods are just as effective, if not more effective, than other non-organic means.
You can also follow the trail of ants, which will lead you to the colony. Once you have located their colony, you can then use a pesticide to eliminate the majority of the ants. Hopefully, you eliminate their queen as well. As simple as this sounds, this can be quite tricky, especially you’ve got a major ant infestation or if there are multiple nests.
Organic ant pest control solutions
We highly recommend asking for professional help in these cases especially when it comes to organic pest control to ensure that the job is done correctly. In Beaverton, Ant & Garden Organic Pest Control offers safe and eco-friendly ant pest control treatments to help you with your ant infestation problems.
Their organic pest control methods are very effective and are entirely natural. Although there are many non-organic options, organic pest control is recommended since they are environment-friendly. Natural pest control in Beaverton is gaining popularity lately and by far, Ant & Garden is the best organic pest control company in Beaverton.
Final thoughts
Although organic ant pest control is available, prevention is still better than cure. You can help prevent an ant infestation by regularly keeping your house clean. Ants will not be attracted to your house if you clean it regularly and there is no stable food source for them.
Ants may be tiny creatures, but they can cause serious damage and can be quite tricky to eliminate. Regardless, you can call on Ant & Garden Organic Pest Control if you require professional assistance in treating your ant infestation problems. Organic pest control is highly recommended since non-organic pesticides and other chemicals can harm the environment and may even be dangerous to humans if ever they accidentally come in contact with it. Rely on experts like Ant & Garden Organic Pest Control to take care of your ant problem once and for all.
