Many of us are familiar with the experience of finding an ant or two in the house, only to discover that they’re accompanied by hundreds more. Once one ant finds a way into your home, it seems that all of their buddies figure it out, too. Why does this happen, and what can we do about it? Keep reading for Loyal Termite & Pest Control’s top tips on ant control and prevention in Eastern & Central VA.

Why Are There So Many Ants In My House?

Worker ants are constantly on the lookout for a food source that they can take from to bring back to their colony. When they find one, they will release a signal in the form of a pheromone – this alerts other worker ants to follow them to the motherlode! Ants aren’t terribly picky eaters, but they have their preferences. They will usually try to locate these foods:

Meats
Grains
Fruits and vegetables
Other sweet foods composed of lots of sugar

That being said, ants will take advantage of any food source left out in the open.

How To Prevent Ants On Your Own

Since ants can be tricky to get rid of once they’ve already entered your home, the best method of ant control is to be properly preventative. Here are a few steps you can take to keep ants out of the house:

Properly seal and put away all of your food right after use.
Clean up your spills and do your dishes promptly
Look for gaps in doors and windows and cracks in the walls
Use diluted essential oil sprays in areas where ants could enter (peppermint oil and lemon juice both work well)

What to Do About an Ant Problem

If you’ve got ants scaling your walls and invading your kitchen, using an EPA-approved ant insecticide spray can work as a temporary solution. However, to set up long-term ant control and prevention on your own, you need to be very diligent. For severe ant infestations in Eastern & Central VA, we recommend leaving the work to your local ant control experts. The exterminators at Loyal Termite & Pest Control have spent years honing in on the best tactics for ant control in Virginia and can teach you how to better prevent outbreaks in your home. For a free quote, contact us today!