Ants are determined little insects. They work relentlessly to gather food for their colony and to provide for their queen or queens. Most other creatures don't have this work ethic. These are abrasive little creatures challenging to handle.
If you keep finding trails of ants inside your San Diego home and don’t know how to get rid of these bugs, here are some things our experts want you to know. Call Green Flash Pest Control for immediate help with an existing infestation. We work fast to solve pest problems and are your premier option for ant pest control in San Diego. Continue reading if you are curious to know more about ants.
Does Spotting One Ant In My House Mean I Have An Infestation?
Ants function perfectly together as a colony. They do nothing unless it is necessary for the survival of the whole. Keeping this in mind, if you see a single ant inside your home, it is not alone. Colonies send scouts out to search for tasty food or sweet beverages within a hundred feet of the nest. These scouts search everywhere, from bushes to bird feeders, to your kitchen counters. The only thing that decerns whether there is a single ant or hundreds inside your home is whether the scout finds something worth mentioning to its friends. If you see trails of ants crawling through your living areas, it means they have found something of note. It also means they will not go away and will even send more scouts indoors after the food or drink mess is cleaned up. The only way to get and keep them out at this point is with comprehensive ant pest control.
How Dangerous Is It To Have Ants In My House?
Most types of ants that live here in San Diego do not pose a direct threat to your health. They may crawl over your countertops and contaminate left-out or stored food items, but they will not get you sick.
The two species you need to worry about are pharaoh ants and fire ants. Pharaoh ants are tiny yellow insects that pick up bacteria from rotting meat and other dirty items. They spread diseases like salmonellosis and staphylococcus. Fire ants are dangerous in a different way. These yard insects latch onto human skin with powerful mouthparts and inject venom multiple times using their stingers. Fire ants will come indoors if they feel exterior conditions are threatening their health; only one of many reasons that local ants will break indoors.
Why Are There Ants In My House?
Ants mainly invade homes here in San Diego to find food, moisture, or shelter. Most infestations start with a few scouts. If scouts find sources of food indoors and places to build a nest, they will relay this information back to their colony. We recommend using some simple ant prevention tips to deter these pests from coming indoors. Here are five to try today:
- Seal holes, gaps, and cracks in your home’s exterior and address damage to windows, doors, screens, weatherstripping, and door sweeps.
- Address moisture problems like leaky piping, high humidity, and water build-up in and around your home.
- Clean up food messes and wipe up drink spills when they happen indoors.
- Avoid feeding your pets outdoors and clean out their bowls after they finish a meal.
- Store your pet food, leftovers, and pantry items inside air-tight containers.
DIY ant prevention isn’t the only option you have to keep these pests out of your home. We offer comprehensive ant control at Green Flash Pest Control. All you have to do is let our team know you need assistance.
What's The Best Way To Get Rid Of Ants In My House?
There is a "best" way to control ants here in San Diego! We recommend finding a professional you can trust. Consider checking out our complete pest control options to make your search easy. Our residential service page explains our approach to annoying, dangerous, and destructive creatures that invade homes in our area. It will walk you through our process for identification, elimination, and prevention and put you on a path to an ant control solution for your home.
Call us today for a more personal walk-through of our services. We will explain what our ant control will look like for your San Diego home and help you schedule an appointment for your property. Ant control in San Diego does not have to be complicated.