Spring Ant Deterrents

Do ants make you want to squeeze both fists as tight as you can, look up into the sky, and scream, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaants!” Trust me when I say, “you’re not alone.” Ants are a pernicious and resilient insect. They breed like crazy, and an ant mound can have more than one queen. This makes them able to avoid all your attempts at do-it-yourself pest control. But you’re not completely without recourse. There are some things you can do to deter them.

Don’t give them a meal. If you have a superhighway of ants, it is because they found a food source. When you see one of these, your goal should be to figure out what they found. It might be a dish of pet food, an apple core that rolled behind the couch, some spilled cereal under the fridge, an open trash can, or any number of things. Sometimes it can be something as simple as a few chunks of toast that fell on the carpet. Whatever the food source is, dispose of it.

Once the food source is gone, find out where those ants are coming in. It will usually be somewhere low. Find the entry point and use a caulking gun to seal.

There is probably a good chance that those ants can find another way in, so it is also important to keep them from picking up the smell of trail pheromones, which allow them to find their way to a food source. Spray soap or window cleaner along the path the ants were taking. You’ll kill a lot of them, and get rid of the scent as well.

Keeping things clean and sealing up entry points are a good first step to keeping ants out. If they don’t have a reason to be in your house, they usually won’t bother to make the effort. But bothersome ants getting into your food isn’t the only issue you have to deal with. The ants also live around your home and can drive you crazy when you’re outside. To stop this, you’ll need a pest control company to pay you a visit and eradicate those colonies. This is especially important if you have carpenter ants. Carpenter ants burrow through the wood of your house, and can cause structural issues that are expensive to repair.

Now that winter is done, ants are going to start building their populations, and spreading. Spring is the best time to stop them before they damage your home and drive you crazy.

7 Ways To Prevent Pests This Spring

Are you looking for help with home pest control in Rome, GA? We are here to help you get started on protecting your home from pests this spring season. As the weather warms up, pests will begin to emerge, looking for food, water and possibly a new shelter. If they can find access into your home, then they have hit the jackpot. Your home provides a large, warm sheltered area to live and hide out in. There is plenty of food sources and water that is available, no matter what season. If pests find these items, food, warmth and water, then your home will become the new hot spot for pests. They will try their best to stay out of your sight, adapt quickly and start to multiply. This means that by the time you notice pests in your home, there could already be a full infestation in your walls, attic, basement or crawl space.

Here are seven helpful tips to keeping your home pest free this spring season:

  1. The first step to keeping pests out of your home is to not allow them access into your home. This means making sure to seal up any cracks on the exterior of your home. There may be cracks or gaps found around venting, window, doors, piping and wiring. You may also want to double check your foundation for any entry ways. These gaps do not have to be very big to let pests in.
  2. You are also going to want to make sure that all your food is sealed in airtight containers. If pests do get into your home, you are not going to want to give them access to any food sources. This also applies to pet food as well.
  3. Make sure that you also seal up trash containers inside and outside your home. Rodents, like raccoons, are notorious for getting into trash around homes.
  4. When you are landscaping this spring, make sure that shrubs, bushes and trees are well groomed and kept away from your home. These items can help make a bridge for pests to cross to get into your home. They also offer a good hiding place for pests while they forage around your home for food.
  5. Store any wood items at least 20 feet from your home. Wood piles attract pests, like termites and carpenter ants, to your home.
  6. Make sure that your home has proper venting in attics and crawl spaces so that there is no moisture build up. Also, make sure to fix any leaking pipes as soon as possible. Pests are attracted to moist areas in your home.
  7. If you would like help dealing with home pest control in Rome, you can contact a local professional pest exterminator to help you eliminate pests and setup a year-round pest control program to protect your home.

Rome pest control can be a daunting task. Take your time and call a professional, if you would like assistance dealing with pests. Don’t let pests put a damper on your spring, call the pest professionals at Active Pest Control today to learn more about spring pest prevention and control!

Do Your Children Feed The Bugs?

Kids can be messy. Not your kids of course. I’m talking about other people’s kids. You know the ones. They make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich right on the counter and leave a gob of jelly for you to find later–usually because you put your forearm or hand on it. They leave a wake of half-eaten bread, candy and Pop Tarts on every surface in the house and surprise you with sticky morsels on the kitchen table, or unidentifiable crumbs in the cushions of the couch. It is one of the many joys of child rearing.

This propensity for uncleanness can often happen in a blink of an eye. I remember making hot dogs one day. I called my son in to get his. He was five years old and used to putting his own ketchup on his hotdog, so I paid him no mind. But something went wrong during the process and he managed to get a rather substantial amount of it on his hand. Before I could even form the words, “Don’t move,” he moved. With a speed that left my mind unable to fully comprehend what had happened he smeared the ketchup down the front of his shirt in one thick streak and looked up at me with surprise. Apparently, the ‘ol, “Wipe it off on the shirt trick didn’t quite work as well as he had planned.”

What I did not know back then as a young parent is that all those sticky spills, all those dobs of sugary foods, and all of those crumbs were the reason we had so many pests. It doesn’t take much to feed a bug, and my house was full of a veritable buffet of choice dishes.

If you have not painstakingly sealed your exterior walls, maintained your screens, and had your perimeter treated by a professional pest control company, bugs and rodents will visit your home. But what many people don’t think about is that these pests are looking for a food source. If you have open trash, food on the counters, dirty dishes stacked by the sink, and crumbs in your rug, pests will be motivated to stay. Without even realizing it, your kids are feeding those pests.

I’m not telling you to chase after your kids and wipe up every little spill, because that’s just crazy talk. I’ve raised two little piggies and it is hard work. I get it. But there is a solution. It lies in what I mentioned above. If you partner with a pest control company they will do all the hard work of sealing bugs and rodents out and you won’t have to work so hard at keeping everything clean. I’m not going to lie. You’ll still need to do a couple of things to make sure your home stays pest free, but there are easy things like making sure you don’t leave the door open as you bring groceries from the car to the house, and remembering to put fruit in the refrigerator instead of on the table where fruit flies can develop. Your pest technician will walk you through it.

Those kids are going to make some messes, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with the cockroaches, ants, flies, beetles, mice, rats, and everything else that wants to creep around your house and spread illness. Get your yard and exterior walls protected and get bug free for 2015.

5 Tips For A Pest Free Holiday Season

In Georgia, we may not go walking in a winter wonderland, but we sure do love to deck those halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la. Though the weather outside isn’t frightful, it can sometimes be frightful inside. And nothing can ruin your holidays faster than bugs. Here are some tips to make your season bright.

Shake that tree!

There are a number of bugs that live on and nest in Christmas trees. If you don’t want a hundred spiders crawling up your walls this Christmas, consider inspecting your tree with a flashlight and shaking it real well before you bring it inside.

Don’t pick up hitchhikers!

There are dozens of species of insects that live in wood. Some stay dormant for nearly a month before rearing their ugly heads. These wood-eating insects will most likely be found in firewood that has crossed the border from one state to another. So buy local and burn your wood quickly to avoid unwanted insects hatching in or near your home.

Keep the food off the tree!

Rodents love those edible decorations. So if you don’t want a rat as an ornament, consider refraining from strings of popcorn and cranberry, or hanging baked goods. If you have hung food ornaments every year, ask yourself, “Do we have rodent problems more around Christmas than any other time of the year?”. Many people don’t make the connection, but it is true. Your food ornaments can lure rodents into your home or draw them down from their hiding place in the attic.

Don’t add bugs to your recipe!

“Bugs make a great baking ingredient!” said no chef, ever. The last thing you want to find when you grab the flour is a bunch of little black specks moving around in it. Always check your packages for tears, holes or chew marks before purchasing them. Pantry pests love to hitchhike home with you. Let’s keep them out this Christmas.

Don’t have a heart attack!

There is nothing worse than unpacking ornaments and finding cockroaches in the box. These nasty little buggers love cardboard boxes full of dusty tangled messes. If you store your boxes in the garage or shed, you could be bringing a roach infestation into your home. If you’re able to, store your holiday decorations in a hard plastic bin. Roaches can chew their way through cardboard. If you can’t afford hard plastic right now, refrain from storing food or sweets. Always check your boxes thoroughly before bringing them into the house. And check wreaths closely and shake them out.