ANTS IN PHOENIX: A COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION AND CONTROL GUIDE

Are you dealing with an ant problem in Phoenix? Have you discovered just how difficult and frustrating ants are to control? If so, we have good news for you. The secret to ant prevention and control is understanding how ants behave. Today, we're going to give you an informative overview of common ant behavior patterns, what they do in your yard or home, how to get rid of ants indoors, and how to manage ants around the exterior of your home. You'll find everything you need to know about ants in this short article.

Do you need ant pest control near you? If you're in Phoenix, contact Overson Pest Control for professional pest control in Phoenix. We can diagnose your ant problem, identify the ants you're dealing with, and direct you toward a solution that will work best for you. Call or e-mail for assistance.

The Life Cycle Of Ants: How Ant Colonies Develop

When you go after ants in your yard, you can easily misunderstand the results of your control efforts if you don't understand how ant colonies develop. We're going to break down a few important facts that will shed some light on why ants are so hard to control.

• At the heart of an ant colony is the queen. You know this. But did you know that many ant colonies have more than one queen? If you attempt to control the ants on your property, you could send a signal to the queens and cause budding to occur. What is budding? It is a process by which one colony splits into several colonies with the many queens leading their troops as they spread throughout your yard.
• Ants gather food. It is likely that you know this. But do you know what foods can cause you to have a big ant problem? The nectar of flowering weeds will attract ants and cause many ant mounds to appear in your lawn. Honeydew left on your plants by aphids or scale insects can invite carpenter ants and other sweet-loving ants to your exterior. The scent of garbage can bring fire ants near your home. Some ants eat nuts. If you rake nuts up and put a bag of nuts next to your foundation, you'll likely regret it.
• Ants create nests in the ground. Some ants create their nests several feet below the surface. If you attempt to destroy a mound with a home remedy, it is quite possible that you won't get deep enough to destroy the nest.
• Some ants are drawn to yards that provide appropriate habitation. Loose sandy soil is attractive to some ants. Carpenter ants are attracted to logs, stumps, brush piles, and dying trees. Many ant species love yards that have lots of leaf litter.
• When an ant colony matures, it produces winged ants. These are reproductives that will leave the nest to create new nests. Some species can enter homes as winged ants and create indoor nests. It is critical to reduce the number of potential entry points.

If you want the best pest control for ants, you will need to keep these behavior patterns in mind as you work to eliminate ants in Phoenix by effectively targeting the queens and their colonies and applying materials to keep ants out. To learn how your Overson Pest Control IPM provisional targets ant mounds and provides general home pest control in Phoenix to keep a long list of pests out of your home, don't hesitate to ask.

Ant Dangers: Understanding The Risks Of An Infestation

There are many risks to having ants on your property or in your home. Some are worse than others. Let's quickly look at the most important risk factors.

• Ants can spread harmful bacteria. Maintaining a high level of sanitation can help reduce this risk.
• Ants can damage your property by tunneling in wood. Checking for frass, changes to the wood, and the presence of large ants can help you avoid damage.
• Ants can sting you. Some people have an allergy to insect stings and are at risk of serious symptoms. Keeping your trash receptacles clean and reducing sources of protein around your home can reduce these ants.
• Ants can damage electronic devices or invade power boxes and outlets. Electrical issues and automobile troubles are prevented by detecting these ants or addressing tree branches and vegetation that touch your exterior walls.
• Ant colonies replicate. As the number of colonies increases, your chances of problems will increase. 

Outdoor ant control is the best solution for ant problems because ants are hard to control once they get inside your home. Before we look at some smart ant prevention tips you can apply yourself, let's look at how professional ant control works to get rid of an ant infestation in Phoenix.

Professional Ant Control: A Great Way To Get Rid Of An Infestation

Your pest control service provider uses many materials, devices, and methods to arrest ant activity inside your home. Ant control is a complex process requiring a multi-pronged strategy.

Here are a few ways your Overson Pest Control pest management professional will arrest your ant infestation.

• We track ant trails, identify the ant species, check for mounds, evaluate conducive conditions, catalog potential routes, and consider other factors of your infestation.
• We select appropriate baits for the specific species and apply the baits according to field-tested methods for the best results.
• We may apply mound treatments if this control is needed.
• We may apply products within wall voids by way of outlets if needed.
• We will monitor for ant activity to track the success of the control strategy.
• We will apply exclusion materials in key areas to block access.
• We will work the problem until all ant activity has ceased.

After we have applied a variety of ant control solutions, we can continue to provide support by controlling ants and other pests on your property and preventing entry all year long. If you prefer to do this yourself, you can start with the prevention tips below. These tips offer effective management of ants without the use of control products, which can make your ant problems worse when misapplied.

Ant Prevention Tips: Keep Your Home Ant-Free

Your yard is an ecosystem for ants. When ants enter your yard, they will slowly move across your yard, motivated by food. Your ant prevention starts in your lawn. Let's start at the edge of your property and work our way to the interior of your home.

1. Apply lawn care products to reduce or eliminate weeds. Ants eat nectar and plant sap. So do many other insects—and ants eat those insects.
2. There are a few ways to reduce insects on the ground in your yard and reduce insects as a food source for ants. Keep lights off or install motion-sensitive exterior lighting. Reduce moisture by removing leaves and other ground cover. Remove brush piles and other organic debris.
3. Remove stumps, logs, construction debris, and other wood sources to reduce harborage options for carpenter ants.
4. Keep the plants in your landscaping healthy to deter aphids and other plant-damaging insects. These insects produce honeydew. You can also use yellow sticky traps to help monitor aphid activity and wash aphids off your plants when you find them.
5. Keep your trash receptacles as clean as possible to diminish the scent that attracts ants that prefer protein. It is also essential to pick up any piles of junk or debris in your yard.
6. Trim vegetation away from your exterior walls. Ants use these as bridges to get to higher entry points with a larger number of workers.
7. Use expanding foam to fill in holes and gaps in your exterior.
8. Replace damaged screens that cover windows, doors, vents, and other openings.
9. Use mortar to patch foundation cracks.
10. Install door sweeps and weatherstripping on doors that are leaky. You may also need to align your doors or alter the position of the door lock latch for a tight seal.
11. Keep your floors and counters as clean as possible to reduce smells that attract ants and reduce food debris that may inspire ant workers to enter your home in large numbers.
12. Cover any food that is left out on the counter.
13. Clean dishes as soon as you are done using them.
14. Keep certain foods in sealed containers to seal the smells inside and keep ants from getting into your food.
15. Create a mealtime for your cat or dog, so food doesn't sit out.
16. Address leaking faucets and other plumbing issues to reduce moisture sources. Ants are able to collect droplets of water and bring them back to their nests.

It takes diligent effort to keep ants out of your home, using these natural methods. But using some muscle is far better than applying a control product that could inspire colony budding, bait aversion, or some other unwanted result.

If you need ant control in Phoenix, contact Overson Pest Control. We have the knowledge and experience to provide you with smart and effective solutions for all your pest concerns. Contact us by phone, text, or e-mail for help with ants and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Phoenix.