Ants are on the sidewalks, in the grass, on lawn furniture, and can be in your house. We expect ants to be outside, but we don't wish or want them inside our St. Louis homes. You cannot sit and relax when you think an ant is crawling in your hair or across your feet. The thought of ants in the house does not make for a restful night's sleep.
If you find ants in your home, you now need the St. Louis pest control services of Arenz Pest Management Solutions. Our trained professional team will solve the ant problems in your St. Louis home.
The Types Of Ants You Could Encounter In St. Louis
The following ants play a role in the ecosystem of St. Louis and are familiar to our area:
Odorous Ants: These ants are 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long with a black body and bent antennae. They are called "odorous" because of the coconut-like smell produced when disturbed or crushed. These small ants create nests in crawl spaces and basements.
Pharaoh Ants: Almost as common as odorous ants in St. Louis, these ants are tiny with a length of about 1/16 of an inch. These pale and yellowish ants with club-like tips on their antennae enjoy living behind baseboards, underneath the floor, and in voids within the walls.
Carpenter Ants: These ants are 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch long, possess a black to a dark red body, and are common in St. Louis. Carpenter ants create nests in the house's wood, damaging door frames, doors, posts, subfloors, and more.
Acrobat Ants: The size of these light brown to black ants is from 1/16 to 1/8 inch. The abdomen of these predatory ants looks like a heart. They get their name because they appear to stand on their heads.
Pavement Ants: These dark brown insects like to nest under the pavement. These ants are identifiable by the little mounds of debris they create at the nest entrance. If you see a trail of ants in the driveway or sidewalk, they are likely pavement ants.
Of the approximately 700 species of ants in the United States, about 20 varieties invade homes. Although there are other ants in the St. Louis area, these are the ones you are most likely to encounter on your property.
Why Ants Tend To Enter Homes
Ants in the house are searching for food, water, and shelter. For example, odorous ants build their nests inside the house near sources of moisture like leaking water fixtures.
Ants need shelter to reproduce; a house provides the perfect place to bring new ants into the world. Ants find protection in insulation, walls, under floors, and soft, decaying wood.
Food attracts ants to the home. Most ants have a sweet tooth, while other ants enjoy eating oil, cheese, bread crumbs, nuts, and cheese. Ants are attracted to the honeydew produced by the aphids in some houseplants.
Getting Rid Of Ants In Your Yard And Home
If you are going to get rid of ants in your home, you also need to pay attention to your yard. Effective ant control steps you can take outside the house include:
Covering trash cans
Inspecting potted plants for infestation
Removing dead trees or stumps from your property
Reducing moisture by proper drainage of gutters, ditches, and drain lines
Cleaning up grease spills
To get rid of ants inside your home, do the following:
Seal cracks and crevices
Fix leaky pipes
Repair holes in screens
Vacuum the floors regularly
Wipe food surfaces after every meal
Taking these steps will make your St. Louis home as uninviting as possible to these insects. However, effectively eliminating ants from your property requires additional help.
Total Ant Control For St. Louis Residents
To get rid of ants in your St. Louis home, you need professionals who know where to locate the nests and how to destroy them. Our trained team members of Arenz Pest Management Solutions will apply environmentally safe and effective treatments to destroy ant nests, thereby ending your ant infestation.
Tags: ant control | ant prevention | ants in st.louis |
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