Here in Connecticut, our hard winters help keep some nasty ant species – like fire ants – down south. However, we still have a quite few species in our area that can invade our homes and businesses. Most ants in Torrington are just a nuisance, though there is one ant type that can wreak a lot more havoc than just swiping some food from your kitchen counter. Let’s talk about a few of the ants common to our area and how Torrington Pest Control can keep them out of your house.
Common Area Ants
Carpenter Ants:
Carpenter ants are the only ant on this list that is more than just a nuisance. They’re a serious threat to your property because they tunnel through wood to make their homes. Colonies have thousands upon thousands of workers that all spend their days chewing away on the wooden structural supports of your house. If left untreated, they can do severe damage to your home, reducing its structural soundness and leading to thousands of dollars in damage.
Pavement Ants:
These ants love to nest in the cracks of paved sidewalks and driveways, but they’ll happily take up residence in the crevices and gaps in your home’s foundation. These ants can – and occasionally do – sting, but since they’re not aggressive, stings are rare. Rather, these nuisance pests are more likely to contaminate your food stores by crawling into them with their dirty feet.
Pharaoh Ants:
These ants are one of the most widespread species in the world because they hitch a ride on global shipping and trade routes and take up residence wherever people do. Pharaoh ants are not a hardy species, so wherever the winters get cold, they have to nest indoors. This means they’re exceptionally tough to evict because they depend on your home’s heat to get them through the coldest months of the year.
Prevention Tips
There are a lot of things you can do to keep ants out of your house or commercial building. Specifically for carpenter ants, you’ll want to make sure to treat all the wooden components of your home – like decking, railing, moldings, etc. – to make them harder to tunnel through. If you have decayed or damaged wood in or around your home, replace it, as carpenter ants prefer to take up residence in rotten wood because it’s easier to carve. To keep out most ant species, including pharaoh and pavement ants, take measures such as:
- Trim back brush and shrubs from your home’s exterior to reduce access venues.
- Seal cracks in walkways and driveways.
- Cover the trash in tight-fitting lids.
- Caulk the holes and cracks in your home’s foundation and siding.
- Keep your food in airtight containers at all times.
- Wipe ant trails with white vinegar to interrupt their pheromones.
Unfortunately, ants are highly motivated to get around your prevention methods, often because they have little alternative if they’re dependent on your warm house or your stocked pantry to see them through cold or drought. If that happens, they can be next to impossible to get rid of because store-bought solutions are often better at encouraging ants to spread around than they are at eliminating colonies. Luckily, there’s a better way.
Here at Rescue 1 Pest & Termite Control, we’ve got over three decades of experience dealing with a multitude of pesky pests – including a wide variety of ant species. Our home pest control and commercial pest control services are safe, effective, and can be customized to fit your individual circumstances. So don’t let ants rain on your parade – give us a call at (860) 854-7266 or visit our contact page to schedule your service today!