Virginia Ant Control
Ants in Your Home?
If you have ants in your home, your first thought probably isn’t to call pest control. After all, while they may bite, you can handle it on your own, all you have to do is to remove food sources, add some traps, and then wait right? In most cases that is true. But ants can be tenacious and it could take weeks for them to be gone, and even then they can come back to the same location again later.
Ant Damage?
Unless you count ruining food left out in the open, ants cause very little damage to your home. Here in Southwest Virginia, the only species of ant that can cause home damage are carpenter ants. While they may not sound as intimidating as termites, they should be given the same level of severity. These ants do the same amount of damage as termites and must be taken seriously.
Damage caused by these ants is extremely hard to spot, and the best way to find evidence of carpenter ants is by finding frass. Frass is pieces of wall, insect parts, excrement, insulation pieces, etc. That the ants push out to make room for the colony in your walls.
Health Hazards?
Ants do not carry any diseases that can be spread by humans except for food-borne illnesses. Ants can have E. Coli and other diseases on their body and can be spread onto food. These diseases can be E. Coli, Salmonella, and Shigella, which will lead to nausea, vomiting, and flu-like symptoms. If you have ants on your food, or on your surface, please wash or throw out food, so you will minimize your risk of sickness.
Some ants such as Fire Ants carry venom and will sting rather than bite. These stings will leave a burning sensation, give off redness and swelling, itching, and pumps that start to blister like pimples and zits. These stings can cause allergic reactions in individuals, which can lead to hives, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. While extremely rare, it is possible to have life-threatening symptoms such as anaphylaxis, or shock.
Why Are There Ants in Your Home?
Like many pests, Ants only come to your home for one thing. Food and Water. If you leave food out, especially sugary food, ants will eventually find their way into your kitchen or bedroom. Despite their small size, they have a keen sense of smell. So much so that if you spill soda and you clean it up, ants can still smell the residue left over if not properly cleaned.
Once ants have figured out there is food in your home, they will keep coming until there is no more food, or they are exterminated.
Our Ant Control Services
Here at Blue Ridge Wildlife and Pest Management our technicians are trained biologists with degrees and know exactly how to treat your home. We know that every home is different, and so is every pest situation. Each species is different, and our ant control program is made with the species in mind.
Free Ant Inspection
At Blue Ridge, our ant inspection is free with no obligation. Our technician will inspect your home to know what ants you are dealing with, where they appear, and how severe the situation is. After this, we will talk with you about our plan for your home. We will go over what pesticides we will use, where we will use them, and how long it will take, and go over with you the price, with your home in mind.
Ant Control
Each ant is different and we have a wide variety of pesticides to use to combat them. They can range from sprays to little modules, to dust, we will use a combination of these for more effectiveness. We have 25 years of experience under our belt, and we will remove any ant problems, inside and outside of your home.
Frequently Asked Ant Questions
How to Control Ants In House
- Keep Your House Clean
- Eliminate water leaks
- Eliminate Wood Rot
Ants primarily eat sugar and protein, which is what we humans love to eat. Ants will send out a few scouts to find any sources of food. This is why sometimes you can find a solitary ant in your home. Even if you kill the scout more will come back if it does not return. The Best way to keep scouts from returning is to quickly clean up spills, especially sugary liquids as these tend to attract ants the most. This includes honey, soda, maple syrup, and more. Cleaning with soap is recommended as when wiping away soda, the sugar and some liquid could still be present on the surface.
Ants will form primary colonies and satellite colonies near resources to send to the primary colony. Generally, you do not have a primary colony in your home. These resources include food as stated above and water. This is why we say that ants like to get into bathrooms such as showers and windows. These a good sources of water for ants to send back to their colony. Make sure to fix water leaks, and keep areas dry otherwise this will lead to more ants and more worryingly, wood rot.
Water leaks into the wood of course causing wood rot which makes wood soft and pliable. This makes carpenter ants getting into your home that much easier. Make sure to seal and repair wood rotting in your home to prevent a carpenter's ant infestation. Also, make sure to stain and seal your deck as this is a major area where carpenter ants like to frequent. And if they are in your deck, that makes them more likely to try and get into your home.
Is it Worth Getting Pest Control for Ants?
Yes! Pest Control for ants is not the only thing that our exterminators are looking for. We also check for other pests such as spiders, termites, bees, rodents, bats, snakes, and raccoons. Because if you have ants, you might have other pests getting into your home. Not only that, our pest control solution and exclusion also keep away other insects. At Blue Ridge, we do not stop at ants, we seek out and exterminate all pests.
What are Virginia's Common Ants?
Our Virginia Technicians encounter Argentine Ants, Carpenter Ants, Odorous House Ants, Pavement Ants, and Red Imported Fire Ants the most.
What Repels Ants?
Ants heavily dislike strong smells such as vinegar, citrus, and spices. This is why freshly ground cinnamon works well to repel ants.
