Ant Control 101: A Helpful Guide for Lewisville Homeowners
Seeing one ant in your home isn't always cause for alarm. But if you're finding ants all over the house, and they keep coming back despite your best efforts, it is time to learn more about ant pest control in Lewisville.
This guide is here to help you learn everything you need to know about these home invaders and provide the information you need to get rid of them once and for all. We'll start by exploring the life cycle of ants and how their colonies develop, which can help explain how infestations start and why it is so challenging to get rid of ants.
We'll also spend some time reviewing the dangers of an infestation. People tend to write ants off as a nuisance because ants are such common pests, but different types of ants that infest local homes can endanger your family and the structure of your house.
Prevention is a crucial component of ant control in Lewisville homes, so we will provide some tips and tricks the pros suggest to keep these troublesome pests out. Please keep reading to learn more about the best way to control ants year-round with the pros at Adams Exterminating Company.
The Life Cycle of Ants: How Ant Colonies Develop
Most ant colonies begin when a new queen flies away from an old colony and mates with a male. She then finds a suitable location to start the new colony, drops her wings, and creates the nest. The new queen will then wait in the nest for her eggs to mature over the next several weeks.
The queen will then care for her first brood, tending the eggs, feeding the larvae, and tending to the pupae. When the eggs develop into adults, they will become worker ants. The female worker ants take over feeding and caring for the brood; the queen's sole purpose now is to lay eggs and expand the colony's size.
Some colonies begin slightly differently. Pharaoh ant colonies, for example, start with a flightless queen mating in the old colony, and workers will then accompany her to form a new colony. Colonies of pharaoh ants can have multiple queens and tend to have large populations of workers.
Occasionally, workers will start their own colony through a process called budding. Budding can happen with or without a mature queen. In these cases, the workers carry the immature eggs, larvae, and pupae to a nest site and raise some of these immatures to become reproductive males and females.
Colony size depends greatly on the species in question, and species with multiple queens in the same colony can produce large numbers of workers. The following list will explain the size of the colonies for the most common types of ants in Lewisville:
- An acrobat ant colony on your property typically has a couple of thousand members.
- A mature carpenter ant colony has between 10,000 and 20,000 workers, and large colonies can have more than 50,000.
- The average fire ant colony contains between 100,000 and 50,000 workers, and colonies with multiple queens can have up to 40 million ants per acre of land.
- Odorous house ant colonies can have multiple queens and typically have a few hundred to 10,000 individuals.
- The size of a pharaoh ant colony on your property can vary from a few dozen to several thousand and up to several hundred thousand individuals with multiple queens.
- Rover ant colonies range from a few hundred to a few thousand members.
These numbers help to explain why that single ant you saw in your kitchen one day suddenly turns into a severe infestation. One worker ant indicates that there are hundreds to thousands more close by. These worker ants leave trails of pheromones to help the rest of the colony locate the food source in your home.
Whether you are currently dealing with an infestation or just starting to see an ant here and there, Adams Exterminating Company is here to help. Contact us today to learn how our ant pest control services can eliminate an infestation and prevent ants from returning.
Why Choose Adams Exterminating?
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Trained Entomologists & Service TechniciansOur team brings a deep understanding of insect biology and behavior to create targeted pest control strategies. We're equipped with the latest techniques and technologies to effectively eliminate pests.
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Customized Plans for Every BudgetRecognizing that each space is different, we customize pest control services for every home or business. Our approach involves targeted solutions, addressing specific needs for your environment.
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Trusted in the Community Since 1947With a legacy dating back to 1947, our pest control company brings decades of experience with a proven track record to keep your space critter-free.
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Locally Owned & OperatedAs a locally owned business with offices in both Denton and Lewisville, we are rooted in the community and dedicated to serving our neighbors with personalized service.
Ant Dangers: Understanding the Risks of an Infestation
Everyone knows what annoying nuisance ants can be inside the house. But these little pests can sometimes cause big problems. Some of the risks that can come with an ant infestation include:
- Outside, ants travel through garbage and decay, and when they enter your home, they can contaminate food and surfaces.
- Acrobat ants may bite when they sense a threat, and they can strip insulation from electrical wires and cause a short circuit.
- Carpenter ants in your house build nests inside the wood, which can weaken the structural integrity over time.
- What some refer to as fire ant bites are actually stings, and people can have allergic reactions to the venom.
- Pharaoh ants in your home can spread diseases like salmonellosis, staph infection, Clostridium difficile (C. diff.), and strep.
The simplest way to protect your family and home from the risks of ants is to work with a professional company that offers ant pest control services near you. Contact Adams Exterminating Company for assistance in eliminating ants and preventing them from getting back inside.
Ant Prevention Is Key: Effective Tips and Tricks
Proactive prevention is one of the simplest forms of ant control for homeowners, and it can be very effective. But when you combine your efforts with professional control measures, you have a recipe for success. Here are some practical tips and tricks to get you started:
- Fix any moisture issues, like leaking pipes and faucets, and eliminate standing water on your property.
- Seal any cracks or openings around doors and windows with silicone-based caulk.
- Keep tree branches and shrubs cut back from the house.
- Promptly clean up any crumbs and spills, regularly clean floors and surfaces, and avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
- Properly store all food in pest-proof containers, and regularly dispose of trash in a container with a tight seal.
Outside the house, you can't prevent fire ant mounds in your yard. With these ants, it is best to call in the pros at the first signs because their colonies can grow to such large numbers quickly. Stopping them before they get firmly established is the best way to prevent a large infestation.
While these ant prevention tips can help significantly, the best way to ensure ants stay away is to work with the pros at Adams Exterminating Company. Our expert technicians can help determine how ants get in and what attracts them.
Contact us today to learn more about how our services can help you get rid of ants once and for all.
