The Dos And Don'ts Of Ant Control: An Extensive Guide For Lewisville Homeowners

Ants are simple organisms that handle complex tasks. A colony of ants can do remarkable things. Unfortunately, when they come into your Lewisville yards, they use their amazing skills to get into your home in remarkable ways. The worst part is that you can spend hours on the internet searching for how to keep ants away, only to find suggestions that lead you down a long and exhausting road of frustration and only end up making your problem worse. When it comes to ant removal, prevention, and control, there are definitely some dos and don't you should know. That's why we've put together this quick (but extensive) guide to ant control in Lewisville. We're going to cover all the bases so that ants don't take you by surprise. Let's start with how you can tell that ants have infiltrated your property. As always, contact us at any time if you need advice or to learn about our pest control services in Lewisville. Your Adams Exterminating team is looking forward to helping. With that said, here are your dos and don'ts for ant control.

Do Know The Warning Signs Of An Ant Infestation

If you have an ant problem, you're going to want to know it. We have many types of ants in our Lewisville service area, and they present a range of problems. The secret to detecting ants is knowing what signs point to their presence.

• Scouts: The first sign of an ant infestation is typically the appearance of a scout ant every so often. If you see an ant in your home, keep in mind that it can raise an army in a matter of minutes if it finds a food source. But that little scout ant doesn't tell you much about your infestation. It won't lead you to its nest, and you have no way of knowing if the nest is indoors or outdoors. All you know for sure is that you could have a large number of ants infesting your home at any time.
• Mounds: Most ant colonies create mounds out of dirt. These look like tiny volcanoes on the surface of the ground. If you walk around the exterior of your home and look for these mounds, you may find the source of an interior ant problem. Ants are likely to come in through the closest exterior wall. If you're seeing ants in your kitchen, check the exterior wall just outside your kitchen. You may find the evidence you need.
• Trails: Ants create an invisible trail of pheromones. While you can't smell those pheromones and track them like an ant, you may see ants following the trails. If you have ants in your kitchen, see if you can follow the trail of ants all the way to the entry point they're using to get into your kitchen. You can also check your exterior. Look for ants climbing on your foundation, check around your window sills, and examine any plants that touch your exterior. These are the places you are likely to find ant trails.
• Frass: If you have carpenter ants in your home, you'll have trouble knowing it. They are nocturnal insects by nature and spend a lot of time hiding inside the wood cavities where their nests are hidden. One way to detect them is to look for frass. The frass created by carpenter ants will look like tiny wood shavings, though it also contains ant droppings. Look for frass leaking out of gaps and cracks or holes that have appeared in the wood of your home.
• Stings: If you have fire ants, you may not need any other warning sign but to have them sting you or someone else in your yard. But it is nice to catch them early. Look for their mounds in the sunny areas of your lawn. If you find mounds in this location with red ants on them, you've likely found fire ants.

If you detect ants in your home, you're going to want to know what you're up against and how those ants can harm you. That leads us to our next tip.