Ant Killer and Control

Ants are Enemy No. 1

Ants are the No. 1 pest problem in the country. These tiny insects usually invade your home in search of food, and when a scout ant figures out how where your food source is located, it leaves a scent for other ants to follow. This is why ants spread so quickly.

Most ant infestations are difficult to get rid of and require a company that specializes in killing and controlling ants. Some species of ants, such as carpenter ants, can significantly damage your home. When ants are eating your house little by little, the repair costs can quickly mount.

However, before you bring in a company such as Eco Pest Control to kill and control your ant population in your Richmond, Newport News, or Williamsburg home, there are some things you can do to prevent ants from getting into your home in the first place.

7 Ways to Keep Ants Out of Your Home

1. Be on the lookout for “scout” ants
2. Remove dirty dishes promptly
3. Keep counters and other surfaces clean
4. Wipe up spills
5. Store food in sealed containers
6. Seal cracks
7. Remove ant trails

Let’s expand a bit on each of these.

1. Be On the Lookout for Scout Ants

Remember the scout ants we mentioned earlier? These little guys take their moniker seriously and are regularly on the hunt for food sources for the rest of their colony. If you see a scout any searching around your kitchen, take it as an early warning sign that more ants are coming. Don’t delay, call a company to kill any ant colonies that might already be on your property and to control the invasions of ants in the future.

2. Remove Dirty Dishes Promptly

Leftover food and dirty dishes left around the house make it much easier for scout ants to do their jobs. Just leaving a pile of food-encrusted dishes in the sink overnight might be enough to cause you to soon call an ant killer and control company.

3. Keep Counters and Other Surfaces Clean

Ants love to eat. That’s why they come into your home in the first place – they are looking for a late-night snack. So, unless you want to call on the services of a professional company whose job it is to control and kill ants, keep your counter tops and tables clean. If there’s no food to find, then ants will move on to the next available food source.

4. Wipe Up Spills

Ants are attracted to food, but they are particularly attracted to sweet, sticky substances that result from spills in and around our home. Clean your counters, workbenches, and other surfaces with appropriate cleaning products to make sure acts aren’t attracted to spills. A mixture of vinegar and water will also keep ants at bay.

5. Store Food in Sealed Containers

Storing food in sealed, air-tight containers thwarts not only ants, but also other household pests, such as cockroaches. Restricting access to food sources will cause ants – and other insects – to move on.

6. Seal Cracks

So, your counters are clean, your spills are wiped up, and your food is sealed and put away. Now that you’ve removed the scout ant’s top attraction – easily available food – from your home, you’ve won half the battle and reduced the likelihood that you’ll need to call us, one of the top ant killing and control companies in the greater Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg areas. Now is the tine to search for areas in and around your home that could be potential entrances for ants.  Sealing cracks around windows and doors and the foundation of your home with caulking can eliminate many of the obvious entrances for ants to use. Because these sealants will degrade over time and with exposure to the elements, it’s best to inspect them regularly and reapply as needed.

7. Remove Ant Trails

If you’ve already developed an ant problem, you may need to enlist the support of a company to kill and control these insects. However, there is one more do-it-yourself tactic you can deploy, that being to identify where your ants are coming from and eliminate their trails, which might prevent them from continuing to enter your home. Mix up an application of vinegar and water and spray it along the length of the ant trail. This will disrupt the ants and force them to find a new path to their food source. Beware: Where there’s one ant trail, there are likely others. If this is the case, it’s likely time to call us to take care of your ant problem once and for all.

What You Probably Don’t Know About Ants

Ants can enter through even the tiniest cracks, seeking water and sweet or greasy food substances in the kitchen, pantry, or storeroom areas. They also leave an invisible chemical trail that contains pheromones for others to follow once they locate the food source.

Ants can nest about anywhere in and around your house, including in lawns, walls, and stumps – even under foundations.

An ant colony can number up to 500,000 ants and, when threatened, whole colonies can uproot and relocate quickly. Colonies can also have a relatively long lifespan; worker ants may live seven years and the queen may live as long as 15 years. (All the more reason to call an ant killer and control company.)

Most Do-It-Yourself Treatments are Ineffective

Your goal is to keep ants out of your home in the first place, and if you follow the seven tips listed above, there is a good chance you will never need the services of a company that specializes in killing and controlling ants.

That said, know that most do-it-yourself ant control approaches only kill the ants you see. Some truly effective treatments can penetrate and destroy nests to help prevent these pests from returning. Also, home remedies do not account for the fact that different kinds of ant infestations require different treatments.

With one phone call to us, we can provide you with an ant control and treatment plan for your greater Richmond, Newport News, or Williamsburg home that can meet your needs and your budget. Either way, you will be getting the best pest control around at a great price without sacrificing quality.

When is It Time to Call an Ant Killer and Control Company?

To get rid of ants the easy way, partner with an experienced, local ant killer and control company. At Eco Pest Control, we’re a family-owned and locally operated company that has more than 15 years of experience keeping properties in greater Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg free of pests, including ants.

Our registered and certified professionals provide highly effective pest control and treatment services that work to control ant populations and minimize their chance of return, using green pest control methods. For residential and commercial property owners who are interested in learning more about our company’s exceptional, 100% guaranteed ant control solutions or would like to request an inspection or schedule an ant control service, contact Eco Pest Control today.

Why Eco Pest Control is the Leading Ant Killer and Control Company in the Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg Areas

Do you have an ant problem? Rely on Eco Pest Control, the leading ant killer and treatment company in the greater Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg areas. We give you four reasons why you can trust us to take care of your ant problem.

1. Our company provides staff with extensive training in the treatment of ants that enables them to solve your most basic ant problems.
2. We invest in ongoing education in the treatment and control of ants to ensure we stay abreast of industry advances.
3. We offer free ant inspections, which comes with a complimentary ant control and treatment plan.
4. We offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. If you are not fully satisfied, we will come back for free. What else would you expect from the leading ant killer and control company in the greater Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg areas?

Resources

• University of California: How to Manage Pests: Ants
• National Pesticide Information Center: Ants
• Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Integrated Pest Management for Ants

Inside the Ant Colony, FROM TED-Ed

Eco Pest Control is rated 5/5 from 1,664 reviews & testimonials.

{{ data.settings.truncate && data.settings.truncate.on && data.settings.truncate.text ? data.settings.truncate.text : "Read more"}}

{{ testimonial.recency }}

{{ selectedReview.recency }}

Facebook review

Google review Google review

{{selectedReview.source.platform}} review

Endorsal testimonial

Facebook review

Google review Google review

{{selectedReview.source.platform}} review

Endorsal testimonial