Going out into your kitchen and finding dozens of ants crawling around is never a good feeling. Although squishing these annoying bugs can provide a small amount of relief, it doesn’t ever solve the problem. Most people that live here in Denver don’t actually know what methods work best for ant control. If this is true for you, do not feel bad. There is a lot of knowledge that goes into controlling these terrible pests. Our goal today is to best educate you on what ant pest control options work best in Denver and to provide you with some information about these annoying home pests.
Reach out to our staff at Absolute Pest Control if you have direct questions about these or other local pests. We will answer any questions you have, share with you information about our services, and find an option for pest control in Denver that best meets your need. If you are just here to learn more about ants or are still on the fence about professional control, keep reading to learn more.
Ant Behavior: Social Hierarchy And Communication
Ants are both simple and complicated creatures. On a basic level, these bugs are just family oriented and know how to work together really well. If this is all you understand about these pests, you know enough to understand why they are such a big problem locally. Our goal is to break down ant behaviors a little more than this so that you can understand exactly what these insects are doing inside and around your home. Let’s start with reproduction and hierarchy within colonies.
All ant nests are ruled by one or multiple queens. A queen’s role is to reproduce and assign roles to new members. Most new members of colonies are workers or soldiers. A worker's main job is to build and repair nests and gather food for their queen and her subjects. Some workers act as scouts. A scout's main role is to find sources of food within a few hundred feet of the colony. If they find anything of note, they will create an invisible pheromone trail back to their nest. This is why you might see a single ant one minute and then a trail of these pests the next. A soldier's job is to protect the nest.
These ants in Denver are typically larger and can take down predatory insects, arachnids, and other similar creatures that might mean them or their family harm. Finally, there are reproductive members. This includes swarmers. Swarmers are large ants with wings. Their job is to leave the nest and find new places to start colonies. If you see lots of winged ants around your home, it is likely they are looking for a place to live.
There is one thing you need to know about ants, and that is how effectively they work together. You already know that workers leave behind pheromone trails that lead other members to food sources nearby nests. What you might not know is just how strong and capable these bugs are. The average ant is able to carry items that are twenty times heavier than their own body weight.
Working together these pests can transport massive leaves, sticks, and pieces of food. Another thing you should know is that ants do not go away on their own. When these pests establish a nest, the only thing that limits them is access to food. If they are not finding tasty treats inside your home, they will find things to eat outdoors. As long as this is the case, they will continue sending scouts indoors to search for food items. This can be incredibly problematic and frustrating. Let’s take a moment now to discuss your options for food safety and what problems these pests cause when they establish a nest inside or around local homes.
Ants And Food Safety: Protecting Your Home And Family
One big worry with having ants indoors is that these pests will contaminate your food. This is a legitimate concern. Many common ants will happily crawl into food boxes, over left out pastries, and onto any other food they can find. The good news is that the most common types of ants that invade homes in Denver are not dangerous. There are, however, some local species that pose a legitimate threat to your health due to the bacteria they carry and spread. One species you should know about is the pharaoh ant. This pest is small, pale yellow, and has a dark-colored abdomen. Two disease vectors this ant spreads are salmonellosis and staphylococcus. We would very much like to help you avoid these uncomfortable sicknesses.
We highly recommend taking precautions to protect your food from these pests. To start, store all of your leftovers inside air-tight containers. There are many options for this including glass jars, plastic bags, and large sealable totes. In addition to storing leftovers inside these containers, it is highly recommended that you also use sealable containers to repackage all of your pantry items and all of your pet food. This is an extra layer of precaution that will help to ensure that ants cannot get an easy snack inside your home.
Lots of people like to leave tasty treats out on their countertops. We are not telling you to stop if you do this. What we recommend is investing in some sort of dish that has a tight-fitting lid or cover. This cover has to be airtight.
Something that you should know is that ants cannot survive inside refrigerators when they are cooled. This means that storing food in your fridge is one of the best ways to keep it away from these pests. To make sure you have other good options to prevent these pests, we will talk directly about ant prevention in just a bit.
Ant Prevention Is Key: Effective Tips And Tricks
Sealing food away is only one facet of ant pest control. There are many other things you can utilize to keep these bugs away from your home and food. To make things easy for you today, here is a comprehensive list of ant prevention tips to keep these bugs at bay.
- Walk around the exterior of your home and look for cracks, gaps, and holes in its foundation. Seal these potential entry points using some silicone caulk and a caulking gun.
- Inspect your exterior doors and windows for damage and gaps. Repair damage you find and address gaps using things like weatherstripping and door sweeps.
- Make sure that all of your home’s window/door screens are in good working condition. Do your best to keep unscreened windows and doors closed when you are not using them.
- Clean your home as frequently as possible and do your best to address food messes and drink spills when they occur indoors. It is also recommended to not leave dishes in your sink and to wipe down moisture wherever you find it.
- Repair damage to pipes and fixtures inside your home. In addition to this, make sure your gutters are in good working condition and consider using a dehumidifier indoors to reduce moisture levels.
- Wash your trash bins when they get dirty and make sure they all have tight-fitting lids so that ants cannot get into them.
- Address areas of clutter inside and around your home.
The more effort you put into DIY ant prevention, the less likely you will be to find these pests inside your home. If you would like to save yourself some time and stress, do not hesitate to ask our team about professional ant control in Denver.We specialize in providing dedicated services to provide homeowners like you options to combat annoying, dangerous, and destructive local pests.
Professional Ant Control: A Great Way To Keep Ants Out For Good
There is value in understanding. This is why we write articles like this. We want you to better understand the pests that might cause trouble inside or around your Denver home. In addition to providing you with information, we also want to give you clear options to combat common invasive creatures before and after they become a problem on your property. If you let ants live inside your home, they will certainly get up to no good. By investing in pest control ant treatments with our team, you gain access to unmatched protection. Our team is highly educated, friendly, and equipped with the tools needed to identify, prevent, and control these terrible local pests. We also have many comprehensive options to help you keep common pests like ants out of your home year-round. All you need to do is start a conversation with our dedicated team. One of our friendly service representatives will walk you through our pest control options and help you find a service that best meets your need.
Call our team at Absolute Pest Control today to learn more about our ant control and find a treatment time that works best for you and your Denver home.
I had the pleasure to work with Justin and he was extremely professional and took the time to answer all of my questions. He put me at ease on all the steps he was going to take in order to get my home back to normal. I would recommend him and Absolute Pest Control to my family and friends.
