Bay Area Ants: Identifying & Keeping Them Out Of Your Home

Having ants inside your home can cause you emotional and mental stress. After all, we’ve been taught that ants are a sign of uncleanliness. While this can be true, the reasons that ants make their homes in our houses is more complicated than that. They are ruthless in their search for resources and can be quite challenging to eliminate.

In the Bay Area, homeowners might see a few species of ants. While none of them are a health threat, that doesn’t make them welcome sight. Keep reading to learn more about the different species of ants in Bay Area homes, problems they can cause, why they’re coming indoors, and how you can keep them out.

How To Identify The Type Of Ant Infesting Your Bay Area Home

Argentine ants are an invasive species in the United States. Dark brown, though sometimes a shiny black, this ant can grow to around ¼ of an inch in length. Argentine ants are known for being difficult to eradicate. Not only do they have fast and prolific reproductive capabilities, but their “budding” reproduction allows them to make supercolonies that spread across entire neighborhoods.

These ants in themselves are not dangerous, but they can crawl over bacteria and disease-laden trash or sewage and transfer those pathogens to food if allowed into the kitchen. Argentine ant control can prevent them from taking over your kitchen and putting you at risk of diseases like dysentery resulting from compromised food.

A second common ant specimen is the odorous house ant. As its name indicates, this ant puts off a sickly smell when crushed. Indoors, odorous house ants prefer moist areas near a hot water heater, leaky pipes, or inside termite-damaged wood. Brown or black in color, these ants are significantly smaller at about ⅛ of an inch in length. Odorous house ants aren’t a public health threat, but they also contaminate food.

Finally, carpenter ants, often confused with other wood-eating insects, are the biggest of the bunch. While they don’t actually eat wood, they are a destructive force, chewing through it to make nests at an alarming rate. This ⅝ of an inch-long ant with large mandibles is usually red or black, though they can be a combination of the two.

Effective ant control with this nuisance species is especially time-sensitive. Though they are not a health threat, they are a safety threat and a big enough one that an over-the-counter carpenter ant spray won’t eliminate the problem. To get rid of carpenter ants is a little more complicated than that.

Should I Be Worried If I See One Ant In My Bay Area House?

Ants can come indoors in several ways, but a common one is accidentally being brought in on a shoe or sock. Ants are not solitary creatures and are not likely to conduct their ant business alone. That being said, one ant isn’t necessarily a sign of a larger problem.

However, if you see multiple ants, even if it’s just a few, don’t underestimate how many may already be on your property or how large the problem can grow in a matter of days or weeks. Effective ant control is the only remedy to those few ants looking to expand their territory and followers in your kitchen.

Which Ant Is The Most Dangerous Ant In The Bay Area?

The answer to this question depends on what you’d call dangerous. None of the ants in the area are a serious medical threat, though pharaoh ants can carry more diseases than other species. The fire ant can cause allergic reactions with their painful stings, but the carpenter ant can do more structural damage in the long run. Like termites, carpenter ants can cause bulging, sinking, and sloping walls, ceilings, and floors.

Why Are Ants Taking Over My Bay Area Home?

Ants come into homes for a few different reasons. Available food and water are the primary resources they seek, but simply having an easy entryway into a home can be enough. Cracks and holes around pipes, windows, and doors can invite these pests into your home to eventually find everything they need. Bay Pest Solution Inc. can help you tackle these ant-inviting risks to keep pests out of your home for good.

To get rid of carpenter ants and for advice on Argentine ant control, call Bay Pest Solution Inc. With our safe and effective carpenter ant spray and whole-house inspection, treatment, and follow-up services, you can say goodbye to those unpleasant meetings between you and the ants after dinner. Call Bay Pest Solution Inc. for a free estimate that will get rid of ants fast and help you secure your home against future ant invaders.