Ant Control 101: A Helpful Guide For Homeowners In The Bay Area

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Ants invading your Bay Area property bring major issues, and effective ant control is essential to defeating these tiny insects and the problems they bring. Trust Bay Pest for expert ant control in the Bay Area and let us provide you with helpful information to prevent and treat any ant problem you may be dealing with.

The Life Cycle Of Ants: How Ant Colonies Develop

Ant colonies can be widespread, and when these colonies start around your Bay Area property, you may be dealing with a larger ant infestation than you even know, as most ant colonies are underground or in other hidden areas where you can’t easily access them.

Ant colonies typically develop as a queen flies or otherwise moves away from her old colony, searching for a suitable area to create a new colony. Once they’ve found a place, the queen will drop her wings, create the nest, and remain inside, waiting until her eggs mature. From there, the eggs are laid and hatch, ants start developing, and the colony grows.

As the ant colony expands, structure develops, and ants are split into the categories of reproductive, worker, and soldier. Ants will start leaving the nest to scavenge for food, often ending up looking around human properties, and reproductive ants will eventually fly away from the nest to create new ones in the surrounding areas.

It’s important to get rid of ants in the Bay Area at all life stages on your property so you can put a stop to constant infestations. 

Ant Problems: Health Concerns And Property Damage

As ants invade your property, you might think that these pests are no big deal due to their small size. However, ants bring major issues with them, including health concerns and the potential for property damage.

Ants are known for carrying bacteria and pathogens with them as they invade human structures; they scavenge throughout kitchens, food storage areas, and food preparation areas, leaving behind the risk for illnesses such as salmonellosis and gastroenteritis, among many others.

Ants also bite or sting, and these bites and stings can range from a nuisance itch to fairly painful depending on the ant species. Some individuals may be allergic to ant venom, with reactions such as pain, swelling, hives, and anaphylaxis possible.

When it comes to property damage, certain species of ants will create their colonies by chewing through the wooden structures of your home, weakening the wood and bringing a risk of structural collapse. Other species of ants might create their nests around electrical boxes and utility areas, creating shorts and other problems. 

Ant pest control is necessary in the Bay Area to avoid these problems.

Ant Prevention Is Key: Effective Tips And Tricks

If you want to lower your risk of picking up an ant infestation and prevent future problems from occurring around your property, the following effective ant prevention tips and tricks will help you out:

  • Seal gaps around your home’s foundation, windows, and doors to keep ants from making their way inside.
  • Keep windows and doors closed when possible and utilize window and door screens in addition to weatherstripping to stop ants from invading.
  • Cut down long grass around your yard and remove piles of debris or decaying matter to deter ants from making their nests or hiding outdoors.
  • Seal trash bags tightly and dispose of all trash promptly.
  • Use trash cans with secured lids and cover compost piles outdoors to prevent ants from scavenging in these areas.
  • Address moisture issues around the inside and outside of your property to reduce the chances of damp conditions attracting ants.
  • Store all leftover food properly and clean up food and drink spills right away to stop the aroma from attracting ants.

Diligent prevention and proactive ant treatment the moment you notice these pests invading are key to stopping ant infestations from growing out of control and protecting your Bay Area property.

Ant Control Done Right: Call The Experts For Complete Ant Control

Ant removal is best done by the professionals, and Bay Pest is ready to help you defeat infestations of these insects. We start our Bay Area ant control treatment by inspecting your property and identifying the specific species of ant you are dealing with, something that helps us decide which bait to use around the exterior of your home.

We utilize a spray treatment around your home’s exterior and search for the nest and ant trail, allowing us to treat the trail and place bait so that it makes its way back to the root cause of your ant infestations. We provide our ant control solutions on a quarterly basis, and we will come back at any time to re-treat.

Contact us today to get started!

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