8 Easy & Effective Ant Prevention Tips For Charlotte Property Owners

Do ants keep popping up around your Charlotte, NC home? Ants are some of the most common insects in the world, with thousands of species existing on every continent (except Antarctica). It’s only natural that these pests end up in some people’s homes, but make no mistake – certain ant species are more dangerous than others.

Whether you’ve seen ants around the house or not, these insects belong outdoors. Let’s discuss what attracts ants to your Charlotte property, and what North Carolina residents can do to keep them out.

Ant Identification Tips

Ants come in many colors and sizes, but they all share similar characteristics. An ant has a segmented body split into three parts – the head, the thorax (midsection), and the abdomen (end section). Two legs jut out from each of these three sections, and ants also have short antennas, pincers, and a stinger.

Most ant species are completely harmless, and if they get in the house, they are a nuisance pest. Still, all ants can spread diseases over time, such as E. coli, shigella, and salmonella.

Among nuisance pests, the most common ants in North Carolina are the pavement ant, the little black ant, and the odorous house ant. All of these ant species are brown or black in color, and they grow anywhere between 1/16 and 1/8 of an inch. On top of spreading diseases and getting into your food, odorous house ants emit an awful odor, often described as “rotting coconuts.”

Additionally, two ant species, fire ants and carpenter ants can be really dangerous around the house.

Carpenter ants are red or brown ants that grow over 1/2 of an inch in length, and they can cause serious house damage by chewing through the wood in your home.

Fire ants grow between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch and have reddish-brown bodies. Despite their average size, they may be the most dangerous ant in North America. These pests are aggressive, leave painful stings on your skin, and their venom can sometimes cause allergic reactions including nausea, vomiting, and anaphylactic shock.

None of these ants are good news for your home. So, how can you keep them out? Consider the following tips.

Ant Prevention Tips For Charlotte Households

Certain household factors and behaviors can attract ant infestations. The following will make your home less attractive to ants:

• Secure food storage. Keep your pantry closed tight, and don’t let food sit around for too long, or else ants will forage through your house.
• Secure trash storage. Keep trash inside and securely locked, otherwise ants will start lining up near your trash bins.
• Keep your yard tidy. Overgrown foliage, unkempt grasses, and piles of leaves and wood are all ant attractors.
• Clear standing water. Puddles around the yard and in the gutter create the kind of moisture that ants thrive on.

Sometimes, structural changes are also necessary to keep ants away. Ants may be crawling into your house because it isn’t secure from infestations, so consider the following as well.

• Moisture control. Keep your kitchen and bathrooms well ventilated, and make sure moisture isn’t trapped in your crawl spaces, basement, or attic.
• Seal cracks and gaps. Ants can crawl into the tiniest spaces, so make sure there aren’t any in your vents, pipes, doorways, windows, and masonry.
• Fix any leaks. A leaky pipe or vent creates the damp areas that invite ants inside your home.
• Install window screens and door sweeps. Doors and windows are common entry points for ants, but these installations make an infestation much harder.

Finally, for comprehensive ant control, contact the best ant exterminators in Charlotte, NC at Aruza Pest Control. By offering repeated pest management assistance, we make sure ants are never a problem for your Charlotte property.

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