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How To Prevent Ants

. Posted by in , • Orlando
a clean kitchen

Finding ants in your home can be shocking and gross. People find them most often in the kitchen, since that’s where most types of ants seek the food and water they need to survive indoors. But you might find them in other rooms, too. Ants are opportunistic. That means wherever they can get inside, they will. Learning how to prevent ants from infesting your home is an important part of controlling these pests. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to keep ants away from your home and property.

Ants are attracted to places where they can safely build a nest and reproduce. They also need to be able to find enough water and food to support their colony. Since they are so tiny—some types are less than an eighth of an inch long—they can get into our homes through very tiny cracks. That’s why preventing ants is a combination … Read Full Post »

Rover Ant Identification & Control Guide

. Posted by in , • Houston
a rover ant climbing up a tree

If you’ve never heard of rover ants, that’s probably because they’re pretty new to the United States. They came here from South America just a few decades ago. They have since spread throughout the Gulf states and as far west as California. While they don’t bite like fire ants or chew through homes like carpenter ants, they are still a nuisance.

Rover ants feed mostly on sugars. They live outdoors but will infest people’s homes if they can find a way in. In nature, these pests feed on plant nectars. Inside our homes, they forage for food on kitchen countertops and floors. They are especially attracted to sugary foods, like juice spills or crumbs from bread or muffins.

Wiping up spills and crumbs will help keep these ants away. So will giving your kitchen countertops, stove top and sink a good daily cleaning. But rover ants are good at using tiny cracks … Read Full Post »

Fire Ant Control & Identification Guide

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth
fire ants coming out of a nest

They say everything is hotter in Texas. That’s usually in reference to the weather and the food, but it can also apply to the burn you feel when you’re bitten by fire ants. If you spend any time outdoors, you’ve probably been bitten by these insects at least once or twice. They get their name from the fiery sensation caused by their bites.

Unfortunately, fire ants are an especially aggressive species of ant. That means you aren’t imagining it: When their nest gets disturbed, they will come after you, fast. Their bites sting and burn, and they can also cause raised, pus-filled blisters on the skin.

Interestingly, these ants don’t just bite people—they bite first to grab hold of you, and then they curl their abdomens under to sting your skin. It’s actually the venom in their sting that causes the painful, burning sensation. Their stingers are at the tip of their … Read Full Post »

What Can I Do About Flying Carpenter Ants?

. Posted by in , • Houston
a winged carpenter ant

Carpenter ants do not always fly, but when you spot a winged version of one of these creatures, it could mean trouble. These pests can damage your home by chewing through a variety of wooden structures.

As adults, carpenter ants are about a quarter of an inch to three-fourths of an inch in length. Their segmented bodies are typically black, reddish or multicolored, and they have hair on the tip of their abdomen. Adult worker ants are usually wingless, but reproductive carpenter ants have wings and can look a lot like flying termites. These winged reproductive adults are also called “swarmers.” If you see these pests around your property it typically means there is a carpenter ant nest nearby. Unfortunately, this might also mean that these pests are damaging the structural integrity of your home.

Carpenter ants swarm when they are mating, which typically happens in the spring or early summer. The … Read Full Post »

What Are the Big Black Ants in My Home?

. Posted by in , • Houston
a big black carpenter ant on a piece of wood

Finding big black ants in your home can be shocking and scary. What exactly are they, how did they get in and what are they looking for? Most of all, how can you get rid of them, fast? Unfortunately, most big black ants found in people’s homes are carpenter ants. They’re called carpenter ants because they build their homes in wood by chewing and tunneling through it. Much like termites, if they aren’t discovered and eliminated, carpenter ants can cause a lot of hidden structural damage in a home.

Unlike termites, which also look to some people like big black ants, carpenter ants don’t actually eat wood. Rather, they use their large mandibles—their strong mouthparts that are used for chewing—to build tunnels, called galleries, by crunching up the wood. Instead of swallowing the wood, they spit it out, creating wood shavings that look a lot like loose, shredded sawdust. Along with … Read Full Post »

Flour Bugs: Identification & Control Tips

. Posted by in , • San Antonio
a bowl of flour with bugs in them

There’s a wide range of bugs that you might find in the food in your pantry. They might invade food items and dried goods like flour, tea, nuts, seeds, rice, crackers, chocolate, dried fruits, spices, pasta and powdered milk. While most of these bugs won’t bite you or otherwise damage your home, they can ruin the food in your pantry. And, not to mention, they can be tough to get rid of if a population becomes established.

Sometimes, the problem can be dealt with by throwing away the infested package. However, if the infestation grows, the best way to treat these pests is to contact a professional. These pros have the experience needed to best identify what kind of pests are in your pantry. Then, they can help you understand your options for treating the infestation.

If you have found bugs in your flour, you likely have a lot of questions. But … Read Full Post »

What Do Ants Eat? Your Questions Answered

. Posted by in , • Houston
a kitchen with an ant infestation which leads a homeowner to wonder what ants eat

If you’re dealing with an ant problem in or around your home, you are probably frustrated. What are these tiny pests doing here? Is there something I did that attracted them to my home or yard? And, most important, how can I get rid of them?

Ants might have chosen to live on your property for many reasons. One reason that ants may have chosen your home or yard is that they have found some source of food. Ants eat a wide range of different things, but their food of choice usually depends on what kind of ants they are.

Let’s start by identifying the type of ant you’re dealing with, so you can take steps towards eliminating their food source.

Odorous House Ants

Odorous house ants love sweet things like honey. These are the tiny, blackish or dark brown ants that you might see rush to the scene if your ice cream melts … Read Full Post »

Florida Carpenter Ants: Controlling An Infestation

. Posted by in , • Orlando
Florida carpenter ant on damaged wood

You’ve found what looks like tiny sawdust piles along your baseboards or in your attic crawl space. Then, you spot an ant. After hearing horror stories about the damage these ants can do, you begin to worry that you may have a carpenter ant problem. First, you’ll need to confirm that what you have is actually a Florida carpenter ant and not something else.

Florida carpenter ants have a brown to rusty orange-colored head and thorax with the bottom half of their bodies being black. This ant grows a circular ring of golden hairs around its abdomen. Antennae are bullet-shaped and segmented into 12 parts. Workers measure in at about a quarter of an inch to a half of an inch in length, while winged swarmers and the queen can reach up to three-quarters of an inch long.

If the ants you have seen on your property fit this description, you’ll need … Read Full Post »

Carpenter Ant Bite: The Dangers These Ants Pose

. Posted by in , • Houston
Carpenter Ant Bite

Carpenter ant bites can be a big pain—quite literally. A bite on human skin looks like a pea-sized blemish, and the aftermath may feel like a strong pinch or even a quick burn on the skin. This is because when carpenter ants bite, these insects spray formic acid onto their victim. Formic acid isn’t necessarily dangerous to humans, but it does increase the intensity of the pain you feel. You can reduce the pain associated with a carpenter ant bite by washing the impacted area with soap and water right away. Doing so will flush away the formic acid that causes pain to the area, which should cause the discomfort to recede. If not, a cold compress or ice should help to soothe the bite site.

Don’t be surprised if a carpenter ant bite draws blood. These insects are equipped with really strong jaws to chew through wood to make nests. … Read Full Post »

Where Do Sugar Ants Come From? How To Keep Them Away

. Posted by in , • San Antonio
Where do sugar ants come from

You’re in your kitchen, enjoying a nice cup of coffee or getting ready to start prepping dinner when you suddenly notice little black ants everywhere. While sugar ants are often small—about the size of pepper flakes—and they don’t typically bite humans, it can still be unnerving to spot them in your living spaces.

Even if you clean your home regularly, sugar ants can still invade. This is especially true if you have children living in the home who might make it tough to stay on top of every drip and spill of sugary items that attract sugar ants, like juice, jelly, chocolate milk or maple syrup. So where do sugar ants come from, and if you have a sugar ant infestation, what can you do to get rid of these unwelcome pests?

Unfortunately, sugar ants can make their homes just about anywhere. These insects can nest inside homes and in virtually any … Read Full Post »