Sacramento Homeowner's Guide To Complete Ant Prevention

Ants can be incredibly annoying pests. Their ability to be annoying is one reason why they are the number one pest in Sacramento. When residents and business owners are driven to contact Sacramento pest control, it is usually due to ant problems. If you haven't had the pleasure of dealing with an ant problem, this guide could make it so that you never have to deal with one. Here are a few important facts to help you with effective ant control.

Why Ants Are A Year-Round Problem In Sacramento

If you hope to keep ants out of your home, you need to know that they are a year-round problem. Why are they a problem year-round?

1. It rarely gets cold enough in Sacramento to arrest ant activity and cause them to hide in their nests.
2. Certain ant species can establish nests in the voids of man-made structures and become indoor pests.
3. Carpenter ants tunnel in wood and can create nests inside the wood of homes and businesses.

In every season, it is important to maintain the protection around your home, and address ant activity inside your home. This can be done with all-natural pest maintenance.

What's Attracting Ants To My Home?

All-natural ant prevention is centered on removing attractants. It should come as no surprise that ants are attracted to properties that provide food and water. If you have these in abundance, you're going to have lots of problems with ants. What do ants eat? We'll cover this as we provide tips for ant prevention in the next section.

Year-Round Ant Prevention Tips For Sacramento Homeowners

Ant control in Sacramento begins with ant prevention and exclusion. If you know how to keep ants away, and how to keep ants out of your house, you may never need ant control products. Here are our best tips from the on-staff experts here at Neighborly Pest Management.

• Address aphids and other plant-damaging insects quickly. These insects create honeydew, which is a delectable food source for ants.
• Address weed problems in your lawn. The tiny flowers on weeds give ants access to sweet nectar.
• Put garbage in sealed containers and keep your containers free of strong odors. Ants can find many food options in garbage.
• Blow leaves out of your landscaping and get them out from underneath structures. Ants hide under leaf piles and leaf litter, where it is moist, and where sources of protein can be found. Certain ants eat insects, both alive and dead.
• Reduce moisture in your landscaping by cleaning your gutters and trimming vegetation.
• Remove objects that collect rainwater. While ants can find water from many sources, easy access to large reservoirs are attractive.
• Address conditions that cause puddles to form.
• Remove hummingbird feeders, or move them well away from your exterior. The sweet liquid you feed to hummingbirds is attractive to ants with a sweet tooth.
• Use a caulking gun to seal gaps, cracks, and other entry points. Pay particular attention to trouble spots, such as around water pipes and wire conduits. Be sure to scan your foundation and seal gaps where your sole plates rest.
• Replace weatherstripping, door sweeps, screens, and other protective items that aren't getting the job done. If you have double doors, these may need to be adjusted to create a complete seal.
• Along with outdoor ant control, keep your home as clean as possible to bolster your protection. If a scout ant gets inside and does not find a food source, it won't be inspired to recruit other ants to enter your home. 

These simple preventative steps can help you make ant sightings in your home, rare events. If you want more control than this, it is best to contact a licensed professional for ant control solutions. 

Why Ongoing Pest Management Is Your Permanent Answer To Ants

At Neighborly Pest Management, we provide perimeter protection that stops ants before they get inside. During routine inspections throughout the years, your technician will inspect your property to evaluate ant activity and conducive conditions. As ants present a problem, your technician will select industry-approved ant control products to address the targeted ant species presenting a problem. These products don't attack the symptom; they attack the source. Ant workers take bait into the heart of a colony, and this can lead to elimination. Mound treatments can arrest activity in ant colonies in certain cases. Your technician will also treat targeted zones with a knockdown agent. All of this works together to give your home the best protection from ever-encroaching ants. If you have questions, or you'd like to get started with residential pest control for your Sacramento home, reach out to us. We look forward to guiding you toward the best solution for your home, your family, and your budget.