Although they don’t pose any real threat to our safety, an ant infestation is something no homeowner wants to deal with. Seeing ants crawl throughout your house is disgusting, and could be a sign that your living space isn’t as clean as it should be.
The good news is that ant prevention is easier than it may seem. Continue reading to learn how to naturally keep ants out of your house in Bartlesville, OK.
Look out for scouts
Infestation prevention starts with keeping an eye out for scout ants. The scouts go on solo missions into houses to search for adequate food and shelter for the rest of the colony. If you see scout ants scurrying throughout your home, there’s a good chance that you’ll soon have an infestation.
Keep a tidy home
There’s nothing ants love more than a messy home with food crumbs all over the floors and countertops. Make a habit of wiping down all surfaces after you cook or eat, and always clean up dirty dishes instead of leaving them out. Additionally, set a regular schedule for sweeping and vacuuming to eliminate any dropped crumbs that may attract ants.
Properly store food
Ants will stop at nothing to get into boxes of cereal, bags of sugar and other dried goods. One of the best ways to naturally keep ants out of your house in Bartlesville, OK is to store all of those items in plastic containers. Making it harder for ants to get your food makes your home less attractive, meaning they’ll move on to someone else’s house.
Seal cracks and entrances
Cracks in the foundation and walls or around windows are the main way ants get inside a house. Make it as difficult as possible for them to enter by sealing up those cracks. All it takes is a tube of caulk and a few hours of your time to make your home nearly impenetrable for those creepy pests.
Remove ant trails
As an ant moves through your home, it leaves behind a chemical trail that makes it easy for other ants to follow and find the food source. You can make the journey more difficult by wiping up the trail with a solution of vinegar and water.
Place traps
Deploying ant traps throughout your home is another great way to keep ants out of your house in Bartlesville, OK. These traps have toxic bait in them that attracts ants. Once the scout ant gets in and retrieves the bait, it brings the toxin back to the colony, eliminating a bunch of the pests at once.
Spray a barrier
Spraying an insecticide around the perimeter of your house will keep scout ants at bay, and deter ants from building colonies on your property. There are plenty of all-natural products available at hardware stores that are safe for pets and children—just not ants.
Call our team at Excellence Pest Control
If you’ve tried everything above but still have an ant issue, pick up the phone and call our professionals. On top of knowing how to keep ants out of your house in Bartlesville, OK, our services include eliminating rodents, bed bugs, wasps and much more.