Preventing pests from entering your home can be as valuable a treatment as the treatments performed by pest control companies.  By protecting your home/office, you can inhibit a wide range of infestations, and can save yourself time and money.  The following are all things that can put you and your environment at risk for pest infestations:

1.     Unsealed food

2.     Open garbage cans

3.     Gaps in plumbing pipes and/or walls

4.     Leaking roof

5.     Blocked gutters

6.     Openings in windows/door frames

7.     Improperly sealed attics/crawl spaces

8.     Plies of firewood

9.     Standing water

10.  Long grass & overgrown shrubs

11.  Leaf buildup

By avoiding such risk factors, you can greatly reduce your chances of infestation from many common pests. Keep in mind that most pests are attracted to your home by conditions that are created by you, and are easily avoidable.  Many infestations can be avoided by keeping your home clean, and your yard free of clutter and debris, but as with anything, there are always exceptions.

If you are facing an infestation in your home or office, call 1-877-757-7767 for a free consultation.  The call is free, and the information gained is priceless!

There are several things that one should look for when trying to identify a carpenter ant infestation.  Most of these signs are easy to find.
Begin by looking for “swarmers.”  These winged ants are often found congregating around windows, but are likely to be seen emerging from window casings, baseboards, vents and other openings in the walls and floors.  If you are looking for an infestation on the exterior of your home, swarmers that are located on siding, around windows or on porches are usually a simple sign of a nearby colony.  It is however, an excellent idea to inspect the inside of your home to be certain.
Worker ants are those who forage.  At some point during the early spring months, worker ants can easily be found looking for water and food.  Worker ants can travel a distance of up to 300 feet from the colony to complete their foraging.
After looking for the ants themselves, it becomes necessary to look for other signs that colonies might leave behind.  If a mature colony is in your home, noise is one of the first signs to look for.  In a mature colony, you will be able to hear rustling or chewing sounds coming from the area where the carpenter ants are nesting.  Another sign to look for is sawdust.  Like any carpenter, carpenter ants leave signs of sawdust.  This occurs as the ants expand their nest, and throw out piles of debris.
The most obvious sign to look for is damage.  Wood that is damages by carpenter ants is likely to have small openings where the ants are expelling the debris.  Colonies will usually follow the grain of the wood.  To avoid confusion between carpenter ants and termites, note that galleries of termites are generally filled with fecal matter that looks nothing like the debris cast out by carpenter ants.

If you feel that you have a carpenter ant infestation, contact A3 Superior Pest Control to schedule an inspection and possible treatment if necessary.

Ants generally start to become a problem indoors during late spring and early summer.  Ant infestations should be taken care of at the first sighting, as the first few in are generally there to determine if it would be a good home for the entire colony.  These are referred to as scout ants, as they are “scouting” out a new home. The following suggestions can help you to reduce and possibly eliminate ant infestations in your home:
1.       Destroy Resources – The scout ant will only decide your home is an appropriate place to live if there are resources available.  This means that he must find access to both food and water.  Keep food prep surfaces clean, seal your food, and clean up crumbs or spills immediately after eating.  This will create a difficult living environment for the ants, and they will more than likely look for a different place to live.
2.       Keep Clean – The scout ants who investigate your home leave behind a scent trail.  This trail enables the scout ant to both find his way back to his colony, and to find his way back into your home, along with all of his friends.  By cleaning the areas where you have seen the scout ant, you will destroy his ability to return to the other ants.  One of the best methods for doing this is to use a spray bottle filled with vinegar, and spray both the ant and the areas you saw him walking on.
3.       Cover – Block the ants’ entry point into your home.  Consider applying a “wall” of baby powder at their entry location.  The powder will prevent most unwanted visitors from gaining access to your home, and will destroy the scent of any ants that might make it in.
4.       Trap – Ant traps can be very successful at controlling populations.  These traps are designed to kill the scout ants before they return to their colony and tell their friends about your wonderful home.  Use precautions when setting the traps, as they do contain chemicals and poisons that can be dangerous to children and/or pets.
5.       Repel – Consider using natural resources to repel ants from your home.  By nature, ants do not like the scents of cloves, bay leaves, mint, or citrus.  Consider wiping surfaces and dusting with citrus oil or peppermint oil, cleaning your bathroom and kitchen with vinegar (it has the same acids as citrus), and even planting mint plants around the exterior of your home along the foundation.

Many infestations cannot be treated or prevented without the assistance of a professional.  If you are encountering an influx of ants or any insect in your home, and need help, A3 Superior Pest Control is here for you.  Give us a call at 1-877-757-7767.