Ants can get in your home through a variety of ways. Cracks in the floor, the foundation, holes in the wall, and small crevices in the attic, basement, or ceiling are some ways they can find to get in, just to name a few. Leaving doors open is another way they get inside. The most common ants to get inside people’s homes are carpenter ants, or black ants, and sugar ants. Sugar ants are specifically looking for food, and they will find anything in your pantry containing glucose or sucrose, from cereal to crackers. Letting people into your house for a party only to discover that your pantry is full of ants can be embarrassing and disgusting.

There are plenty of products on the market, such as Rid-Ex, that will take care of your ant problems. Liquid poisons are a good choice for getting rid of the sugar ants.
Put a little bit on a piece of paper or tin foil and leave it on the kitchen counter or in your pantry. They will mistake it for food, and eventually they will die off or stop coming back. This method is fairly effective. If you have to use a spray, you can do that, but be careful around food and places where children and pets walk. Dogs will lick anything. Fire ants in the house present a bigger problem. It’s more rare, but when they get in, they can nest under your couch or bed. Some people are allergic to fire ants, and a severely allergic person can be put in critical condition with just one or two bites. Be extremely cautious around fire ants, especially the bigger breeds, because they can sting repeatedly, and this does cause some pain and irritation, even if you are not allergic. Terro.com sells every kind of ant poison for every species of ants. Check out their Web site, www.terro.com, for a look at their full selection, and for more information on our particular pest problem and the appropriate solution.

Termites are a species of ants that can destroy homes, cabinets, furniture, valuable collections, and anything else made from wood. Take care to store your valuable wooden positions carefully, such as wrapping them in bubble wrap, to keep ants out. If you have an infestation of termites or suspect one, call an exterminator immediately. After he has verified whether or not you have a problem and taken appropriate action, consider taking preventative measures such as installing underground systems in your yard and on your property to draw the termites away from your home. Even if you just have a front porch made of wood, this can be weakened, damaged, and eventually destroyed over time by termites if precautions are not taken. If you spot termites anywhere on your property, such as in a dead tree, take care of the problem with a pesticide designed to kill termites. Terro sells these.

There are even various species of termites, so identifying what kind of termites you have is helpful. For other kinds of serious ant problems, fumigation is sometimes the only choice you have left. In this case, get the whole family out of the house, along with anything that might be ruined by the fumigation process, such as furniture. It’s not worth losing all of your possessions to have an ant problem removed. Older houses are probably more susceptible to invasion by ants because of the many ways in through nooks, crannies, and crevices in the drywall and elsewhere. Simple carpenter ants are harmless, and can be taken care of through a generic pest spray. Just be sure to read the back of the label to make sure it’s the kind that kills ants. Don’t waste your time with expensive treatments unless you have to. Like most people, if you are on a budget, you may need to consider opting for the poison bait that will take care of most ant problems. If the ants come back, just repeat. Do this until the ants stop coming back. Protecting your property is a protection of your investment, and it is always a smart thing to do. Ants do not have to wreak havoc on your home or kitchen.

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