Ants can be a major nuisance, especially since they tend to come in big numbers. Carpenter ants could build their nest in the wooden frames of your house. This can weaken the structure and eventually render the building unsafe for occupancy. Fire ants may also make nests in building walls. Others love to be firmly inside the structure for protection from the elements. You will see them making trails around the home quite often. Some could tear holes through food packaging and raid your pantry. You should prevent them from taking over the house through the following methods:

Keep the Kitchen Clean

The ants will primarily be concerned with finding food to feed their colonies. Don’t let the colony grow to outrageous proportions. Keep the kitchen clean so that they will not be attracted to the house in the first place. There should be no scent of food left on the counters. Wipe off any sticky residue and remove crumbs on surfaces. After food preparations, the kitchen should be cleaned up until spotless. Dirty dishes should get washed as soon as possible. Otherwise, ants, roaches, and other pests might make a feast out of the leftovers on the plates. The floors should be swept and wiped as well.

Store Food in Airtight Containers

Ants can sense where food is located even from a distance. It’s up to you to store food in containers that would seal their odors and make them invisible to the pests. These should also have strong perimeters so that ants can’t bite their way inside. It is not enough to buy items in soft plastic packaging and place them directly on the pantry. Some ants will be aggressive enough to tear holes through this plastic wrapper. Seek out the best airtight containers that you can find in supermarkets or online. These will be worth the investment. If you have rubbish bins outside, then keep the cover on so that they do not get food from the inside.

Block off All Entry Points

The ants will need to get inside the house in some way. You just need to look for their entry points and seal them off as quickly as possible. These are usually cracks on the walls from cement that dried off too quickly or shifts in the foundation. Sometimes these are gaps left by imprecise carpentry or holes made by other pests. Whatever these may be, make sure to close them with the appropriate products right away. You could also trace their trails to find out where they are living and seal those off as well.

Call for Professional Ant Control Services

Homeowners can only do so much to manage the situation. Sometimes they buy properties overflowing with excitement only to find out the flaws later on like an ant infestation. The worst cases should be left in the hands of professional ant control services. They can tailor a solution based on the species and their behaviors. They can get rid of the queen and cause the colony to collapse.

Need help? Consider this ant control San Diego company.