While ants are, for the most part, not likely to cause major problems to your health or home, they can be a nuisance and an embarrassment. There are a lot of reasons ants come indoors and even more reasons why they stay. Learn more about the dangers of ants in Houston, how they get inside, ant control solutions, and other pest control in Houston.
What Types Of Ants Invade Homes In Houston?
Fire ants are one of the most common and most dangerous species of ant in the Houston area. While they primarily live outdoors, they can come inside when food or water is scarce. Fire ants vary in color from cherry-red to reddish-brown and from ⅛ of an inch to ⅜ of an inch in size. They build large, irregularly-shaped mounds for their nests that do not have a visible entrance hole. When the nest is disturbed, fire ants will aggressively defend it with painful and repeated stings. People susceptible to an allergic reaction to fire ants should be especially wary of being stung and avoid their nests.
Another common species of ant is the black carpenter ant. This species also primarily lives outdoors, but black carpenter ants in your home can occur when infested wood furniture or decor is brought inside or if you have water-damaged wood in your home. Black carpenter ants do not commonly infest healthy wood, but they will nest in abandoned tree stumps, fence posts, or dying trees. You can see wood shavings built up around an entrance to the wood nest to identify their presence. The ants themselves are black with large mandibles with light-colored stripes on their abdomens and grow up to ⅝ of an inch long.
A final common ant species is the pharaoh ant. This tiny ant varies from yellow to black and can grow to around 1/16 of an inch long. The pharaoh ant is one of few ant species that is known to spread disease, including salmonella and streptococcus. While they are more of a nuisance to industrial buildings, including hospitals, these ants will infest anywhere food and moisture can be found. Getting rid of pharaoh ants quickly is essential as these tiny insects can create colonies into the thousands, bud off, and spread to other areas.
How Dangerous Is It To Have Ants In My Home?
Most ants do not spread disease unless they pick it up from your trash and carry it onto your food, but these three ants are among the most dangerous to have in your home. Having black carpenter ants in your home can cause structural damage, pharaoh ants can spread food-borne diseases and other bacteria, and fire ants can cause painful stings and dangerous allergic reactions.
Getting rid of pharaoh ants and other dangerous species is a job for your local home pest control for ants, not just because ants are a health and safety hazard, but because over-the-counter pesticides can cause additional safety hazards
How Did Ants Get Into My House?
Ants don’t need much of an entry hole to sneak inside. Holes need to be only as wide as the ant for them to crawl through, which makes any cracks around the home’s foundation, holes in screens, and gaps in the seals around windows and doors plenty wide to sneak through.
Establishing ant control in your house needs to begin with sealing these entry points. Use a silicone-based caulk to block entry points in the form of cracks and holes in the foundation or around pipes leading into the home. Repair broken window screens, and fix the seal around windows and doors to prevent entry in the future.
Another way ants can get inside is by crawling from tree limbs overhanging the roof and sneaking in through gaps that way. Make sure to trim back tree limbs that overhang the house to prevent ants and other tree-dwelling pests like squirrels.
How Do I Get Rid Of Ants In My House?
The best way to get home pest control for ants is to call All-Safe Pest & Termite. With a free estimate, we can determine your home’s risks and treatment needs. Ant control in your house doesn’t have to be dangerous, either. Our eco-friendly safer solutions and fast response can have your home ant-free without the risk of dangerous pesticides. You can trust All-Safe Pest & Termite for safe ant control solutions at a price that’s right for you. Call All-Safe Pest & Termite today for your free estimate.