Have you experienced days when everything falls into place? You achieve the goals for the day, accomplish the tasks, and still have energy leftover to bask in success. On the other hand, have you had days when everything went wrong? When those days hit, life feels out of control, and you end the day exhausted, frustrated, and relieved it is over. 

When ants invade your house, the natural desire is to purchase a product and try to fix the problem, but what happens when they keep returning? No matter how much you apply the store product, they still appear in different areas of the house. Despite your best efforts, it soon becomes apparent that the situation is out of control. 

You probably found this article online because ants are in your house, and you don't know how to stop the invasion. Since that is the case, the first stop for gaining control is to secure pest control in The Woodlands from award-winning All-Safe Pest & Termite. Our family-owned and operated company has removed ants from local homes since 1984. With thousands of five-star reviews, customer service awards, and an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, you can partner with us knowing you will receive quality service.

We provide The Woodlands not only with experienced, trained technicians, but we also strive to educate community members about the pests which invade many houses in The Woodlands. Please keep reading to learn about ants in our area, why you to be proactive in removing them from your home, and get prevention strategies to keep them away for good.

The Life Cycle Of Ants: How Ant Colonies Develop

There are two ways ant colonies start. Most ant nests begin when winged, reproductive ants catch warm, flowing springtime air currents as they circulate near their nest. As the male and female ants fly in the airflow stream, they mate multiple times, and the males eventually fall to the ground and die. Depending on the ant species, the fertilized females land in soil or on damp wood, burrow into the soil or crack and lay eggs. She nurtures the first group of offspring, which consists of sterile female workers. The task of ants workers is to expand the nest by boring into wood (carpenter ants) or creating tunnels and chambers in the soil; they also forage for food to feed the queen and the offspring.

The queen continues to produce eggs using the sperm stored in her body from the mating process. When the nest sufficiently expands and matures, the queen delivers a new group of ants. Unlike sterile worker ants, these ants can reproduce and fly. Known as alates or swarmers, these ants leave the nest in early spring or late summer to begin new colonies.Not all queens produce flying, reproductive ants, and in those cases, colony expansion occurs through a process known as budding. Ant nests that multiply using budding have the traditional sterile worker class that forages, nurtures, and expands the colony. However, the queen produces wingless reproducing males (drones) and females. Like the situation mentioned above, the males fertilize the females that store the sperm for later use. When the ants perceive a threat to the colony, the fertilized females and an entourage of workers exit the nest to create a satellite nest, where each becomes queen of its group, and the process starts again.

Swarming is the most common method of colony duplication and is often evident in the early spring and late fall when the flying ants hover around outdoor lights. Sometimes people wonder if the flying insects are termites or ants. You can tell the difference in a few ways. Ants have clubbed antennae, but termites have straight antennae. Termites do not have a pinched waist, but ants have narrow waists, similar to a wasp. The two front wings on ants are longer than the back two and are brown, but termites have pale, evenly sized front and rear wings.

Although budding is not as commonplace as swarming, ant colonies that use this method can spread quickly throughout a house for a few reasons. First, these colonies can expand at any time throughout the year; they do not need to wait on warm air currents in early spring or late fall. Second, budding colonies dispatch multiple queens, meaning multiple groups start near the original nest in a short period. If a homeowner uses the wrong ant pest control treatments that only disturb a budding ant nest instead of destroying it, the homeowner can have more nests as the queens flee and start new colonies. 

All-Safe Pest & Termite provides ant control service near your home. Our highly-trained technicians will treat the infestation using a low-toxicity product that prevents all ant colonies inside the house from expanding and eliminates them.

Ant Dangers: Understanding The Risks Of An Infestation

Do you want to know the mystery of how ants climb up walls? On the bottom of each of their six feet, ants have tiny claws that enable them to grip the surface. Ants are not choosey about where they forage for food. If a source of protein, fat, or carbohydrates is available, the ants will happily travel over unsanitary items to get to their food source. When ants walk over animal feces, trash, rooting food in garbage compactors, etc., bacteria on the surface stick to their feet. Later, when the ants move through a house, they distribute the bacteria on cooking and eating areas, utensils, and other items and contaminate them.

Although ants are not spreaders of diseases like cockroaches, one species, pharaoh ants, spread salmonellosis, staphylococcus, clostridium, and streptococcus. These 1/16-inch pale yellowish ants have a dark abdomen and are more problematic for medical facilities, but they occasionally infiltrate homes. 

Some ants bite, and a few can break the skin, causing pain similar to a bee's sting; however, fire ants take pain to a whole new level. These ants build two to four feet in diameter nests in the yard next to structures, but they sometimes enter homes through the HVAC system. When a fire ant nest is disturbed, they swarm quickly onto the offender and begin stinging multiple times to inject venom. As a result, painful, fluid-filled blisters form and cause discomfort for several days. In some cases, individuals experience anaphylactic shock and require medical attention. Carpenter ants do not eat wood like termites but chew through wood to create tunnels. Years of tearing through support beams in the house will cause sagging floors, warping window and door frames, and collapsing structures. 

Crazy ants are so-called due to their erratic patterns when they walk. These ants establish large colonies and like to invade appliances where they chew on wiring. When tens of thousands of crazy ants are gnawing on the protective coating of wires, they eventually are exposed to each other, and moisture from the ants results in short circuits, which can destroy the appliance. All-Safe Pest & Termite protects people and homes by providing effective ant control for homeowners. Ten thousand metroplex homeowners rated us the "Top Pick" because of our passion for quality pest control. 

Effective Ant Prevention Strategies: Safeguarding Your Home

In addition to partnering with All-Safe Pest & Termite for ant control in The Woodlands, is to be proactive in your fight against ants. Here are some simple suggestions that will deter ants from invading your home:

• Close outdoor and indoor garbage containers
• Remove junk and debris from the property
• Seal cracks in the foundation and roofline with caulk
• Prune tree branches and shrubs away from the structure
• Repair holes in window and door screens
• Repair leaking water fixtures 
• Install door sweeps
• Suction corners and cracks when vacuuming

Ants are necessary for the yard surrounding your home to maintain balance in the ecosystem, but there is no need to have them in your house. Keeping a clean and dry interior and exterior removes the possibilities for food and water sources and deters ants. Implementing these home pest control solutions for ants will keep them away from your home.

Professional Ant Control: Eliminate The Infestation

Although the preceding tips will help prevent a future infestation, you need ant pest control near you from All-Safe Pest & Termite to stop the current invasion. When you contact our award-winning customer service, we will carefully listen to your concerns and dispatch a highly-trained technician. We will investigate the interior and exterior of your property to identify access points, attractants, hot spots, and the offending ant species. We will create a strategy to target and eliminate the ant infestation using the information you provided to our customer service team and our inspections. We will treat your home and create an exterior barrier using low-toxicity products that are safe for pets and family members. We also install bait stations to keep ants from entering your home in the future. Contact us today to learn more about our ant pest control options and to get a free estimate.

I have been with them for several years. They are always responsive if any issues arise, and are completely on top of our quarterly treatments. I love it, because I don’t have…

Joanna P.

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