Tips to Remove Ants from Your Portland Home
An ant invasion is a serious problem for many homeowners in the Pacific Northwest. Ants are very common pests, especially during the summer months when they have more friendly weather to go out in, so having a plan ready to deal with them is a good idea. Once ants invade, no matter what type they are, they can set up a colony and be very difficult to remove completely. If you are having trouble with an ant invasion, contact a trusted professional who specializes in ant removal in Portland and have them help you out. There are also some tricks you can pull off by yourself that can help you out quite a bit in the long run when it comes to dealing with an ant invasion.
Eliminate Moisture
Moisture is one of the most common draws for all of the different types of ants. Once an ant colony has found a reliable source of water, they do not want to leave. Water is one of the main essential things that ants will look for. Water means that their colonies can flourish over an extended period of time. To keep ants from settling in your home after they have broken in, you want to eliminate any and all excessive moisture around the house. Check everywhere for leaks, especially around the water heater and other high moisture areas, as those will be the primary targets of ants. You will also want to check places you rarely go around, like the basement, attic, and crawl space, as leaks could develop without your knowledge.
Wood Piles and Mulch
Carpenter ants like nothing better than chewing through a lot of wood. If you have a wood pile, mulch pile, or excessive brush close to your house, it won’t take a whole lot for a carpenter ant invasion to migrate from the piles to your home. If the piles are close by, the ants won’t have to travel very far at all. If you must have a wood pile, mulch pile, or shrubbery on your property, it is far better to have them as far away from the house itself as possible. That way, if carpenter ants do show up, they will have a greater distance to travel and won’t have easy access to your house.
Seal Your Food
Dry food is another of the main things ants will look for. They can chew through the cardboard boxes and get into your dry food supply without too many difficulties. That is why you always want to keep your food sealed in plastic containers that are not easily broken into. This gives ants less opportunity to break in and steal food, which could force them to move their ant invasion elsewhere.
