What is something that annoys you? For us, something that never ceases to be annoying is ants. These small insects like to break into homes in our area and are sometimes a serious problem for homeowners. If you are looking for how to identify ants and how to get rid of ants permanently here in Fort Worth, here are some things to consider today.
How To Identify The Type Of Ants Infesting Your Fort Worth Home
To know how to keep ants away, it is important that you know how to identify ants here in Fort Worth. To save you some time today, we are only going to talk about invasive ants that like to cause trouble inside area homes. Let’s start with how to identify carpenter ants, acrobat ants, odorous house ants, and Pharaoh ants.
- A carpenter ant is ⅗” long, red, black, or red and black, and has a larger head and mouthparts. These insects use their larger and stronger mouthparts to chew tunnels through the structural wood of homes to build their nests.
- An acrobat ant is ⅛” long, light brown to black, and has a heart-shaped abdomen. These pests live in social colonies built around properties and then travel up to 100 feet away from their nests to scavenge for food and moisture.
- An odorous house ant is 1/16 to ⅛” long, brown or black, and has an unevenly shaped abdomen. These pests regularly break into homes in our area and they smell like rotten coconut when squished.
- A Pharaoh ant 1/16” long, pale yellow, and has a darker-colored abdomen. These pests live both inside and around area homes and are known for picking up and carrying bacteria on their bodies.
Should You Worry If You Have Ants In Your Fort Worth Home?
Something you should consider is: are ants dangerous? The truth is, most species that live in our area pose no threat to human health. A few invasive species, however, spread bacteria that can cause staphylococcus and salmonellosis. There are also some ants, like carpenter ants and fire ants, that bite. Fire ants are also capable of stinging and causing a burning sensation with their powerful venom.
Carpenter ants are specifically troublesome because of the way they damage structural wood while building their nests. If you see any of these pests inside your living areas, have your home professionally inspected to assess your risk of damaged property.
What Causes Ant Infestations In Fort Worth Homes?
There are several reasons that ants invade homes here in Fort Worth; the main three are to find food, water, or shelter. Most often, ants build their nests near the exterior of homes and then find gaps and cracks to send scouts through. If these scouts find tasty treats or drinks they will leave pheromone trails back to their colony and invite all of their friends back. This is usually where problems start
How To Keep Ants Away From Your Fort Worth Property
At the end of the day, every homeowner wants to know how to get rid of ants and keep them away for good. The easiest option to do this is to hire the experts at Lonestar Safe Pest. We offer a range of quality home pest control services to help residents like you combat these annoying and sometimes harmful or destructive pests. All of our pest control ant treatments are custom designed to fit our clients’ needs and applied by our team of friendly and highly trained technicians.
Call today to learn more about our options and find a time to have your Fort Worth home treated for ants.