Ants can cause a lot of problems in your home. They are so small; they can sneak into your home without your knowledge. People often don’t even know that they have an ant infestation until they accidentally leave food on their countertops and find several ants covering the food a few minutes later. 

At Pickett Pest Control, we know how frustrating it can be to have ants invade your home. Our Roosevelt pest control specialists can help you quickly and permanently eliminate all ants from your home. 

The Life Cycle Of Ants: How Ant Colonies Develop

Ants are social insects that live in large colonies. Because so many ants live together, the nests usually separate into three castes, which include:

• Workers: The worker ants are the ants you will likely see in your home. Their jobs include foraging for food, cleaning the nest, building the nest, and taking care of the baby ants. All workers are female. 
• Male reproductives: All male ants in the colony are reproductive ants. Their only job is to mate with the queen ant. The male ants will usually die shortly after mating with the queen.
• Female reproductives: The female reproductive is the queen. Her only job is to mate with the male reproductive and lay eggs. Typically, there is only one queen in a colony. 

Many of the reproductive ants have a pair of tiny, white wings that they use to fly away from the colony. When the colony becomes too large, some of the reproductive ants will fly away and find a mate. Once the female finds a mate, she will discard her wings and become the queen of a new colony. 

Ant Problems: Ants In The Home Can Be More Than A Nuisance

Ants are known to be annoying when they get into your home. They will crawl over any surface or object that they can access. Unfortunately, these surfaces and objects often include your food and food preparation areas. When an ant walks across these areas, it could spread some of the harmful bacteria and pathogens on its body. If you eat this food or touch the areas the ants have been around; you could end up ingesting these harmful pathogens, which could cause you to become ill. Some illnesses that homeowners can catch from an ant infestation include salmonellosis, E. coli infections, streptococcus, and staphylococcus. 

Ant Prevention Is Key: Effective Tips And Tricks

It can be difficult to locate and eliminate ants in your home. The best way to keep your home ant-free is to prevent ants from coming into your home in the first place. Some things you can do to prevent an ant infestation in your home include:

1. Fix any leaky faucets and pipes in your home to eliminate excess moisture.
2. Make sure there is no food left in your drains, and clean out your garbage disposal.
3. Keep all dry food in a sealed container.
4. Keep the grass in your yard cut as short as possible, and cut bushes and shrubs away from your house.

Ants can use the tiniest crevices and gaps around your home as potential entry points. Thoroughly inspect your home for any openings and seal any cracks that you find to keep ants from invading your home. 

Professional Ant Control A Great Way To Keep Ants Out for Good

Ants can quickly infest your home and become a major problem. If you see even one ant in your home, call the professionals at Pickett Pest Control as soon as possible. We can keep you and your family safe by quickly eliminating the ants in your Roosevelt home.