Everyone likes a good comeback story. Reading a novel or watching a movie where the title character loses it all but manages to climb back to the top is thrilling. Late-night TV and internet video channels are full of infomercials from people who claim to have gone from rags to riches, and you can do the same if you buy their product. Why do these stories excite us? They thrill us because they tap into a deep desire to win.
Of course, you did not find this article looking for a winning financial strategy, but you found it because you have ants in your house and want to win the war against these invading pests. No one wants a line of ants marching along their baseboard, across the kitchen countertop, or encircling the garbage can. When ants are running around in your house, you want them out.
We give you the information you need in this article to stop ants in your house, but your first action is to secure ant control in Reno from Celtic Pest Control. We are a locally owned and operated company that exists to protect your home and family from pests. When you enlist us in your battle against ants, we provide you with carefully trained and screened technicians who will come to your rescue.
Not only do you need a qualified, experienced partner in your war against invading ants, but you need to know and understand your enemy. Please keep reading to learn about ants and what you can do to defeat them.
Ant Behavior: Social Hierarchy And Communication
Have you sat in the grass and watched ants as they work around you? If so, you know it is astounding to watch. How do they know where to go? How do they create their homes? How do they seem to know what to do? Answering these questions will help you understand why ants are in your house and what they are doing, so let's begin by understanding the structure of an ant colony.
The founding insect is a female reproductive ant known as the "queen." The queen's story began in another nest where she was part of a group of male and female ants capable of flight and reproduction. When spring arrived, the future queen and the other flying ants left the nest and flew using warm air currents. As they traveled, the males and females mated multiple times, after which the male ants fell to the ground and died. The future queen continued flying until she found a suitable nesting location. She landed, discarded her wings, and burrowed into the soil or wood where she laid her first batch of eggs.
A few days later, the first group of sterile worker ants emerged, and the queen cared for them until they matured. When the group reached adulthood, they began to forage, expand the nest and care for the next batch of offspring the queen had produced. After several months and hundreds of new sterile worker ants later, the first set of male and female reproductive ants hatched. In the spring, they flew from the nest to begin the process in a new location.
We explained the expansion of an ant colony to illustrate how an ant nest is structured. At the top of the hierarchy is the egg-producing queen ant that founded the group. The sterile female worker ants expand the structure by digging new tunnels and creating storage chambers in the soil or wood. In some ant species, a group of soldier ants, also known as "major workers," protect the colony by killing predators and pillaging other ant colonies. The reproductive male and female ants are born after the nest has matured, and their function is to start new colonies.
The next question we need to answer is, how do ants communicate? Ants transfer messages through chemicals known as pheromones. They release these chemicals along the pathway they create to food or water sources. The odor alerts other ants and guides them to food, water, or shelter.
Of course, this leads to the question, how do ants smell since they do not have noses? Ants detect the pheromone scents using their two clubbed antennae. We use speech, hand motions, and body language when we talk to each other, and ants are not much different. Ants communicate using their antenna or front two legs to touch each other and raise their abdomens to convey messages to each other. Another communication method is called trophallaxis or food sharing via mouth-to-mouth. This process assists with communication and helps them determine outsiders that may have invaded the colony.
If this information is too much to remember, don't worry because Celtic Pest Control is an ant pest control company near you with the answers to your ant problems. Our products utilize various ant communication methods to infiltrate the colonies and eliminate the queen, eggs, workers, and reproductive ants.
Ant Problems: Health Concerns And Property Damage
There are over 12,000 ant species worldwide, but only a few cause problems for most homeowners in Reno. Over the years, we have encountered the following types of ants in homes throughout Reno:
Carpenter ants
Odorous house ants
Pavement ants
Red ants
All ants are a nuisance when they invade a house. They create anxiety when homeowners see them crawling across the kitchen table during dinner. They make you feel itchy when they move across your body. One of the ants on our list, the odorous house ant, releases a rotten coconut odor when crushed.
Ants contaminate items. You may have noticed that ants can climb vertically up masonry walls and other surfaces. They can perform this seemingly gravity-defying feat because they have tiny claws on each of their six legs. While these miniature grabbers help ants climb, they also pick up surface bacteria. When ants move over cooking and eating surfaces, utensils in drawers, towels, and other objects, the bacteria transfer from their feet to the items and contaminate them. Ants in the house mean you must clean everything before using it to avoid consuming bacteria unnecessarily.
Many ants will bite when threatened, and in many cases, their mandibles are not strong enough to break human skin. In other instances, they can pierce the skin and produce a temporary stinging sensation followed by a slightly swollen bite site. However, when red ants bite, the outcome is more severe.
Red ants create large, two to four feet wide, flat-topped nests against landscape timbers, foundations, trees, and other structures in the yard. Unlike some ants whose nests have only one opening, red ants have multiple exits giving them quick access to the perpetrator. When they attack, these ants bite to anchor themselves, sting their victim multiple times and inject venom. The pain from the venom is immediate, and within a short time, itchy, red, fluid-filled blisters appear. The pain from the sting may last for an hour, but the blister may itch for several days.
Although carpenter ants do not sting, they bite and inject formic acid into the wound, which causes a temporary burning sensation. However, the real danger from carpenter ants is their nesting habits. Unlike the other ants that build nests in the soil, carpenter ants bore smooth tunnels into damp, fungi-infested wood.
An infestation of carpenter ants begins in rotting timber on the property but often spreads into the crawl space if it has poor ventilation resulting in soft, decaying wood. Carpenter ants do not eat wood, so they need a food source inside the home. The results of a carpenter ant invasion may not materialize for several years; however, sagging floors, ceilings, warping window and door frames, and other structural problems may arise from wood weakened by carpenter ants.
Celtic Pest Control provides ant pest control services near you to protect your family and home from the ravages of an ant infestation.
Professional Ant Control: A Great Way To Get Rid Of Ants
When ants invade a home, many homeowners rush to the store and purchase a DIY product they hope will enable them to win the war against ants. Initially, it appears as if they are victorious as they watch the ants die; however, the victory is short-lived when they see a new line of ants marching through the house a few days later.
The best way to win the battle against ants is to use home pest control services in Reno from Celtic Pest Control. We will send a trained technician to inspect your Reno home for entry points, attractants, and ant hot spots. We will create a strategic plan that targets the ant species in your house to ensure an effective and quick end to the nuisance plaguing your location. Our pest control products are spread throughout the ant colony by worker ants, where they eliminate the queen, adults, and all offspring.
Ant Prevention Tips: Keep Your Home Ant-Free
You can help reinforce the barrier Celtic Pest Control creates around your Reno home by implementing these ant prevention tips:
Keep indoor and outdoor trash containers closed.
Seal foundation and roofline cracks with caulk.
Prune tree branches and shrubs away from the structure.
Wash and store dishes after every meal.
Place food products in airtight containers.
Vacuum the house regularly.
Maintaining a clean and dry house will deter ants from entering or staying in your Reno home. Celtic Pest Control is the best Reno ant control service near you because we do the job the right way. Contact us today to get a free estimate.
What Celtic Pest Control Customers Are Saying
"My overall experience with your company was very good. They were on time and professional. They did good work and answered all questions we had. From the first point of contact with your company, we have had a good experience. Great customer service. We will use them in the future and highly recommend them!"
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(775) 348-7445Reach out to us for immediate pest solutions in Reno, NV, and surrounding areas.