Ant Invasion In PA
Pest control companies across the state say ant season is really bad this year because of all the rain we've been getting this summer. When the water table rises, ants are driven out of the ground in search of higher, and drier, ground. A lot of times, this will be someone's home. If you don't know what to do when ants strike, you could be in for some frustration.
In a recent news story from WGAL News 8, Angela Baker, of West York, described the issues she's been having. When ants started coming up through cracks in her walkway and appearing throughout the house, she went straight to the store and bought some ant spray. This is a common first response many homeowners have. When this didn't work, she got ant traps and put them around the house. But, the news story says, this wasn't enough, and she quickly realized she needed a pest control company.
Why didn't the ant spray and ant traps work?
DIY ant control products don't get rid of an ant problem, they only mask the symptoms. If you have a few scout ants checking your home out for food, water, and shelter, these items will kill them off. But, they do nothing to affect the colony that sent those scouts, and they don't have any visible effect on a mass invasion of ants.
Mass invasion.
When you see a massive number of ants in your home, it is going to be one of two reasons.
They found a food source. When a scout ant finds food, he leaves a scent trail behind on the way back to the nest. This scent tells other worker ants where the food is. Within a short time, hundreds, and even thousands, of ants rally to gather it up. If this is the case, the food source needs to be disposed of, and the area needs to be sprayed with soapy water. This will kill some ants, and remove what they're coming in the house for.
They are coming in mass because their nest is flooded or the water saturation in the soil is high. If this is the case, they are going to keep coming and coming. You can spray them all you want. You're only going to make a small dent in their population (there are millions of ants that live in the soil around your home). You also need to be aware that, even if it seems like you've stopped them from coming in, they could be in your walls.
If you have ants coming into your house in large numbers, don't just treat the symptom. Have the problem taken care of. The Pittsburgh ant control experts here at Witt can help you identify food sources, seal up entry points, and treat for ants on your property and in your walls. With your home properly protected, you won't have to deal with ant invasions every time it gets wet outside.