It’s summertime and the living’s easy. This summer is full of heatwaves and lots of rain, but that hasn’t stopped us Albertans from making the most of our winter reprieve. But we’re not the only Albertans doing our best with the remaining summer. That’s right—the ants are once again inviting themselves to our picnics, our playdates, and even into our homes. But don’t worry, there’s a few ways you can protect yourself, your food and your home against an ant invasion!
What Are You “Caulking” At?
These little critters have been roaming the earth for over 80 million years and are therefore pretty well versed in how to get into almost anything. Because they’re so itty bitty, they can come in through any nook or cranny in our homes. The best way to combat their invasiveness is to close up all potential entry points, but sometimes you won’t find those entrances until a little marching line leads you right to it. Follow the ants and close up any potential entryways with silicone caulking. If you use a less permanent method to close up small holes or cracks, like poster tack or petroleum jelly, you’ll eventually need to come back with something like caulking for long-lasting protection. Be as efficient and thorough as you can to save yourself from future headaches!
Powder Power
A more direct and aggressive approach is to line your window sills, doorways and the perimeter of your home with diatomaceous earth or other chemical powders to deter or eliminate ants. This should be done with care however, as this method can be detrimental to pets, kids and plants! Diatomaceous earth is an extremely fine powder that pulls all moisture out of an insects body, effectively killing it, and is best used in a dryer environment. If this sounds too risky for you, especially if you have adventurous pets and little kids, pest control experts can offer alternatives, or help you with safe application.
Keep it Clean
If your kiddo spills some apple juice, make sure you clean up the entire mess! Ants love sweet things and if a scout finds a spill or even just a few crumbs, you might be looking at a collection of ants hanging out in your kitchen before you know it. Thoroughly clean up food bits and anything that an ant might find tasty, make emptying your garbage a frequent affair and seal all food items in airtight containers. This also helps prevent other pests, like mice, from coming over for dinner! Keep in mind that all it takes is one ant to find a food source and you’ll suddenly be dealing with many.
Prevention is the best method against any kind of infestation. If you can properly safeguard your home against an army of ants, you’ll be protecting yourself and your family from the frustration of an ant invasion. Sometimes even our best efforts aren’t quite enough however, and that’s where we come in. Our expert technicians have your back. Call us at 403.262.1666 and we’ll make sure ants are the least of your worries this summer!
