The Easiest Way To Get Rid Of Ants On Your Orange County Property

Finding ants trailing through your kitchen is frustrating, especially when they are working together to steal food you planned on eating – but this isn’t the only problem these pests cause. Ants are terrible insects that pose a list of threats to both people and property. To help you identify ants in our area and keep them out of your Orange County home, here are some simple and effective tips and tricks to consider.

What You Need To Know About Ants

If you should know anything about ants it is that no two species are exactly the same. Some vary greatly in their differences. Here are some examples of how different ants in our area are from one another.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are large, red, black, or red and black insects. These invasive pests chew their nests into wooden structures and can cause extensive damage to the foundational workings of homes, over time.

Fire Ants

Fire ants are small, red, and live primarily around homes in hot, dry areas. These yard pests bite and sting people and animals they deem a threat to their colonies. They also cause damage to yard plants and grass.

Odorous House Ants

Odorous house ants are small black to brown insects with unevenly shaped abdomens. These home-invading pests pose no threat to humans or property but smell bad when crushed. When conditions outside become unfavorable, odorous house ants seek shelter indoors inside wall voids and in other hard-to-reach areas.

Pharaoh Ants

Pharaoh ants are small and yellow insects that regularly invade homes. Where most ants in our area are relatively harmless, pharaoh ants can spread disease. Two of the most common diseases these pests transmit are salmonellosis and staphylococcus.

How Ants Get Into Orange County Homes

Ants invade homes in a variety of ways. Most species come indoors through cracks, gaps, and other openings. They find these entry points through the foundation of homes, around framing, under doors, and through other damage and/or openings around the exterior of structures. Some species of ants, such as carpenter ants, tunnel into homes through water-damaged, rotting, or decaying structural wood and will use these tunnels to gain access to interior areas.

What Methods Don’t Eliminate Ants?

Once ants get into a home, they can be incredibly difficult to get back out. To save you time, effort, and money, here are a few solutions we recommend you avoid.

• Smell-based deterrents: There are many scents that ants do not like. These scents will not, however, keep ants away from an area for long. In most cases, they become used to the smell or are pushed by their hunger to push past it.

• Cleaning products: Cleaning products, like soap, work as a mild insecticide to ants. Without constant application and vigilance, however, this is not a reliable long-term solution.

• Lemon juice or vinegar: Spraying lemon juice or vinegar around your home’s exterior is one way some people recommend treating ants. Not only does this only have a minor effect to deter ants, but it can also leave a sticky film on surfaces.

The Best Way To Get Ants Out

All DIY ant control takes time and constant effort to have any effect on controlling ants. To make your job a whole lot easier, we recommend investing in professional pest control. At Pacific Shore Pest Control, we implement affordable and effective treatments that are designed to eliminate and prevent ants around Orange Country properties.

If your home is in need of quality assistance, reach out to one of our service representatives today. They will talk you through your options and find a solution that fits your pest control needs. Learn more about our home pest control and commercial pest control services.