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Ants in Nashville can be formidable pests. They get into homes in mysterious ways. Their colonies are difficult to track down. And DIY ant treatments can fail completely without any clear reason. Ants are frustrating pests to get rid of. It is best to be proactive and apply prevention "before" ants get in. This ant prevention checklist is a great place to start.
Step 1: Attractants
We have many ant species in our Nashville service area. All are attracted to food and water resources. Most are attracted to moist conditions. Some are attracted to wood. By removing or protecting these attractants, you can reduce ants around your home and reduce your chances of an ant infestation. Here are a few attractants to consider:
EXTERIOR
- Clean gutters, repair leaky pipes, and address other conditions that promote moisture and create standing water near your home. It is important that rain isn't allowed to soak your exterior and dampen your perimeter.
- Move woodpiles, leaves, brush and other organic materials away from your exterior. These materials promote dampness, provide harborage, and provide food resources (in the form of creepy-crawly bugs).
- Make sure exterior trash is in sealed receptacles and clean your trash receptacles routinely. You would be amazed at how something this simple can have a big impact.
- Keep your landscaping and your lawn trimmed. This allows for better airflow and promotes dry topsoil.
INTERIOR
Put pet food down only during mealtimes. If a scout ant finds an open food source like this, you can get hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of unexpected guests.
- Clean crumbs and spills up as soon as possible.
- Consider putting foods that come in cardboard, paper, or thin plastic inside sealed containers.
- Remove trash routinely from your home, and keep the receptacle as clean as possible.
- Put dirty dishes in a sink full of soapy water, rather than stacked by the sink.
Step 2: Seal Entry Points
There are so many ways ants can get into your home; too many to actually seal your home completely. But everything you do to seal things up makes a difference. Some of the trouble areas you should inspect are:
- Weatherstripping and door sweeps on exterior doors
- Frames and seals around doors and windows, especially in the basement and ground floor levels of your home
- Holes created by wood-damaging pests
- Damaged screens
Step 3: Ongoing Insect Management
There is a food source around your home that we did not include in the attractants above because it deserves a category of its own. Ants eat insects and the honeydew created by insects. If you have lots of insects in your landscaping, you'll have lots of ants. It is a bug-eat-bug world out there. That is why the best solution for ongoing ant prevention is an effective residential pest control program. If you need assistance with this, we'd be happy to help. The service team at All-American Pest Control is one of the best you'll find.
Get Answers
When you have questions about ants or any other Nashville pest, you can always reach out to All-American Pest Control. Sometimes we can answer questions right over the phone or through an email. We are here to help. But, of course, the best solution is to invest in one of our residential pest control plans and get ongoing pest prevention for your Nashville home because it is always better to deal with pest problems "before" they happen. If you're ready to get your pest protection in place right now, it's pretty easy. Just click the chat button at the bottom right of the page and one of our agents will be happy to talk with you. You don't have to wait until you're struggling with a pest problem. Get help today.