Here in Athens, we have several species of ant that can leave you with painful bites. In reality, though most people say ants bite, several types of ants actually sting. Just like wasps and bees, ants like fire ants have a stinger on the end of their abdomen that they use to inject venom. While they may hold on with their jaws while stinging, these ant bites are actually ant stings. To avoid them, you'll need to make ant control a major part of your plan for pest control in Athens, GA.
Why Ants Are A Common Household Problem For Athens Residents
Effective ant control is one of the most difficult aspects of pest control because ants are so motivated to get into our homes and so good at doing it. This is especially true for common stinging ants because they often nest outside, which makes it exponentially more difficult to exclude them.
Regardless of whether they sting, all ants are attracted to our homes for a variety of reasons. Most all ant species eat the same things we do, and our homes are easy targets for food. Ants may also use our homes to access moisture in droughts or warm shelter in the winter.
How To Avoid Painful Ant Bites
The main stinging species we have in our area is the fire ant. The red imported fire ant is an invasive species that arrived in the United States almost a century ago and has spread throughout much of the country since. These ants build huge mounds that can sometimes be a couple of feet in diameter and up to a foot high.
When these mounds are disturbed, fire ants swarm like wasps and sting as many times as it takes to eliminate the perceived threat. Most of your encounters with fire ants will be during yard maintenance or even just walking around outside. It is unusual for them to come indoors.
Fire ant control is often very difficult for homeowners to do on their own because of this very reason. It is a lot easier to seal up your house against ant invasions than it is to try to deal with ants that don't want to invade your house but would rather set up shop in your yard. This means the best way to avoid these aggressive pests is to seek professional help.
What To Do If You've Started Seeing Ants Around Your Home
If you start seeing ants of any species around your home on a regular basis, the chances are you have an ant infestation. Signs of a fire ant infestation, in particular, are pretty easy to spot because you will be seeing their giant mounds all over your yard. You may also notice them if they inflict a painful sting on you.
The best time to deal with any ant infestation is before you get one. Ant prevention is a form of ant control that most home and business owners can do without help. To keep ants away from your home, just follow these ant prevention tips:
- Store all pantry foods in airtight containers.
- Keep all garbage covered at all times.
- Never leave pet foods or dirty dishes sitting out.
- Take care of moisture problems like condensation and leaky pipes.
Following these prevention tips can help make your home less attractive to ants, but even they might not be enough sometimes.
How Professional Treatment Makes Ants Disappear
If you need help getting rid of ants, don't waste your time with ineffective and often expensive store-bought ant control products. Just call the experts here at American Pest Control.
Our ant control solutions are a whole lot more effective than some store-bought products or DIY methods. We can do what those solutions cannot: eliminate your entire ant infestation and make sure it's gone for good. So don't hesitate; if you are seeing signs of ants, especially ants that can inflict painful stings, give us a call or visit our contact page to get started.
Our certified pest experts will work with you to find the best solution for your needs. Simply fill out this form for a free, no-obligation estimate.
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