Your options in dealing with ant infestation

Ants are the terrible houseguests that come so willingly into our homes without invitation. They find their way into everything and help themselves to any available food source. What is worse is that they seem to be in no hurry to leave.

When ants get into your home, there is hardly a chance that they would go away on their own. You either get rid of ants yourself or call for professional ant control to do the job for you.

In this article, Rentokil Singapore looks further into these two options in dealing with an ant infestation, so you can decide which course of action is best for you.

How to get rid of ants

1. Do-It-Yourself ants treatment

The Internet is full of suggestions on how to get rid of an ant infestation in the house, ranging from natural home remedies to chemical aids and prevention/management methods such as keeping the house clean, sealing any potential entry, and storing your food properly, to name a few.

Natural home remedies

The theory behind natural home remedies such as using chalk to get rid of ants is that they would mess with their system, disrupt their scent trail, and leave them lost or confused thus, preventing more ants from entering your home. In addition, there has been multiple natural way to get rid of ants such as using cucumber peels, spices, condiments, essential oils or scents and even hot water flushes. Rentokil Pest Control debugs some common pest myth on using these natural ingredients.

Chemical aids

With chemical-based ant killers, you have at least four products you can use: liquid baits, granules, sprays, and gels. These are effective for on-the-spot treatment and many have had success with each, though results may vary by product. These are often best home remedy to get rid of ants’ alternative adopted by homeowners for quick fix. While some are contact-kill, some methods seems less successful due to wrong application, incorrect placement or low dosage efficacy. Above all, health and safety is compromised as well.

Prevention or management methods

Cleaning your home can go a long way towards managing an ant infestation

• Keep your kitchen clean and its surfaces free of food crumbs and spills
• Store food in the refrigerator or airtight containers
• Seal off all the potential entries
• Closed bin lid and clear trash regularly
• Keep surfaces dry from water and moist

We are informed and fully aware on what causes ants to invade your house, secondly, what do ants eat and thirdly what attracts ants at home. However, the question is where do ants come from? Despite all housekeeping efforts to keep ant problem away, why are ants revisiting our home?

Wash or wipe method

Another DIY tip or perhaps the easiest and more convenient remedy for ants at home is the wash/wipe method. This simply have to use hot water to flush off the scent trail of ants or wipe the ants, themselves, upon contact. This is to address on how do ants communicate. However, these trail can be recovered which also explains why you will see these ants come marching back on your wall, table or floor.

ALSO READ: 5 Natural Ways to Keep Your Home Ant-Free

The problem with DIY ant control methods

These preventive measures and ant repellents can help keep ants away from your home—but only to some extent. For instance, natural home remedies are more of a myth than truth and not proven on how to stop an ant infestation.

Firstly, the store-bought chemical options, on the other hand, are merely effective for on-the-spot treatment. Secondly, if you are not careful, using ant baits and sprays could expose you to chemicals that could affect your health in the long term. Thirdly, you may already have hundreds of this pest in your home and some colonies are almost impossible to reach by sprays and baits alone.

In other words, these prevention/management methods alone may not be enough to do the job. Add all these to the fact that you may be untrained to handle an infestation effectively, which could result in you missing potential hideouts and nesting areas and promoting further harbourage.

Rentokil Initial shares some examples on how and why DIY ant home remedies may not work

• Ways that you fail in controlling ants
• Why do we always find ants in the kitchen
• Guilty of common home mistakes that invite ants
• 4 common ant solutions that do not deter ants
• Unsure where to locate them thus creating nests

2. Professional ant control

Contrary to the general idea, the effective solution against ants are treatments delivered by pest control professionals, supported with strict adherence to prevention and management methods—not the other way around. These professionals detect signs of ants and guide you on how to know if you have an ant infestation.

Understanding more about ants control

Unlike the more pest control treatments such as termite treatment that requires applying termiticide through an injection process or placing insect light traps with relevant settings, ants control treatment seems to be basic and less complex among us.

Ants control is more than just placing baits and sprays around. It also includes

• Conducting site survey of the premise
• Performing a thorough site risk assessment
• Trained specialist to identify ants nest for instance where do ants lay eggs
• Professional ant prevention tips and recommendations
• After treatment monitoring, inspection and follow-up
• Reporting and service report updates

Can You Ever Resolve an Ant Infestation?

The truth is that the fight against ants is ongoing. They could come from almost every imaginable way—outside objects brought into your home, an ant nest nearby your home—and could be attracted to your home for various reasons:

• Poor home structure that allows easy entry
• Bad habits (e.g. leaving food exposed, neglecting water leaks)
• Inadequate housekeeping
• Presence of moisture
• Bringing in from external sources

Ants will always find a way back. It is only a matter of how difficult you make it for them to penetrate your home and how prepared you are to tackle them in case they get there. This further illustrates the need to call a pest control company.

Rentokil Singapore specialists trained to recognise the different types of ants and identify what solution works best to chase them. They would also know what causes ants in the house and give tips on what will keep ants away.

Ant Control by Rentokil

A large problem like an ant infestation is something that requires a professional touch. There are options where you can schedule a one-time treatment, but we recommend a recurring contract treatment so there is a continuous protection to make sure that ants will not become a problem down the line.

Question is how much is pest control for ants? Is ant removal cost something pricey to consider? Find out how pest control price is affordable for different home and business needs.

What happens if you get bitten by ant?

Mosquitoes’ bites are bites we are familiar with or often experience in our daily activities. This is likewise for ant bites if infestation is not under control. Do you know, there are many bites that look and feel similar? One of which is the ant bite. How does ant bite looks?

Fire ants for example causes painful, itchy and stinging bite. They appear red and swollen with presence of blisters. In addition, they may cause health implications in some cases if left untreated such as a reaction with symptoms including shortness of breath, headache and nausea.

Do differentiate termites and ants correctly

It does not mean any small and crawling insects are ants. In fact, the carpenter ants for instance has similar traits as that of the termites because of their presence in wood and furniture. Pest species identification is essential to ensure the right recommended solution to resolve a pest infestation. Here are some common mistakes

• Spraying insecticide at Pharaoh ants may make matters worse
• Termite treatment for white ants involves different chemical and application method
• Drywood termites found in wooden furniture and structure requires different services

For more information, visit our website or contact Rentokil at  (65) 6347 8138.