Ant Prevention

Ant prevention isn’t too different from general insect prevention: the overall goal is to keep them on the OUTSIDE and prevent them from entering your home. If you take the following steps, ants should not be a major problem:

• Eliminate water sources, one of the ant’s life requirements. That means repairing leaking faucets, water heaters and other water sources inside the home.
• Eliminate food sources, including any sweet spills in the kitchen. Most tiny ants that enter your home are looking for sweets, whether it’s a spilled Coke that hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned up or an open bowl of fruit.
• Pet bowls can attract ants, so keep them clean! Fido’s bowl may LOOK clean but give it a quick wash with detergent before the next feeding.
• Seal any cracks and crevices on the outside of the home with silicone caulk, paying special attention to areas where utility pipes enter.
• Rake back mulch, pine straw or other landscape bedding at least 6 inches from the structure to create a “dry zone” that ants are likely to avoid.
• If you have fruit trees nearby, remove ripe fruit from the trees and off the ground around them.
• Store outdoor trash cans and dumpsters as far away from your home as possible and be sure they have tight-fitting lids.
• Thoroughly wash out trash cans and dumpsters with an ammonia solution when needed.
• The best way to prevent ants – call DA Exterminating! 800-650-PEST