Delaware Ant Control
There are many different types of ants present in Delaware, and although they’re small in size, the impact ants can have on your home or business can be huge.
If you see ants indoors, you should take steps to eradicate them before they contaminate food or cause permanent structural damage.
To protect your home or business from ants, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.
What are Ants?
Professional exterminators explain an ant is a common pest with over 12,000 different species that can be found around the world. In Delaware, there are at least six different species of ants, including:
- Black carpenter ants
- Carpenter ants
- Four-spotted velvet ants
- Formica ants
- Red pavement ants
- Velvet ants
Ants are six-legged insects that feed primarily on nectar, seeds, fungus, birds, other mammals, and any left-out food they can get access to. The lifespan of an ant ranges from a few weeks up to several years depending on the species, role within the colony, and exposure to predators. Delaware pest control experts at Viking Pest explain a typical worker/soldier ant lives around a few weeks, while the queen ant may live up to several decades.
Exterminating experts explain ants are social insects who work together to retrieve food, build their colonies, and protect the queen. Ants can release pheromones to alert other ants within their colony of the location of food or to alert of a potential intrusion. Because of this, you will commonly see swarms of ants attacking accessible food or walking in a coordinate line towards a signal put out by a fellow member of their colony.
How to Identify Ants in Delaware
Viking Pest’s certified entomologist, Craig, explains ants are extremely small, ranging from 1/20th of an inch to ½ inch long. When comparing ants to termites, ants have a larger head and a pinched waist between the upper and lower halves of their body. Ants also have antennae and six thin legs. Different species of ants can range in color between pale yellow-orange to dark brown or black.
When are Ants Most Active in Delaware?
Delaware exterminators at Viking Pest explain like many insects, ants are most active in the spring. This is when they’re out looking for food, and may be taking refuge in your home. One of the reasons why it can be difficult to spot ants in your home is because these insects are most active at night. During the winter and the summer, when temperatures in Delaware hit extreme highs and lows, some ant species like carpenter ants enter a period of temporary hibernation and remain in their nest until temperatures become more moderate, explain the local Delaware pest control experts at Viking Pest.
What Kinds of Problems Do Ants Cause in and around my Home or Business in Delaware?
Although most species of ants in Delaware are merely a nuisance, there are some species that can bite, or cause damage to property. Carpenter ants can cause long-term, irreparable damage if your home or business has wooden structural elements. Carpenter ants bore holes into the wood to make their nests and then spread out. Carpenter ants can also bite humans. Other types of ants pose a major health hazard if they’re left to have free rein over areas where food is stored and prepared.
How to Prevent Ants in Delaware
The best ant control in Delaware starts with keeping a watchful eye over your home or business. Typically, colonies send scout ants out first and if they return to the colony with food, it won’t be long before you’re overrun. Eradicate the scouts, and ensure your home or business is completely clean of food that could be consumed by these pests. The Delaware pest control experts at Viking Pest recommend wiping down surfaces and cleaning out cupboards, storing everything in secure containers.
You should also seal any cracks or holes in your exterior where ants can enter. A Delaware extermination expert at Viking Pest can help evaluate your home, and properly identify ants and their damage and recommend the best treatment option for your Delaware home or business.
Hire Viking Pest to Help Control Ants in Delaware
The best way to get rid of ants in your Delaware home or business is to deal with the infestation quickly before it becomes a health hazard.
Viking Pest offers expert treatment designed to effectively and efficiently control and prevent ants from invading your home or business in Delaware. Our use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques focuses on finding the core of the pest concern and controlling ants from the source. Through IPM, pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, pets, and the environment. Call Viking today for your FREE and NO OBLIGATION estimate at 1-800-618-2847 or schedule online today!