Maryland Ant Control and Exterminator
Ants not only pack a powerful bite, but they can also damage your property, trees, structures, food, and landscaping with their eating, living, and migration habits. Some of the most common types of ants you’ll find in the Eastern Shore of Maryland include carpenter ants, Formica ants, four-spotted velvet ants (and traditional velvet ants), red pavement ants.
Knowing how to get rid of ants in your home or business can be challenging with so many different species and their propensity to move around frequently. To protect your home or business in Maryland 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 Is an Ant?
Professional exterminators explain an ant is a common pest with over 12,000 different species that can be found around the world. In the Eastern Shore of Maryland area, 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. Maryland 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 Do I Identify an Ant?
Ants can be identified quickly by looking for a six-legged insect with a body separated into three main parts — the head, the abdomen, and the thorax. Ants resemble termites but do have some significant differences you can use to tell them apart. The Maryland pest control experts at Viking Pest explain typically, ants have larger heads, a smaller “waist” between the head and thorax, and antennae that bend like they have elbows. Ants in Maryland come in many different colors including black, red, orange, or a combination of these colors. Size-wise, ants in the Eastern Shore of Maryland range in size from 0.03 inches up to about 2.0 inches in length. Ants are longer than they are wide even when you include their legs that protrude outward from the main body mass.
When Are Ants Present in Maryland?
Pest control experts explain during the warmer months of the year, ants are much more active in searching for food and changing colony locations.
Does this mean you don’t need to worry about ant control in the winter? No. Ants in the Eastern Shore of Maryland do not migrate out of the state but instead search for warmer areas where they can trap heat. Often, a home or business with available access is the most appealing, which can create significant issues for the owner year-round.
How Do I Control Ants in Maryland?
Knowing how to get rid of ants can be tricky with several different species that tend to move around frequently in search of food, water, and heat, explain the pest control experts at Viking Pest. While you can assist in the ant control process by limiting excess trash, food left out, or standing water around your home or business, full control and extermination may require the assistance of a professional. Viking’s Maryland pest control experts are skilled in identifying ant species, identifying the source of the problem, and providing minimally invasive solutions to solve the problem.
Hire Viking Pest to Help Control Ants in Maryland
Viking Pest offers expert treatment designed to effectively and efficiently control and prevent ants from invading your home or business in Maryland. 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!