How Ants Get Into West Palm Beach Homes

Serving Families Throughout Lake Worth
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Ants! Ants! Ants! They are everywhere on your West Palm Beach property... and they are a total nuisance. They are inside and outside. They are on your rose bushes and in your cabinets. They are on your deck, your kitchen counters, in your bathroom, and sometimes even in your car! That’s just too many ants. The team at Above and Beyond Pest Control are experts in Lake Worth ant control and can help you put an end to your ant infestation.

West Palm Beach's Most Common Ants

We have compiled a list of ants that are common in Florida. It is helpful to identify which species you're dealing with when forming a strategy to eradicate them.

  • Red Fire Ants - Reddish-brown and 1/16 to 3/16 inches long, red fire ants make obvious mounds with no visible entrance. They are aggressive when disturbed, and have a nasty sting.
  • Carpenter Ants - Solid black, brown, or a combination of black and red in color, these ants grow to be 1/4 to 1/2 inches long. Mostly nocturnal, they nest in hollow trees and large fallen branches but will also move into the wooden structures of homes or other buildings.
  • Crazy Ants - Yellowish-brown and 1/8 inch long, these ants get their name from the fast, erratic running pattern and the hairs on their body.
  • Pharaoh Ants - Yellowish in color and growing to be only about 1/32 of an inch long, these very tiny ants mostly nest indoors, preferring cardboard boxes and the inside of walls.
  • Odorous House Ants - Blackish-brown and 1/16 to 1/8 inches long, these ants produce a rotten coconut or licorice-like odor when crushed.

Regardless of the type of ant you're up against, there is a good reason to get them out of your Lake Worth home.

How And Why Ants Get Inside

Ants will come inside in search of food and water. Their only goal is to survive and procreate. If your home has what they need to survive and thrive, they will come in. It’s not personal or vindictive… it’s basic survival on their part. Of course, as an exhausted and overworked homeowner, it doesn’t feel that way. We take this invasion of our sanctuary very personally.

Each type of ant has different needs and different living preferences. Some want to make your home into their home. Some want to live under your foundation or sidewalk. Others want to live in your yard and fill your lawn full of unsightly mounds. They also eat different things, but they do all have something in common: they all like sweets and they will find a way into your Lake Worth home to get them. Ants will emerge from the most unexpected places. If you happen to notice one or two stray ants wandering around your house, this is just a prelude to what’s to come. Those are scout ants, looking for a new food source.

Helpful Ant Prevention Tips For West Palm Beach Homeowners

Due to the ant's tiny size, this pest can gain access almost anywhere in your home. This makes them very difficult to eliminate. The best practice for ant control is prevention. Don't give them a reason to come inside in the first place. Here are a few of our best prevention tips for Lake Worth ants:

  • Plug up all the cracks, gaps, and holes that you can find in your home.
  • Put away pet food at night.
  • Consider storing sugar in the refrigerator.
  • Clean up any debris or fallen trees around your home.
  • Use peppermint oil as a deterrent at entry points.
  • Tighten up any leaky pipes and cover with insulation to avoid condensation.
  • Take out garbage frequently.
  • Keep food in plastic, airtight containers with seals.

There is also a huge selection of over-the-counter ant control products available, and to be fair some of these do work… for a time. You will be very satisfied with the results for a week or two, but the ants are bound to return if their colonies have been established near, under, or inside your home. They will not abandon your kitchen as a food source.

Call A Professional Ant Exterminator For Help

The best way to be completely rid of ant colonies is by targeting the problem at the source. Above and Beyond Pest Control knows about our local Floridian ants and how best to handle each type. Give us a call today for an estimate for professional ant extermination in Lake Worth.