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How Ant Infestations Start In Phoenix Homes

February 15, 2021 - Ants

ants on a bowl

One ant. Yup. All it takes is one ant to get into your Phoenix area home and find a food source. When it does, that one little ant lays a trail of pheromones as it goes back to its nest. The scent of its pheromones causes other ants to follow the trail to the food source. As they do this, and then return to the nest, they add to the scent of the trail.

Why Do I Have An Ant Infestation?

In a remarkably short period of time, thousands of ants can suddenly appear in the area of the food source. This is the most common reason people find ants in their Phoenix homes, but there can be more reasons. Let's take a look.

Encroachment

If ants establish a nest near your home, they can start getting inside without you knowing it. This can lead them to create an interior nest simply because the voids inside your home remind them of a void inside a log, tree, rock wall, or cave. They don't know the difference. 

Moisture

If ants come near your home and find moist habitats, they'll want to establish a nest. Water is a building block of life. This will inevitably lead to ants getting inside your home. Moisture can also play a role in whether or not ants want to stay in your home. If ants find condensation or droplets of water caused by leaks, they may create an interior nest. 

Heat

Sometimes ants get inside because outside is not preferable. Long, hot Phoenix days can cause ants to search for cool, shaded areas to hide. Your home could be the perfect place for an ant to hide from the heat and dry conditions outside.

Hitchhikers

Sometimes ants are carried inside. If you have plant pots around the outside of your home, you could bring ants inside when you carry plants indoors.

Ant Control

The best way to keep ants from invading your Phoenix home can be broken down into two parts.

  • Ant Reduction: Fewer ants around your home will result in fewer problems with ants on the inside. Reducing food options and water resources can have a big impact. Some food options to consider are open trash, food left outside after cookouts, honeydew left on plants by aphids, pet food, etc. Some common water resources are containers that capture rain and puddles that form because of clogged or broken gutters. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of hard work to remove food and water attractants. If you don't have the time or energy, you could have a licensed pest professional evaluate the ant activity in your yard, identify the ants that are presenting a problem, and target the ant colonies. This will directly reduce the ants around your home. 
  • Ant Exclusion: Fewer entry points will result in fewer problems with ants on the inside of your home. You can replace old door sweeps and weatherstripping, seal foundation cracks, and fill in gaps and foundation penetrations to keep ants out. While certainly worth the effort, this is also a lot of work. A better solution is to invest in a residential pest control program. When you have routine visits from a pest professional, you get routine applications that work to keep ants, and other far more harmful pests, out of your home.

Phoenix Pest Control

When a pest is bugging you, we know what's bugging you. We know Phoenix pests. If you want to get ants and other pests out of your Phoenix home and keep them out, we can help. Reach out to us today and schedule a pest control treatment for your business or home to get started. Let us help you STOP what bugs you today!

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