As a property owner in Kittitas County, you'll probably end up having to deal with ants at one point or another. Ants are one of the most prevalent home-invading pests around, and they are so small that they can get inside a home or business in many ways. They are also highly invasive, which means they are difficult to both prevent and eradicate.
While all ants can be a problem, distinct species are posing their particular challenges. The pavement ant is one of the more common varieties in the area, and you've probably seen them before crawling around sidewalks or other places outside. They get the name pavement ants because they usually hang out outdoors near cracks in the asphalt or concrete. However, they can get inside, and that is where problems start.
Pavement ants are dark brown to black and quite small at only about ⅛ of an inch long when fully grown. They have tiny spines on their thoraxes, and they are usually seen together in large groupings. While they can look similar to other species, you can tell them apart by the fact they usually emerge from dirt mounds.
Are Pavement Ants Dangerous?
Luckily, pavement ants are considered a nuisance pest. While some species, such as carpenter ants, can cause property damage and others, like fire ants, can pose health concerns, pavement ants are most irritating.
The main concern is that pavement ants are one of the more invasive species. They tend to invade in large numbers. When found outside and around your property, they are challenging, but they are worse if they make their way inside. They can reproduce quickly and get into tiny cracks and crevices around your home or business, making them hard to eliminate.
Six Simple Pavement Ant Prevention Tips
While pavement ants can be rather hard to remove once they establish themselves on a property, there are some measures you can take to prevent them from coming around in the first place. Prevention is usually much easier to deal with than control. Most of the prevention methods for pavement ants also apply to many other ant species.
Here are the six best ways to deter pavement ants:
- Focus on keeping kitchen areas cleaned. This means doing dirty dishes promptly and sweeping and mopping often.
- While ants can be difficult to keep out because of their small size, you can seal up some entry points by fixing broken screens and repairing cracks in the walls and foundation of your property.
- Clean up food and drink spills immediately.
- Store any pet food indoors and in airtight containers.
- Place secure lids on all garbage cans around your yard and inside of the building. Also, make sure to take out the trash often.
- Remove clutter both inside and outdoors.
How Do You Effectively Remove Pavement Ants?
While trying to prevent pavement ants on your own can help, the best way to deter and eliminate these invasive pests is with help from the experts at Prosite. The invasive nature of these ants makes them challenging to handle with DIY methods.
So, if you already have pavement ants or any other ant species around, contact our professional team today to book your consultation and get ongoing ant control you can count on.