Pavement Ants In Yakima County Can Be Hard To Deter

We have quite a few ant species in our Yakima County service area. Some ants sting. Some ants damage property. And some ants are difficult to control. Join us as we take a close look at pavement ants and as we discuss how ant pest control in Yakima County can get control of these ants.

Do Pavement Ants Bite?

Often, the terms bite and sting are synonymous, as is the case with fire ants. When folks get stung by fire ants they refer to the wounds as fire ant "bites". So, the question that is really being asked is, "Do pavement ants sting?" The bad news is that pavement ants have a stinger and are capable of stinging. The good news is that they rarely sting people. They're generally docile insects and don't prefer to defend themselves against humans.

If you are stung by pavement ants, the venom is much weaker than that of a fire ant. You're only likely to have a mild reaction unless you have a stinging insect allergy. If you're concerned about a stinging insect allergy and you want to avoid pavement ant bites, don't worry; we'll be taking a look at how to control these ants at the end of this article.

Do Pavement Ants Cause Structural Damage?

Some ants can excavate underneath objects, which can lead to structural damage. Pavement ants don't prefer to dig underneath objects. They get into the cracks between hard objects to create tunnels and establish their nests.

Some ants create tunnels inside wood. When these ants (called carpenter ants) get inside your home, they can do a lot of damage. Pavement ants can get into your home and create a nest but they don't create tunnels inside wood. They'll establish their nests in wall voids.

If you're wondering if you have carpenter ants or pavement ants, you can tell by considering pavement ant size. A pavement ant worker is only about 3/16 of an inch long. Carpenter ant workers can be as large as 5/8 of an inch—but are typically between 1/8 and 1/2 an inch. But even small carpenter ants are much larger than pavement ants, so don't let the black coloration fool you. Look at the size.

As ants go, pavement ants aren't so bad. They're just super annoying, particularly when they start to appear by the thousands in places where they shouldn't be.

Natural Ways To Deter Pavement Ants In Yakima County

Since these ants are mostly just a nuisance, it is okay to get rid of pavement ants naturally. You don't need to go out and buy ant control products. It wouldn't be beneficial to do so because there are many ways these products can fail. There is nothing more annoying than spending money, time, and energy trying to control pavement ants only to have them keep driving you nuts.

Use these tips to get control of those ants:

• Protect your trash. These ants can get into trash receptacles and find oily foods, meats, and sweets to feed on.
• Address weed problems. When weeds produce tiny flowers, those flowers offer a sweet food source for pavement ants. Pavement ants have a sweet tooth and nectar is a desirable treat.
• Honeydew is another desirable treat for pavement ants. If you have aphids, whiteflies, or scale insects getting on the plants in your landscaping, these insects can attract pavement ants by excreting honeydew.
• Pavement ants love to crawl around on wood because they can find insects (both dead and alive) in wood stacks, branch piles, firewood, etc. Move wood away from your exterior.
• Pavement ants love leaf piles and leaf litter for the same reason they like wood. Remove leaves to remove this attractant.
• Use a caulking gun to seal gaps around pipes and wire conduits. Apply caulk behind window and door frames to block pathways and use it to fill in rotted wood holes.
• Examine your exterior doors from the inside looking out. In the middle of the day, you'll see light leaking through gaps that pavement ants can use to get into your home. Replace weatherstripping and door sweeps if you see light leaking past your weatherproofing.

These natural methods are a great way to not only keep pavement ants out of your home but also to deter a long list of other pests from getting inside.

How To Eradicate A Pavement Ant Infestation

It can be a lot of work trying to control pavement ants in Yakima County with natural methods. Some of the methods we mentioned above require skills that you may not have. If you're thinking, "I don't want to crawl around in my yard and do all that hard work", we have another option for you. Let the home pest control service team here at Prosite get rid of pavement ants in your house and in your yard.

Our team uses Integrated Pest Management to get effective and long-lasting control of these ants with the least amount of insecticides. We use a process of inspections, targeted treatments, monitoring, and evaluations to make sure no pavement ants continue to present an issue for you. Reach out to us today to schedule a service visit. We're standing by to help.