The Key To Keeping Your Yakima County Home Odorous House Ant-Free

It stinks to have odorous house ants in your home - literally. As you step on odorous house ants, you'll start to notice an aroma of rotting coconuts. This makes odorous house ants a nuisance. But their stinky smell is only a minor nuisance compared to having thousands of these ants invading your shelves and cabinets.

Today, we're going to talk about how worried you should be if these ants get into your home, what pest maintenance can help you keep them out, and how the service team here at Prosite can give you the support you need to get ants out and keep them out.

Why You Should Keep Odorous House Ants Out

The first step in correcting a problem is knowing that there is actually a problem. We probably don't need to convince you that it is irritating to have these ants get into your food, but what you might not know is that they can make you sick. Odorous house ants can get into dirty places, like your trash. If they go from your trash to your stored foods, they can carry harmful microorganisms. This is the real reason you need to keep odorous house ants out of your Yakima County home. Getting rid of the stink is only a side benefit.

What Pest Maintenance Works To Control These Ants?

There are primarily three things you can do to stop odorous house ants without the use of toxic chemicals or baits, which often fail to achieve results. Let's take a look at them.

Exterior Attractants

Before odorous house ants get into your home, they find reasons to be near your home, and they start to establish themselves in or near the perimeter around your home. Use these tips to deter them:

• If your trash receptacles have an odor, deodorize them. The scent of garbage will lure these ants to your receptacles. It is also a good idea to clean your receptacles every once in a while just to get rid of any ant pheromones that might be on them. Ants lay chemicals down on surfaces when they find food.
• Make sure your gutters are clear of any obstructions and any breaks that may allow water to soak your perimeter. These ants establish themselves near moisture.
• Replace exterior white lights with yellow lights. White light attracts insects. Yellow light doesn't. If you attract insects to your yard, you'll lure odorous house ants in. These ants eat insects, both alive and dead.

Entry Points

Odorous house ants are very tiny, and it doesn't take much of an opening to allow them to gain entry. It might seem futile to attempt to seal them out, but it actually works. If you target key spots that they are known to use, you can reduce the number of potential ways a worker ant might accidentally find its way into your home:

• Seal around plumbing and utilities.
• Make sure weatherstripping, door sweeps, and screens are working properly.
• Seal cracks in your foundation.
• Make sure all of your door and window frames have a good seal.
• On the inside of your home, make sure there is a seal around the plumbing that comes in under your kitchen sink.

Interior Attractants

When one ant comes into your home and it finds food or liquid, it will recruit other workers to come into your home. Each of those ants will recruit more, and in a short time, you'll have hundreds of ants in your home. You can prevent this process from starting if you diligently clean your home and make sure your food is properly stored or protected.

When Ant Control Is Needed

If you are unable to apply the necessary pest maintenance, ant control products will need to be deployed. It is best to have a licensed pest management professional handle this job. There are many ways ant control can fail.

If you're in Yakima County, reach out to Prosite. Our highly-trained pest professionals follow strategies developed by industry experts. These strategies take into account all of the many ways odorous house ant infestations can be a challenge to correct. When we're done, you won't have to wonder if your ant problem has been properly addressed.

We also offer ongoing residential pest control service plans for Yakima County residents. Ants are far from the only pests that can get into your home, and several of them are far more harmful than ants. When you invest in pest control, you don't just keep nuisances out, you protect your health and your property. We'd love the opportunity to talk with you about your options. 

Connect with us today and request a pest evaluation to get started. Investing in a quality residential pest control plan is one of the best decisions you'll ever make.