As a homeowner, property manager, or business owner, you’ve probably come face to face with an ant infestation at least once. Their strong presence throughout New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania lead to frequent ant invaders living side by side with humans. Common types of ants that are native to our area, including nuisance ants and carpenter ants, start becoming active in early spring when the weather begins to warm up. But where do ants come from? Why do I have ants in my home if I’m clean? These questions and more are probably racing through your mind when ants take over your house or business. Let’s dive into the world of ants and how to deal with an infestation.
If you're ever in need of speedy and reliable ant control solutions, just give us a call. Or if you want to learn more, check out our FAQs about common ants in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
What’s the difference between tiny black ants and carpenter ants?
There are many different types of ants crawling around our area. From tiny black nuisance ants to large, destructive carpenter ants, an infestation is never something you’d want to deal with. Most residential homes and businesses have to contend with ants at some point.
Those small black ants that crawl indoors and around your property are most likely nuisance ants. These pests are going to survey their entire environment and if the home is within their surveying territory, then it gets included in the areas that they are scouting for food resources. If they don’t find food resources, they may occasionally re-scout those areas periodically. However, if they do find a food resource, then that may result in chronic or persistent activity.
You’ve also probably heard about carpenter ants, but you might not know much about them. Carpenter ants are considered “wood-destroying insects”, which is the same classification as termites. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood. Instead, they burrow through wood, creating smooth galleries and tunnels to nest within. Small piles of wood shavings are left at the exit and entry points of the nest as a result of this lack of wood consumption. Most often, carpenter ants are attracted to soft or water-damaged wood. This can include wooden decks, insulation, window or door frames, and wooden structural elements of your home. These big black ants are most active at night.
How did ants get into my kitchen and bathroom?
Ants can slip through incredibly small spaces that you may not even think of. Tiny tears in window screening, cracks in the foundation of your home, and gaps around windows and doors are some of the most common access points for ants. They can also be brought into the home by hitching a ride within potted plants or hanging baskets from garden centers. Ants can be found in any part of your home, not just the kitchen and bathroom. The main reason why they are congregating in these spaces, in particular, is because of easily accessible water and food sources. Even the cleanest of homes can suffer from ant infestations if food isn’t stored properly, entry points aren’t repaired or sealed, and weak wood or damp insulation exists.
How can I get rid of ants on my own?
DIY ant control can be accomplished to temporarily keep an active ant issue at bay. However, without targeting the nest, complete ant elimination cannot happen. This is a common mistake that many homeowners and business owners make while using homemade or store-bought products. While many products kill ants, you’re only killing the ants that you’re visibly seeing. According to the National Pest Management Association, thousands of ants can live in a single nest. Once ants have infested your home, essential oils and store-bought traps aren’t going to do the trick.
If you’re looking for ways to prevent odorous house ants on your own, follow these short tips provided by the National Pest Management Association.
- To prevent odorous house ants, eliminate standing water. Pests such as nuisance ants are attracted to moisture.
- Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes ants use these branches to get into the home.
- Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of the foundation.
- Ensure firewood and building materials are not stored next to the home because house ants like to build nests in stacks of wood.
If you find small nuisance ants crawling around your home, the best thing you can do is to put a temporary stop to the activity. Kill the ants by squashing them, and then use an ammonia-based glass cleaner to wipe up the area. By doing this, you are erasing the pheromone trail the ants are using to follow each other once a food or water source is found. Your next step is to contact a pest control company for professional removal and elimination.
How can Cooper get rid of ants in my home or business?
If you find ants in your home, call Cooper Pest Solutions for fast and effective removal! We provide a variety of services depending on your desired level of coverage and specific pest needs. First, you need to determine whether you’re seeing nuisance ants or carpenter ants. Use the first section of this blog post as a guide to ant identification. If you would like our professionals to analyze the pest problem for you, contact us for a free inspection.
Carpenter Ants
Our Cooper Carpenter Ant System is designed to eliminate carpenter ant infestations and prevent carpenter ants from entering your home. When one of our state-certified Cooper technicians visits your home, they will conduct a thorough inspection both indoors and outdoors to determine the breeding sources that are causing the carpenter ants to enter your home. After our technician identifies the root of the problem, they will treat around the foundation on the exterior of your home to create a protective barrier, preventing additional carpenter ants from entering your home. Gel bait will also be applied in small cracks and crevices where carpenter ant activity is highest. The carpenter ants find the gel bait and take pieces of it back to their nest for the colony to share. As they rub against each other, the gel is distributed and effectively kills the ants. Additional targeted treatments may be applied indoors if our technician determines that further treatments will best resolve the issue. Click the button below to schedule carpenter ant control services online.
Small Black Nuisance Ants
Once our state-certified technician visits your home, they will inspect for potential entry points and food sources that are drawing the ants into your home. After gathering this information, they create a customized approach to ant control. In order to create a protective barrier around your home, the technician will apply treatments to the exterior foundation of your home. In addition, gel baiting will be placed in discrete areas where ant activity is high indoors. Common placements for gel bait include window frames, pipe chases, and base boards. You can expect to see at 50% reduction in ants within 2 days and 90%-100% reduction within 7-10 days. If you continue to see high levels of ant activity after 10 days, please call our customer service department for fast technician dispatch. Unlimited, free treatments are available to you within the 90 day coverage period. Click the button below to schedule service online.
The Home Traditional Service Plan is a substantial value for the homeowner that does not want to be bothered by ants, insects, mice, and wasps. The Home Traditional Service Plan provides preventive pest and rodent control for your home, year round. As part of your plan, you will receive four services per year. Each year you will receive three exterior maintenance services (March – November) and one interior service (December – February). There are some exclusions in the Home Traditional Service Plan when compared to the Home Intensive Service Plan. The plan provides you with unlimited technician service calls if you are having issues with any of the covered pests.
Both the Home Traditional Service and the Home Intensive Service can be scheduled online for fast technician dispatch and contactless checkout! Click the button below to order service online.
The Home Intensive Service Plan is designed to provide extended, preventive pest control for your home, year-round. This is our most popular service for homeowners. The service plan includes four preventive services per year. Each service is unique and will be accompanied by a detailed 30-point inspection report with detailed findings as well as providing you with important recommendations for your home. Each year you will receive three exterior maintenance services (March – November) and one interior service (December – February). The winter service will focus on the interior of the structure and is geared towards rodents and other pests that may live within the structure. The plan provides you with unlimited technician service calls if you are having issues with any of the covered pests.
Not ready to schedule online? Give us a call at 800-949-2667 or fill out the contact form on this page for more information!
