Everything You Should Know About Ant Prevention In McAllen

When you see ants in your lawn, ants on your driveway, or ants crawling around on your home, it can seem like a mystery as to why they've decided to start doing this. In most cases, ants are just a nuisance. But certain species can present a health threat or damage your property. Let's take a look at a few McAllen ants that are a concern, discuss how to keep ants away, and most importantly, how to keep ants out of your house. Here's everything you should know about ant prevention in McAllen, Texas.

How To Identify The Type Of Ants Infesting Your McAllen Home

The list of ants that present a threat to health and property is short. 

• If you're seeing red ants, it is likely that they are fire ants. These ants can sting and they present a threat to individuals who have an allergy to their venom. 
• If you're seeing big black ants, you may be looking at black carpenter ants. These ants can damage the wood of your home.
• If you're seeing a ton of tiny little red-brown to grayish-colored ants, they may be crazy ants. These ants get into electronics and disrupt the engines in automobiles.

While it is important to know how to identify ants, effective ant identification is often difficult. Many ant species look alike. So, if you want to identify ants on your McAllen property, the best solution is to have a licensed pest management professional take a look.     

The Problems Ants Can Cause On Your McAllen Property

If you don't have stinging fire ants, then you won't have a lot of trouble with ants on your property. They're going to mostly be a nuisance and an eyesore, particularly if they've started making mounds throughout your lawn. Ants can be annoying when you're mowing your lawn and start climbing up your legs. One reason ants take over a lawn is that weeds have taken root. The first step in outdoor ant control is to get rid of weeds. This removes the food source the ants are being attracted to.

How To Get Rid Of Ants In McAllen & Keep Them Away

If you want to know how to keep ants out of your house, the secret is that you have to begin with ant control in your yard. Unfortunately, ant control can be a challenge. It is important to properly identify the ants so that proper ant treatments can be applied. A licensed pest professional knows how to identify ants and will select a bait that the ants in your yard will take, such as a sugar bait or protein-based granular bait. In some cases, a mound treatment may be performed to directly target a colony. This method is only used for certain ant species. Some ant problems get worse when mounds are treated.

Natural Ant Prevention Tips For McAllen Properties

Before you pay for professional ant control in your yard, there are a few things you can do to correct ant problems naturally.

• If you have a stinky trash receptacle, this can attract ants from a distance. Clean the scent off your receptacles. This will also remove ant pheromones. Pheromones are how ants communicate. Worker ants are drawn to the scent and use the pheromone trails to find food. But, it is important to know more than how ants communicate. You need to know what foods your ants are looking for. All ants can find a meal in a bag of trash, but they'll also be attracted to several other ideal food sources in your yard.  
• If you've collected nuts and have them bagged near your home, moving this away from your exterior can stop ants from being a problem near your home.
• If you have an aphid problem, this is going to lead to an ant problem. Aphids create honeydew, which is the perfect food source for many ant species. Wash aphids off your plants and take steps to deter aphids.
• If you have dirty recycling items, this can lure certain ants into your garage. Clean those items as best you can.
• If you have lots of flowering weeds in your yard, the nectar will be a source of food for ants.
• If ants have taken over your landscaping, you might have a moisture problem. Clean out gutter blockages and repair your gutter system. Remove unnecessary vegetation from your landscaping and keep your plants as dry as possible.

How To Keep Ants Away In McAllen

The best solution for ant problems is to hire a trained and experienced pest professional. A professional uses field-tested methods and trusted products to target ant species in a way that prevents ants from evading the treatments. Outdoor ant control is a process of identification, treatments, and evaluation. If you want the best results, it is best to have someone with experience handle this task. For assistance in McAllen, reach out to BUGWORKS Termite & Pest Control Co. Our technicians have the training and experience to tackle this difficult task for you.