Do You Have Ants at Home?

As the name suggest, Sugar Ants is one types of ants which become a common household pest complaint. Due to its preference in feeding on sweet substance, such as sugar, honey or popular food choices such as bread, cakes or fatty diet, it is no wonder; almost every home would have to deal with persistent and daily sugar ant problem. Do you have ants at home?

As ants reproduce and nest in colonies, there are some simple tips you can adopt to help contain the spread of ant infestation in house:

• Try to consume in the kitchen area only. This is to prevent possible drops or drips of sweet substance or crumbs that becomes a food source and attractant to these ants at other parts of your home, particularly in your resting area such as bed room or gathering area in the living room.
• Cookies, candies and sugary biscuits are kid’s soft spots. Do store them carefully in well-sealed or tightly closed containers. Do apply these habits to condiments such as sugar or honey.
• Because of its minute size nature, they can slip into almost any possible gaps and space. Ensure that you check your home thoroughly and conceal adequately.
• Wipe spills and clean off leftovers or food traces regularly before they attract these ants.

It may be difficult to identify whether there is any presence of sugar ant nest in house, unless the homeowners understand more facts about sugar ants. For instance, the outlook between the male and female is different. Male ant is black in color, whereas female ant is orange-colored.

Further reading: 9 interesting facts you should know, before you decide to get rid of ants at home

These mild-tempered ants do not sting like fire ants, which can cause swollen spots, painful blisters, allergy or itch.  However, it can cause annoyance once it turns massive.

Carpenter Ants is the other different ant species that is often found in your home, because they also feed on protein and sugar, including honey and syrup. Due to their nature in tunneling wood for nesting purposes, they might be mistaken or confused with termites. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not feed on wood, however due to their tunneling activities; they may damage or destroy your structures.  Their nesting area could also be found outdoors, particularly in landed homes where there is a garden or presence of trees, shrubs, timber and landscapes.

These ants do bite in defense and can be painful. On average, the ant colony could contain as much as 3,000 ants, thus it explains how this ant infestation can get out of control. Here are some short term quick steps you can take to keep the ant problem under control

• Ensure housekeeping is diligently met, including proper food storage and disposal
• Make sure moisture level is under control. Check for any leaking pipes or leaks
• Seal cracks around the foundation
• Install screens to prevent potential entry to your home
• Keep a look out for tell-tale signs such as presence of sawdust-alike substance or wood damage. However, most of us tend to mistaken it for termites. Find out more on the difference between termites and ants.
• Remove excess from your garden, like unwanted grass, debris, wood piles, leaves etc

Pharaoh Ants is another type of ants that commonly found in buildings. If you have Pharaoh ants at home, do not attempt to killing ants in the house with spray them through repellent insecticide! This will cause the situation to worsen as the colony splits and make ant control further challenging.       

Our job is to help you clarify your doubts, particularly, to help you identify which pest is actually bothering your home and why. At Rentokil, our ant control treatment and solutions are designed for both domestic and commercial customers, regardless to the size of the ant infestation!

Drop us a quick online form or call 0 8001 333 777 for the effective ant control from Rentokil!