Springtime is the time of renewal and rebirth. New flowers dot parks and lawns and days become noticeably longer, warmer and full of promise. And the urge to expunge your home environment of clutter blossoms in full. This is also a great time and opportunity to initiate an effective strategy to ensure your home remains ant-free during the coming summer months.
While you’re wiping, sweeping, mopping and disposing, here are 10 tips to incorporate in your annual springcleaning ritual that will greatly help prevent an ant infestation later this summer.
- Eliminate standing puddles of water, whether from rain or another source, from pooling anywhere around the outside of your house. In addition, be sure rainwater from downspouts drains away from your foundation.
- Inspect all plumbing for leaks, including faucets, toilets, hose bibs, downspouts, air conditioner condenser coils and other supply lines. This is also a good time to clean the aerators on faucets.
- Eliminate piles of lumber, bricks or debris that have accumulated next to the house. And keep landscape mulch to a minimum of 2 inches thick when readying flower and shrub beds.
- Carefully inspect all boxes, cartons, containers and bags being brought in the house from the outside, especially if they’ve been sitting in the garage for any length of time.
- Store leftover food in tight-fitting, resealable containers, even if you’re placing the items in the refrigerator.
- Be sure to thoroughly clean your garage – keeping it tidy and organized offers ants fewer resources and minimizes the opportunities for shelter.
- Keep your stove or range-top clean and free of spills, splatters and other food particles. Plus, clean your range hood filters – do this by letting your filter sit for fifteen minutes in a mixture of hot water and a degreaser then rinse thoroughly and let dry.
- Make sure nothing attracts ants inside your home: don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight, empty the kitchen garbage can often, keep windowsills clear of debris, and regularly clean out your kitchen sink disposal by passing vinegar and ice cubes through it.
- Be sure to eliminate as many points of entry as you can. Do this by repairing or replacing broken window screens, use Combat® Source Kill Max Ant Gel to seal small holes and cracks in walls and the foundations, as well as around openings where pipes enter the home.
- If you do see one or two ants in the house, don’t kill them. They’re scout ants leaving a pheromone trail for other ants to follow. Instead, place Combat® Source Kill Max Ant Bait along areas where you’ve seen ants. The scout ants will consume the poison and take some back to the nest to share with other ants. At first you may see an increase in the number of ants, but that just means Combat® is doing its job. Within a few short days, Combat’s highly effective mode of action will wipe out the entire ant colony in a devastating domino-like effect.
If you would like more information on how Combat® Baits and Gels work and how to prevent ants from entering your home, check out our helpful prevention videos. Or click over to our Prevention Tips page. In addition, please visit the Combat® video archive to learn more about the difference between Combat® Baits and Gels and which is the best solution for your pest prevention strategy.
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