Finding a trail of ants inside of your home or around your business can be rather disconcerting and even disgusting. Ants are one of the most frequently found pests on Texas properties, and they are also one of the most invasive. However, not all ant species have as bad a reputation as others. While they can all be difficult to remove and can contaminate food sources, some are more dangerous or destructive. One of the most dangerous ants in the area is the pharaoh ant as they are known to spread harmful pathogens that can harm people.
Important Facts About Pharaoh Ants
These ants are rather small as they only get to be about 1/16th of an inch long, and they are a light yellow color with red or black coloration on their lower abdomens. Another way to differentiate pharaoh ants from other species is by their 12-segmented antennae.
Most of the time, pharaoh ants are found outside, but they do come indoors sometimes to build nests. They often create their colonies in wall voids or behind basements and flooring. They are especially common in commercial food handling businesses including grocery stores and even hospitals. Once a pharaoh ant colony is established on your property, whether inside or outside, they can quickly become a huge problem as they are known for having large nests with many individual ants.
What Makes Pharaoh Ants So Dangerous?
While any ant in the area can get into your food and cause contamination, most species are considered nuisance pests. This isn’t the case, however, for the pharaoh ant. They contaminate food and any other surfaces they come into contact with and leave behind many dangerous pathogens including dysentery and salmonella.
Along with the health risks, these ants also have a reputation for being one of the most difficult species to control and eliminate. This is because they can actually create multiple colonies in whatever structure they invade. When disturbed, some ants will break away to establish a new location making it difficult to eliminate entire infestations.
Are There Ways To Prevent Pharaoh Ants?
Given the invasive nature of pharaoh ants, the simplest way to keep them off of your property is to use prevention techniques. While there is no complete guarantee that you will never have an infestation, there are steps you should follow to make your home or business less attractive to the pharaoh ant:
- Always clean up any food or drink spills immediately
- Install door sweeps and weather stripping
- Take out indoor trash often
- Store all people and pet food in airtight containers
- Reduce access points by fixing broken screens
- Fill up cracks and crevices in walls
What’s The Best Thing To Do If You Have Pharaoh Ants?
As soon as you’ve noticed signs of pharaoh ants or any other ant species on your property, the most effective way to get rid of them is with help from Innovative Pest Control. We provide residential and commercial pest control for ant infestations regardless of its extent. Instead of wasting your time and money trying to handle these invasive ants by yourself, let us handle it for you with our over 25 years of expertise. Call us at Innovative Pest Control and get started today by requesting a free inspection.
Categories:
- Ant Control,
- Ant Prevention,
- Pharaoh Ants
The post What Property Owners Ought To Know About Pharaoh Ants appeared first on Innovative Pest Control.