What Type Of Ant Is This Inside My Home?
The first step to understanding how to get rid of ants is understanding which type of ant has made its way onto your property. Some of the most common types in Texas include:
- Argentine ants: With dark brown to shiny black coloring, Argentine ants can live beneath sidewalks or inside homes as long as they have a food source. Their colonies can grow quite large, so these ants can become a big nuisance.
- Carpenter ants: Their coloring can range from red to black, and carpenter ants prefer to feed on water-damaged wood. Over time, these ants can cause a lot of structural damage if the infestation goes untreated.
- Odorous house ants: Odorous house ants have a big sweet tooth, but they get their name from the rotten coconut-like smell they emit when they're crushed.
- Fire ants: Fire ants primarily nest outside, and if you run into them, they can pack a nasty sting and often attack in swarms.
- Pharaoh ants: With yellow coloring, pharaoh ants are easy to identify, but they're not just a nuisance. They can also spread bacteria in your home or other buildings.
Once you've identified the type of ant plaguing your Texas property, it's time to figure out your next steps.
What Will Happen If I Ignore An Ant Infestation?
What happens if you leave your ant infestation untreated in McAllen? Ants are one of the most common pest invaders in Texas and McAllen during the summertime, and once they've made it inside your home, it's hard to get them out. While some ants may get inside accidentally, many native ants venture inside because they're looking for food and moisture.
House ants are the most common invader, and their colonies can easily grow into the thousands – which is why you need to know how to get rid of ants in the house. Eliminating an infestation is hard. If you don't treat the entire population, it will only continue to grow.
When they find a food source, ants will form a line from their entry point or colony to the nutrients. House ants may keep their territory outside in the grass or under pavement and use tiny cracks or gaps in your foundation or exterior walls to gain entrance into your house. No matter how scarce food seems, ants won't be keen on leaving once they've established a colony in your home.
While many homeowners may rely on OTC ant sprays to get rid of an infestation, these tactics are rarely effective – not only are many of these sprays potentially toxic for you and your pets, but they rarely get rid of the entire colony.
Should I Buy Ant Control Products To Use Myself?
A professional solution is best for both indoor and outdoor ant control. While there are traps and sprays that you can buy yourself, these tactics usually don't work.
They may kill off some of the ants in your house, but they won't stop more ants from coming inside. And if the infestation has grown to the point of ants setting up multiple colonies in your home, you'll need to find every hiding spot to kill the infestation.
Rather than waste money on DIY ant control solutions that won't get the job done, you're better off calling the pros at BUGWORKS Termite & Pest Control Co. for complete and total ant control in McAllen.
Professional Ant Control Services For McAllen Homes
Whether you've found destructive carpenter ants eating water-damaged wood on your McAllen property or odorous house ants trying to find your sweets, there's only one effective solution to getting rid of ants in McAllen and that's with BUGWORKS Termite & Pest Control Co.
We've been a trusted choice for the McAllen area and surrounding counties for several years, with reliable, effective treatments that will get the job done. If you're spotting ants in your McAllen home, there's more than likely an infestation – don't wait to call us at BUGWORKS Termite & Pest Control Co. to schedule an inspection or learn more about our home pest control.