Ant Exterminator Eliminates ‘Sugar Ants’

When you need an ant exterminator in Springfield MO and the surrounding communities of Ozark, Nixa, Republic, Rogersville, and Strafford, Expert Pest Solutions is the one to call. An ant exterminator is important for homeowners who have to deal with infestations of little black ants (also called sweet ants, or house ants). Sweet ants are native to this part of the world, but they like our part of the Midwest in particular. In fact, they are the most prolific species of house ant in Missouri. Keep reading to find out more about these pesky sugar ants.

There are over 450 species of ants in North America, and more than 10,000 species around the world, so it’s not uncommon to have an ant problem in your home. Ants can be large or small. Fortunately, only fifty ant species are known to invade homes, and of those, only ten are found here in Missouri. If you have ants creeping up your walls and across your counters, you need an ant exterminator! Sugar ants are a common pest that can be an absolute nightmare. These tiny pests will ravage your home in search of sugar foods, destroying anything that gets in their way. It gets even worse if you fail to act in time and allow the infestation to grow. Whether you decide to call a professional or handle the problem yourself, your priority should be to eradicate the sugar ants permanently.

Before you get rid of ants effectively, you must understand how they got into your house in the first place. Typically, sugar ants are attracted to sugary food items that are left out in the open. Chances are your kitchen will be their first stop, obviously where there’s food and drinks stored. This is why it’s wise to keep your kitchen as clean as possible, removing spilled drinks or scraps of food on your counters. While cleaning your kitchen is a good start, it’s not the only thing you should do if you want to get rid of sugar ants. Many other things can be done to eliminate them for good. If you can’t rid them yourself, there’s always the ant exterminator at Expert Pest Control! Let’s learn a little more about these little black ants, and how you can be the ant exterminator as well!

The ant species that are called sugar ants aren’t usually harmful to humans. These ants aren’t known for being aggressive and they don’t typically bite. If they do, their bites aren’t considered dangerous. They can, however, attract other pests that rely on ants as a food source. We regularly see them in kitchens and bathrooms around the sink; this ant is most often seen during summer months. These indoor ant infestations are not typically the result of indoor colonies. Usually, the ants are nesting outside and coming into the house or building to forage for food. The ants eat honeydew, grease, meats, oils, fruits, and sweets. It has highly adaptive nesting habits; nests can be found in the soil in open areas of lawn or under objects such as debris, stones, bricks, wood, and logs. In buildings, they nest in woodwork, wall voids, masonry, and under carpets. At high population densities, little black ants may become widely dispersed throughout a structure and invade nearly every crack and crevice. They are highly visible on established foraging trails, particularly when they invade food cabinets and pantries.

At the end of each day make sure to rinse and wipe down the entire sink to make sure you haven’t left residual sweets, food, or moisture behind. It also helps each night to pour bleach down the drain to make sure any odor of decaying food doesn’t attract ants to your kitchen. Wiping down you countertop with bleach will help break down the pheromones that ants use to follow each other to a food source. White vinegar is another safe and effective way to get rid of ants if you don’t want to use bleach. The only downside with this method is that it may take some time, as these insects can be quite stubborn. Sugar ants slip into your home through small cracks and crevices. One of the best things you can do is seal potential entry points, checking for any cracks that they could use to sneak inside and using a caulk gun to seal them. Like other insects, ants are also drawn to areas with moisture. Fix any leaking pipes and ensure your sink is draining properly.

If you’ve done all of these things and the ants are still bugging you, contact an ant exterminator from Expert Pest Solutions at (417) 413-4776 or visit our website to request a quote. Our local pest control experts serve customers in Springfield and the surrounding communities. Routine pest control takes care of all pests!