How to Get Rid of Ants in Your House in New Albany, MS

You’re enjoying a sunny spring day in your New Albany, MS home when you notice movement on your kitchen counter.

At first, you think it might just be crumbs or a trick of the light. But upon closer inspection, you see an ant crawling across a spot on the counter that you just cleaned. Soon, more ants appear—one after another—and it feels like they’re everywhere.

Where did they come from? The tricky part about ants is that they can arrive suddenly, and they rarely come alone. 

Before you know it, you’re facing a full-scale ant invasion.

You can stop an ant infestation in your New Albany, MS home. Let’s discuss how to eliminate ants permanently so you no longer have to deal with seeing them crawl on your counter as if they own the place.

Why Are Ants Getting Into Your House?

Although you might see ants as nothing more than a nuisance, they have reasons for entering your home. Their motivations are often driven by common attractants found in most households.

To effectively manage an ant infestation, it’s important to understand what attracts them inside.

Food and Water

A common cause of ant infestations is the presence of food in your home.

They are usually drawn to sugars, crumbs, and uncovered items. For example, if you don’t store food in sealed containers, it becomes an attractive source for ants.

After discovering food, the ant that finds it signals other worker ants, informing them about the food source. This leads to swarms of ants entering your house to collect food for their colony.

Pet food attracts ants, as they are drawn to it. Additionally, ants need water and may enter your home in search of moisture if humidity levels are high or if there are water leaks. This tendency increases during dry and hot weather outside.

Shelter and Entry Points

You might be great at cleaning your home to ensure you don’t leave a lot of crumbs that can attract ants. But ants are also looking for some other things like shelter and safety.

Your home provides safety and comfort for you—and for ants as well.

Ants are tiny and may seem able to fit anywhere, but they tend to gather near food sources, moist areas, and protected spots such as under appliances, beneath floors, or inside walls.

Fortunately, ant pest control can effectively manage infestations.

What Kind of Ants Are in Your New Albany Home?

Not all ants that make their way into New Albany, MS homes are the same. Some common ants you may encounter in Mississippi include Argentine ants, odorous house ants, carpenter ants, and fire ants.

Knowing which type of ant you’re dealing with can help determine the best way to control the problem. Some ants may be searching for food or moisture inside, while others may be nesting in or around your home. Since different ant species can require different treatment approaches, identifying the ant and where it’s coming from is an important first step.

How to Get Rid of Ants in Your House

Getting rid of ants starts with figuring out what is attracting them, removing food and moisture sources, and sealing the spots they may be using to enter your home. If you already have an ant infestation, baiting can help target the colony instead of only killing the ants you see. For larger or persistent problems, professional ant control can help locate the source and determine the best way to eliminate it.

Preventing Ant Infestations in Your House

There are some things you can start with to try to limit the number of ants in your house.

• Keep your home clean. Wipe away spills, store food in airtight containers, and ensure proper trash disposal. Also, store your dog's, cat's, or bird's food in airtight containers and clean their pet bowls.
• Ensure that you repair any water leaks and that your gutters and downspouts direct water away from your home.
• Seal the spots where wires or pipes enter your home and caulk gaps around windows, doors, and the foundation.
• Prune trees and shrubs that are close to your home to limit entry.
• Stack firewood at least 20 feet from your home since ants hang out there.

How Professional Ant Control Works

While the above strategies help keep ants away when you don’t have them, when you do have an ant infestation in your house, the following techniques can help eliminate them.

At Lawn & Pest Solutions, we start with baiting. This non-repellent ant control product disguises a protein or sugar source as bait, making ants think it's food. They then carry it back to their colonies, helping to spread the insecticide, reach the queen, and eliminate larger ant infestations—targeting the main source of your ant problem.

To identify the source of ants and determine the best control points, Lawn & Pest Solutions conducts thorough investigations. Our experienced technicians know exactly what to look for and where to locate these small pests.

These tactics help us reduce callbacks and customer frustration.

If necessary, the next step is to apply a contact insecticide; however, the above steps usually help us avoid the need to use this.

Then, exterior barrier treatments can help keep ants out because the product includes a smell or taste that ants don’t like, so as they near your home and come in contact with the barrier treatment, they immediately go in another direction.

When to Call a Pest Control Professional

Ants are a nuisance when they invade your home and ruin your peace by crawling across your clean countertops and floors.

Once the problem starts, it’s one thing. However, when it is left unattended and continues to grow, it becomes a bigger issue that can be tougher to manage. That’s when the right methods of ant infestation pest control can help.

We know dealing with an ant problem can seem overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to look, where the bigger colony is hanging out, or what to do to stop them from coming in.

Frustrated with the ants you can’t seem to get rid of in your home? Let Lawn & Pest Solutions help. We can offer a comprehensive proactive pest control program that includes an inspection and treatment plan to eliminate ants and prevent their return.

Do ants keep ruining your day? We’d love to help you take back control of your New Albany, MS home. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we’ll create a customized plan tailored to your needs. Then you can relax without constantly having to inspect your counters and floors for these tiny pests.

Image Sources | Black Ants