Whether you already have an ant infestation or you’re just trying to avoid ants in an area prone to them, there are a lot of ways you can handle ant issues. However, many of them may be unsafe for children. At the very least, if you end up with a serious ant infestation, you may need to take your kids and animals elsewhere to allow extermination chemicals to ventilate out of the home to a safe rate. Instead, consider these more kid-friendly ways you can avoid having ants in the home in the first place.
Most Common Places to Find Ants in Your Home
First off, what are the most common places you might find ants inside? Concentrate on these areas when you start stomping out ants.
- Kitchens
You probably already know this, but kitchens are a hotspot for ants. The readily available food makes it a great place for ants, which you may have found out in the past if you accidentally left some food out on the counter.
- Bathrooms
If kitchens are great for ants because of their food resources, bathrooms are great because of their water resources. Ants are also looking for water, and the bathroom is a great place for them to find that water.
- Basements
Cracks in your basement wall can be the perfect place for ants to come inside. No one wants to think about this possibility, but because ants can burrow through the dirt, these cracks are the perfect entry point.
Ways You Can Prevent Ants From Coming Inside
So, what can you do to prevent an ant infestation? These tips and tricks will make life safer for your kids and make it harder for ants to come inside, all in one fell swoop.
- Fix Leaky Pipes and Faucets
Many ants are looking for water. One of the best ways you can avoid ant infestations is to make sure you don’t have water on the ground, which means fixing leaky pipes and faucets. As an added bonus, this will also make it less likely that you or your kids will trip.
- Empty Trash As Regularly As Possible
Emptying trash is an important part of keeping your home clean, and as an added bonus, it’ll also help you avoid ant infestations. When you regularly empty the trash to the garbage, you also help avoid molding and rotting food, which can invite other pests and cause respiratory issues to your family. In order to keep your home bug-free, you might occasionally get your house cleaned by professionals from a reliable pest control company similar to Pest Authority of Charlottesville.
- Stack Firewood More Than 20 Feet Away From the Home
Kids shouldn’t really be playing in firewood; firewood stacks can be pretty high and cause injuries if kids are playing on or around them. Plus, they’re great places for ants to invade. Consider keeping your firewood more than 20 feet away from your home, ideally in a closed-off area.
- Wipe Down Kitchen Counters After Use
Sure, if you have kids around, wiping down the kitchen counters can seem like an impossible task. However, teaching your kids to wipe down the counters is a useful part of keeping the house clean. It can also remove tiny food particles that ants can more easily find.
- Repair Cracked Pavement and Foundations
Lastly, if you want to really make sure your home is as safe as possible, you’ll want to have an inspection to check for cracked pavement and foundations and, if necessary, get your local professional foundation repair services out to fix any issues. Not only will this remove entry points for ants, but it’ll also make it less likely that people will fall and hurt themselves.
Conclusion
These are all great ways to deal with pest infestation. If the problem still persists after taking all these measures, then you might want to look for pest removal in Vaughan by experts. Furthermore, if you have cracked pavement or a cracked foundation, you’re going to need to fix it eventually. The best way for you to fix it is to request help from a foundation repair expert as quickly as possible. That way you can fix your home and avoid more dangerous methods of pest control all at once.
