Ants are tricky to manage. Firstly, it’s most probably because they come in such large numbers that they almost seem to replicate themselves; and secondly, it’s because of their small size that can find their way through the smallest of holes and narrow of cracks. Keeping our property ants-free is no easy task, but it is not impossible. It requires dedication and vigilance! Check out the methods below that can help us protect our property from these tiny little creatures.
Ants are here for food. They mean business. They will search every corner and leave no cabinet unexplored for the food their nest-mates need. Ants will send out many workers to scout the terrain of our kitchen to find any food source that they can use. It doesn’t need to be our food that they go after (though they would very much prefer it if our food is left out in the open for them). They can feed off insect bodies and little crumbs of food anywhere. But that is where we come in. To thwart their efforts, we must make sure that our food is completely sealed and inaccessible by these little ants. This will help us prevent ants from infesting our place, but if the ants are already there, this move will starve them and encourage them to move elsewhere. But how about those crumbs and insect bodies? We can’t control that, can we? That is where proper sanitation and hygiene comes in. While it is hard for us to control random insects from dying in our house, we can get rid of their bodies immediately to deter any foraging activity by ants. Though, it is very common for us to find an army of ants proudly carrying a body of an insect back to their nest. We might even find the sight funny to behold, tiny ants strategically coordinating amon themselves on how to drag a body around, or we might have the urge to sweep them all into a dustpan and throw them out. But if your house has an established ant infestation, another option will be to follow them!
Following the ants in our home can tell us a great deal. They can tell you which parts of our home need to be cleaned and tidied up, and they can tell us where their nest is. Now, ants generally make their nests in dark, hidden places that are usually hard for us to access. Therefore, it is nearly impossible for us to find the actual nest itself, unless you’re a trained pest control expert that knows where to look. However, we can find the access points of the ants, and where they enter and leave our property! By itself, this can tell us a great deal. If by following your ants, you find them crawling over to your next door neighbour’s house, it might be possible the ant nest is not in your house at all! Your house might just be their hunting grounds. But if you find an increasing number of ants converging around an area, that area might be the nesting area of the ant colony- and that’s where treatments can be applied. However, following ants around can take a whole day and it will require a lot of patience and effort. Attempt this if you have a lot of free time, or if you’re just plain bored. If you have a lot on your plate and can’t play hide and seek with your pesky little ants, just call in the experts and have your pest control company come in to do it for you.
The way to fight ants are either to bait them, or to spray them. We might think that the household insect repellent might do the trick. This can work on worker ants on the surface, but these commercial aerosol might not be able to penetrate into the ant nest. Baits work in a way where we want the worker ants to bring the bait back, because these baits contains chemicals that can kill the ants from within their nest itself. Ants have a food-distributing behaviour known as trophallaxis, and this will ensure that the poison within the bait will be spread to a majority of their nest-mates. Industrial sprays are usually residual sprays that leave a film of chemicals on the surface. When ants crawl over these surfaces, they will be affected and killed. These two methods are effective in their own way, but the choice of treatment is best left to the professionals.
We believe in a responsible approach in controlling pests in Singapore. Prioritising your safety, we take individual pest problem very seriously. We are proud to provide tailor-fitting treatments for each problem, for the best results in an eco-friendly manner. Contact us for assistance in battling with ants or any other pests you might have.
