Ant Control

in Westchester County, NY

 

Ant Control

Ants are an unwanted nuisance for homeowners across the country. They are a social insect that lives in colonies. In order to successfully control ants, you have to exterminate the entire colony. Simply spraying some ants you see will not see long-term success in ridding you of your ant problems.

Understanding the behavior of ants might help you better eliminate them as an issue. Ants typically enter through the smallest of openings and foraging your home for food or water. Sweet or greasy foods attract ants the most and once they find a sustainable food source, they will leave a pheromone trail for the other ants to follow. Once that happens, you have a problem. 

For big ant problems, be sure to get in touch with us. We can provide you with ant control services that are second to none in the Westchester area. 

Treatment Methods to Eliminate Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants might be the most popular ant out there. In some areas of the country, they can cause more damage to structures and homes than termites! 

But unlike termites, that proceed to eat the wood, carpenter ant workers drill a tunnel inside the wood so that the queen can deposit her eggs for “safekeeping” from predators such as spiders and bees. If you should see sawdust (frass) gathering in a particular location, you may have a serious carpenter ant infestation. Don’t hesitate and call our office for a free phone consultation.

carpenter ant carrying egg on white background

Our initial treatment for carpenter ant control consists of using a low-odor residual spray to the baseboards on the inside and outside of your house. In addition, time-released insecticidal granules are applied to the soil around the exterior perimeter of your home. These granules, which will last for about 3-4 months, are activated when they get wet. This means that rain or your sprinkler system will not hamper our pest control services, but actually contribute to them. A follow-up treatment is usually recommended within 30-40 days after the initial treatment, in order to expedite control measures.

Upon completion of the second treatment, your name goes into our computer database file and every 3 months thereafter (quarterly), we will call you to schedule another service. Remember, there are no contracts, so additional services are not mandatory, but recommended. If you wish to skip a service or move up a service, no problem.

How To Control Ants in Your Home

Here we will detail some effective ant control methods to use in your home. When you look at these insects, there are things you can do. Like call us! So do not panic about the issue at hand, but reading these tips is a helpful way to manage.

Extinguish the Pheromone Trail

House ants leave behind pheromones, which is a chemical trail to and from travel sites. An effective way of preventing house ants from infiltrating your home is to extinguish the pheromone trail. Following this trail should also bring you to the colony site, which then needs to be exterminated to properly rid you of your ant problems. 

Soapy Water

Soapy water eliminates the pheromone trail. Then, use a homemade ant bait trap to lure in and destroy the colony of ants. Spraying vinegar in cracks on counter-tops or on baseboards can also get rid of the pheromone trail

Powdered Sugar

An effective homemade method is powdered sugar, which will attract the ants and can be killed by mixing Borax in the solution. One part Borax and three parts of sugar will get the job done. Fill any tiny container and place these traps by areas you know or suspect ants to be infiltrating your home from. 

If you are worried about using this mix due to the presence of kids or pets, mix it with water and soak it up with cotton balls. Then these balls can be placed in areas that cannot be reached by cats, dogs or children.

Do not simply kill them on the trail, either, as the most effective way to eliminate ants is to have them carry the poisonous solution back to the colony.

Be Clean

However, perhaps the best method of preventing ants from entering your home is to keep up good sanitation practices. Clean up spills, crumbs, and garbage right away to make your home less attractive to ants.

Storing foods properly is also an effective way of preventing ants. Having half-open jars or drips on the side can easily attract ants to the cupboards and establishing themselves inside your home.

Helpful Ant Control Tips & Strategies

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Inspect Your Situation

When analyzing your ant problem, first break down what sort of issue you have. Are these ants that live outside and forage inside the home or have these ants already built a nest inside?

Once this is established, strategies for controlling the ants can be deployed.

Also, identifying which type of ant is present is helpful, but you may need a magnifying glass. 

Stop Ants From Getting In

For ants that live outside, caulking and sealing cracks and crevices is your first move. This eliminates their passageways into the home.

Ants are great at finding even the smallest of entryways, so you may not get them all, but it would be a start.

Once they are sealed, you need to clean the entry points to remove the pheromone trail that was laid down by the ants leading to the food.

Clean with a detergent and then spray an insecticide to prevent further attraction.

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Use Ant Baits

For ants that have already nested inside your home, you will have a little more work to do. For starters, ant baits are an effective way of controlling the ants. They are safe for the house and they come in gels, granules or stations.

The ingredients in the baits are made to attract ants, as they are sugary and/or greasy. The best place to lay down the bait is in the path of the ants, that way they can take it back to the colony. 

If you properly place down these baits, then you may be able to eliminate the entire nest.

We Can Help Eliminate Ants

Bluesway Pest Control provides homeowners across the Westchester County, NY, area with trusted and reliable pest control and exterminating services. For more information about ant control we offer, please contact us today. We will gladly answer any questions or concerns you may have about our services.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and “Bug Us.”

“This is your friendly neighborhood Exterminator. I shopped around and this was the best/Lowest pricing I can find! Excellent service! Any issues, I call and it’s resolved and taken care of. They work with me on payment plans and they will do the same for you! A+ grade!”

Adel O.

Get Started with Bluesway Pest Control Today!

(914) 968-8404

We have a loyal client base in communities like Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains, Scarsdale, Dobbs Ferry, Eastchester, Port Chester, Rye, and all throughout Westchester, including Rockland County and parts of New York City.

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Bluesway Pest Control

320 Saw Mill River Road

Yonkers, NY 10701

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Get Your Free Quote:

(914) 968-8404

(845) 426-7378

Copyright © 2022 Bluesway Pest Control – All Rights Reserved. 

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