Tips for Keeping Ants out of Your Raleigh Home

Aug. 16, 2011 - PRLog -- Ants, including Little Black Ants and Argentine ants, are extremely common pests in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Cary region, often invading local homes when their food sources outdoors are scarce.  Indoors, ants generally are drawn to sticky food residues, especially sugary foods and in some cases meats and breads.  This is why ants commonly are found in kitchen, dining, or food preparation areas around a home.

To help keep these scavenging pests out of your home, follow these easy tips from Raleigh's Triangle Pest Control:

1. Always clean up after preparing food or after eating, getting rid of any crumbs, food scraps, or residues that might draw ants.  This is especially true if the food debris is sticky and sweet.  Use warm, soapy water to rinse food prep areas and to immediately wipe up any spills.  Dispose of food scraps by placing them in an air-tight, sealed plastic bag or container.

2. Properly dispose of food containers.  Make sure to thoroughly rinse any recyclable food containers like glass jars, tin cans, or plastic soda bottles before tossing them in an indoor recycling bin, making sure they are totally free of residue.  Any non-recyclable containers containing food debris, like Styrofoam meat trays, should be thrown in an outdoor garbage can.

3. Store uncooked food items as well as dry pet food in air-tight, sealed containers to keep ants out.  Also, transfer foods like cookies and cereal from open boxes to sealed containers with air-tight lids.

4. Eliminate places where ants can sneak into your home.  This includes caulking cracks around baseboards, pipes, and your home’s foundation as well as repairing or replacing torn window screens where ants can invade.  Likewise, trim back shrubs and remove yard debris from around your home’s foundation that might attract certain ant species.

5. Always call a pest control professional when you spot ants.  Because many ant species are so similar in appearance yet vastly different in their nesting and feeding behaviors, it is crucial to have a trained pest professional identify the species invading your home with certainty in order to administer the right course of treatment.

"Store bought pesticides and do-it-yourself treatments are risky when it comes to ant control," elaborates Donnie Shelton, President & CEO of Triangle Pest Control, a Raleigh pest extermination and ant control company.  "If you use a pesticide incorrectly or only treat part of the problem, you might actually make the infestation worse, even if it appears the ants have gone away."

For more information about ant control options for your home, find out more by visiting Triangle Pest Control online at: http://www.trianglepest.com/pest-control/raleigh-durham-a...

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Founded in 2003, Triangle Pest Control is North Carolina’s leader in Bed Bug Management. A Raleigh extermination company, Triangle Pest Control specializes in an integrated pest management process that includes both elimination and prevention. The company has a firm commitment to working only with materials that have maximize the safety of families, children, and pets and is ranked #1 in customer service among Raleigh pest control companies.