No matter where you go, you are going to find these tiny guests (ants) everywhere. Despite being tiny, they can lift 20 times more weight than their body weight. Moreover, they are found in thousands of species (more than 12,000) in every continent worldwide.
Did you know? These ants work together and serve the colony, which is similar to honeybees. These smart insects build elaborative tunnels and chambers to live with their eggs, food, and young ones. They usually prefer being out in nature to have easy access to food and places for building their nests. However, they often find their way indoors for food and shelter, causing an ant infestation in Singapore.
Where Do Ants Hide?
You are very likely to find ants in the kitchen as it is the easiest place in the house to get food. While ghost ants have an affinity towards sugary food, the pavement ants love meats and grease.
In general, these small guests can get into homes and other property through the tiniest holes, not usually visible from outside. As ants build underground nests, it is pretty easy for them to find weaknesses and holes in the foundation, floors, and walls. Thereby, ants hide well in the pits and openings created for vents, drains, and cables. They also get inside through gaps in the doors quickly, and often these paths lead directly to their nests. These pests can even enter your household through holes in the screens and stay in areas with high moisture.
What are the Signs of Ants Infestation?
Here is a sign of ant infestation from your home in Singapore
Live ants - If you notice a high number of live ants, you may have an infestation. If you discover them in your kitchen or other areas where food is prepared, then you must need to do something about it quickly.
Ant pathways - Another clue is ant trails leading into and out of your home. Some ant species leave a pheromone trail that leads to a food source. Other ants follow this track from the colony to the food source.
Ant nest - A nest site can look like a small pile of soil or dirt. Some ant species prefer to live in walls or other calm, dark places where they are more difficult to find.
Are there Different Kinds of Ants?
There are three kinds of ants:
- Ghost Ants:
The average size of the ghost ants ranges somewhere between 1.3 – 1.5 mm. Due to their color and small size, these ants seem transparent and known as Ghost ants. These segmented ants have dark heads and thorax with pale antennae and legs but without any stinger.
- Pavement Ants:
The pavement ants are 2.5 – 4 mm in size and usually thrive through the cracks under the pavement. They have a segmented body and a stinger with a light brown to black body and pale legs and antennae.
- Carpenter Ants:
Up to 17mm in body length, these ants consume dead insects and honeydew. Often mistaken for termites, they create hollows in wooden objects for nesting.
How to Get Rid of Ants?
It is very crucial to get rid of ants to avoid long-term hassles. Therefore, follow these three necessary steps required for the ants pest control:
- Detect the Ants Hiding Spots:
The first step of keeping out the ants is identifying the type of ants, their nesting habits, and detecting their hiding spots. The best way out is to look for places where there is a direct source of food and water. It can be around the kitchens, sinks, potted plants, and alike. After inspecting these areas, you must forge for their potential nesting grounds, i.e., cracks in the walls, pavements, and more. However, it is not easy to find the nest and may require some expert help.
- Removal of the Ant Nests:
The most viable solution to eliminate the ants is getting rid of their nests. Ants usually take shelter in the voids of our walls, especially Carpenter ants cause damage when they chew through soft or damp wood to build their nest within wooden structures indoors, so you must eliminate them as soon as possible. Therefore, the most feasible way to get rid of ants is to engage with an ant exterminator in Singapore. They use modern tools and cleaning agents to drive these pests out and remove them from your home.
- Prevent Further Invasion:
The majority of ants enter your kitchen in search of food. Ants are attracted to sweet and sticky things, which is why you'll usually find them in kitchen cupboards or other places where food is kept.
To prevent further infestation, you must plug all the cracks and crevices around your house and clean the damp areas. You must store food in airtight containers and clean food and drink spills immediately. All this will keep the ants out instead of attracting them.
Conclusion
The battle between pests and humans is an ongoing process. And, the only accurate solution for ant infestations involves seeking expert treatments, followed by rigorous devotion and attention to prevention.
Ants usually have a habit of returning. So, once you get rid of these pests, you must make it challenging for them to get into your house again and invade your property. You can call professionals from ORIGIN to get rid of uninvited ants and turn your ant problem into a long-lasting solution.
