One common challenge that Alpharetta residents sometimes face, especially in the summer, is the presence of ants in the home or yard. In some cases, these ants are occasional nuisances — here today and gone tomorrow. Other times, however, Alpharetta residents have to deal with an ant infestation. This is often indicated by live ants in the home, or the existence of ant pathways, either inside the residence or outside on the lawn or pavement.

If you live in the Alpharetta area and are dealing with an ant infestation, our team of professionals at Expest Exterminating can help. We are experienced and well-trained ant exterminators that can remove these unwelcome guests in short order.

Do These Ants Cause Damage to Your Home?

Carpenter ants

Carpenter ants are the largest species found in Georgia, and can reach a length of about 5/8″. They don’t carry stingers or venom, and make their homes in wood. Carpenter ants tunnel into wood structures to build their nests. As these colonies grow, the wood tunneling can cause further damage to your home. The presence of carpenter ants may also indicate a water leak or a poorly ventilated attic or crawl space.

Fire ants

Fire ants are not native to Georgia, but were evidently imported from South America many years ago. These ants typically don’t live inside of homes, but build their nests outdoors. However, they do forage indoors, and are extremely aggressive. If you see fire ants on your property, you should reach out to our exterminators ASAP.

Fire ants build large mounds next to structural foundations and enter homes through exterior holes and cracks. When disturbed or threatened, these aggressive ants will use their mandibles to bite the intruder. 

Then, they will inject venom with their stingers, leaving a painful and burning sensation. Fire ant stings can cause intense itching, red welts, and pustules. Some people may also have allergic reactions to these stings.

Argentine ants

Unlike carpenter ants, argentine ants usually do not cause major structural damage. However, they are known to infest kitchens and bathrooms in large numbers as they seek and find water sources and sugary foods. 

Argentine ants are a small, wingless species, but are very resilient. The trails that Argentine ants make will often be wide, and highly visible.

Expest Exterminating Ant Control Process

At Expest Exterminating, our ant exterminators follow a step-by-step process that has a proven track record of eliminating these pesky insects. Here is a brief overview of what we do:

• First of all, we identify which ant species have overrun your property. Our course of action will depend to a large extent on the particular species we’re trying to remove.

• Once we identify the ant, we look for conditions in and around the home that may be attracting the ants and contributing to the problem. We will either eliminate these conditions or make recommendations to the homeowner.

• Most ants originate from the exterior of the structure and can be controlled by a barrier treatment around the perimeter of the home.

• If ants are present inside the structure we often use gel bait insecticides to eliminate ants from the home. This gel bait is strategically placed around the house next to observed ant pathways. In most cases, bait is generally more effective than a spray, since you have to eliminate the ants you don’t see, as well as those you do, in order to stop the infestation.

After the Ant Control Service

After we’ve performed the ant control service for your residence, it’s important that you keep the following points in mind:

• After the bait has been set in place, don’t kill the ants you see or spray any insecticides of your own because this may cause the ants to avoid the bait.

• Avoid using strong cleaners in the vicinity of the bait. (These cleaners can block the vital pheromone trail that ants use to locate the bait.)

• Refrain from disturbing the ant trails. If the ants don’t disappear a few days after the treatment, then further evaluation is needed to determine the cause of the ants.

How to Keep Ants from Entering Your Home in the Future

They say that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” — and that’s certainly true when it comes to pest control. So once your infestation has been eliminated, how can you prevent ants from entering your home again? Here are some key points to remember:

• Do everything within your power to eliminate food sources that may attract ants.
• Wipe down counters, sweep floors, clean up spills, and vacuum floors to remove crumbs and other food sources.
• Empty your trash on a regular basis.
• Regularly wash your dishes.
• Never let your dirty dishes sit in the sink overnight.
• Don’t leave pet food sitting out after mealtime.
• If ants do return, be prepared to describe where you are seeing them to our team. We’re always happy to answer any questions you may have regarding our ant control services.

On the exterior of the home:

• Eliminate debris from gutters.

• Trim back trees and shrubs that are touching or close to the structure.

• Eliminate harborage areas such as thick mulch, pine straw, or debris around the house.

• Move firewood away from the structure.

• Keep your trash cans away from the house.

• Don’t leave pet food or bowls out after your pets eat.

An Ant’s Life

If knowledge is power, then knowing more about ants can help you understand how to combat an infestation. With that in mind, here is a brief overview of an ant’s life:

• Male ants typically live for a few weeks, and then die after mating.
• Queen ants, on the other hand, may live for decades. They can lay up to 800 eggs a day, and may produce millions of offspring over the course of their lifetime.
• Only the queen ant can lay eggs (in fact, that’s her only responsibility). Worker ants, on the other hand, tend the eggs and rear the newly-born ants.
• The ant caste system includes the queen, male worker ants (winged), and female worker ants (wingless).
• Each ant colony produces a unique scent that every member can detect. Because of this, ants can easily identify invaders, and rush to their colony’s defense.
• When worker ants find a good food source, they instinctively leave a scent so other ants can find it.

EXPEST offers a FREE inspection and evaluation

The Benefits of Hiring Expest Exterminating

When you work with our team at Expest Exterminating, you can count on saying goodbye to your ant problem in no time at all. Here are just a few of the benefits of hiring our professional ant exterminators:

• Correct identification. Without knowing which species you’re dealing with, it’s impossible to choose the most effective approach. Our exterminators have the training and experience to correctly identify the ant species that’s invaded your home, and proceed from there.

• Location of the nest(s). In some cases, it’s vital to know where the ant colony is located in order to remove the infestation. We can quickly find the source of your trouble, and then start the baiting process for maximum effect.

• Baiting and/or insecticide application. Whether the infestation in your home calls for a “bait and wait” policy or the swift application of insecticide (or a combination of the two), we have the specialized tools and chemicals needed to eliminate those invading ants once and for all.

• Perimeter barrier treatment. We can help ensure that future infestations don’t occur in your home by our premier barrier treatments around your property’s perimeter. 

• Non-chemical control methods. Sometimes it doesn’t take deadly chemicals to get the job done. We also provide non-chemical control services, such as sealing cracks and crevices, removing harborage for the ants, and so forth.

If you want to ensure that your home stays pest-free, then our well-trained, knowledgeable, and friendly professionals at Expest Exterminating can help. In fact, we offer 3 convenient and affordable packages that include all the key elements of a successful pest control strategy, customized to fit your specific needs. When your home is under our protection, those invading ants won’t stand a chance!

Alpharetta GA

Expest Exterminating has been providing ant extermination and other pest control services in Alpharetta GA for years. Residents of Alpharetta GA have trusted us as ant exterminators and we’ve proudly answered the call every time. We’re a top pest control company choice among Alpharetta residents thanks to our dedication to exceptional customer service and customer care. With every client, we strive to understand the issues homeowners are facing and implement a remedy that is home and budget-friendly. In Alpharetta GA we provide ant control service, pest control service, and wildlife removal through our convenient subscriptions. Whenever you have a pest control issue at your home in Alpharetta, GA call Expest and leave the pests to us!

FAQs

How far do ants travel in a day?

Theoretically, ants could travel over a mile in a single day. However, it’s more realistic to say that ants can travel a distance of up to 3 football fields from their nest to the foraging site. In most cases, ants won’t travel that far — especially if good food sources are near at hand.

Why do ants come inside my home?

Ants generally enter into homes to find sources of food for their colony. If a home is unclean, ants are more likely to detect those food sources and invade the home.

Our monthly pest control packages cover more than just ant control — they also cover other pests, like roaches, spiders, and termites. Contact us today to learn more about our effective and affordable options.