Ants are common household pests. However, it actually doesn’t have to be that way. If you have ants right now, you can get rid of them. If you’re worried about ants in the future, you can prevent them. If you’re looking for the best way to avoid ants in the home, make sure you follow these simple tips.
- Seal Cracks and Holes in Walls
First off, seal all cracks and holes you might have in the walls. Ants can get into even the smallest cracks and holes in the walls, which can be a difficult thing to handle. If you see ants in your home, you may want to have a home repair expert go around your home and make sure there are no hidden cracks and holes.
- Ensure Windows and Doors Have a Tight Seal
Window and doorframes need to have a tight seal with the rest of your walls. If you don’t have a tight seal there, plenty of pests can come inside, especially ants. Make sure you can’t see any light coming through the door frame when it’s closed. Otherwise, you might have a problem that you need to fix.
- Fix Leaky Pipes and Faucets
Leaky pipes and faucets can be an incredibly important thing to fix, even if it’s just a very small leak. These small leaks can lure in pests like ants, especially because ants don’t need much water to tide them over. Plus, that helps you avoid something like a flood if the pipe or faucet ever gets even more detached.
- Seal Food in Airtight Containers
Food should be in airtight containers if at all possible. Some food already comes in airtight containers, which means you can typically leave it that way. However, especially if you have a serious ant problem, you should transfer other food into airtight containers. That may include foods like cereal, flour, pasta, and other shelf-stable foods that aren’t in airtight containers.
- Empty Trash Frequently
It’s a good idea to empty your home’s trash on a regular basis. You also need to make sure you empty it directly into the garbage rather than leaving it in a secondary place. The trash has both food and water in it, which means it’s a great place for ants to start swarming. If you have trash in your home, make sure you empty it every time it’s full.
- Stack Firewood at Least 20 Feet Away From Your Home
Ants can create a colony inside a stack of firewood and that colony can become a pretty significant problem. Instead of giving ants an easy-access pass to your home, it’s important that you keep firewood relatively far away from the home, at least 20 feet. That way, even if ants do start to infest the firewood, they won’t come into your home from there.
- Repair Cracked Pavement and Foundations
Lastly, it’s important to repair cracked pavement and foundations in and around your home. Even if a foundation wall in the basement has a crack, that could end up becoming a way for ants to enter your home because ants are great at burrowing. Cracked pavement and foundations should be an important element of your home repair jobs.
Conclusion
As you can see, avoiding ants in your home actually isn’t as difficult as it otherwise might seem. It’s relatively easy to avoid ants getting into your home, but you need to commit yourself to it. That may mean you need to call in a foundation repair expert if you have issues with cracked pavement and other cracks in your home. Regardless of what you need to do, it’s important to do it whenever you can.
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