Ants

Ants are one of the most common species of household pests, and with more than 1,000 species living throughout the United States, keeping them away from your home can be difficult. Most species of ants living in St. Louis, including sweet ants and odorous house ants, are nuisance pests that pose us no real harm or threat. Other species, such as the carpenter ant, do pose dangers when they invade our homes. Carpenter ants, after invading homes or other structures, often decide to create satellite nests inside structural wood, overtime causing more and more damage to a home’s structure.

Problems with ants typically occur after food draws them to a property. Ants are mostly omnivorous, and feed on a variety of things including meats, sweets, nectar, honeydew (produced by garden pests), fruits, and vegetables. These opportunistic pests will forage for food in gardens, trash cans, compost piles, our pet’s food bowls, and crumbs in outdoor eating areas. While foraging for food, they often find their way in through spaces in the foundation and exterior walls of a home. Once inside, they are often seen wandering around our kitchens, pantries, and bathrooms. Whether dangerous or a nuisance, ants should always be kept out of our homes to stop them from contaminating our food and surfaces with excrement, bacteria, and other pathogens they carry on their bodies and legs.

Ant prevention tips: Keep tight-fitting covers on trash cans, recycling bins, and compost bins. Maintain garden areas, picking up fruits and vegetables that have fallen to the ground. Pick up your pet’s uneaten food. Keep outdoor eating areas clean and free of food debris. Remove standing water from your property. Seal cracks in the foundation and exterior walls of your home. Place weatherstripping around windows and doors, put mesh covers over vents, repair holes along the roofline, and repair damaged screens. Inside your home regularly vacuum, wipe down counters, and store food in the fridge or containers with tight-fitting lids.