Ants

What are ants?

Ants are small insects with three distinct body parts, a thin waist, six legs, and short antennae. They come in a range of colors, including red, black, and brown. If you see one ant around your home, know that there are many more lurking nearby. Ants are social creatures that live and work together in large groups, often maintaining multiple nesting sites.

Ants are common insects and are creatures we run into almost anywhere we go; our yards, parks, fields, parking lots, and sidewalks! The warm weather in Arizona enables these pests to be active, feeding and breeding throughout most of the year.

Are ants dangerous?

Ants do have the potential to be dangerous. While most species are nuisance pests, some cause more serious problems, including damaging structures, biting or stinging, or spreading pathogens that make people ill.

We tend to overlook ants because they are so common, but stopping these pests in their tracks is important. Having ants trailing throughout your home in large numbers is unpleasant and contaminates food and surfaces.

Why do I have an ant problem?

Ants are a problem on your property because it is providing them with their basic needs. Ants are omnivores and feed on many of the same foods we do; therefore, our homes provide these pests with plenty of foraging sites to choose from.

• Trash cans
• Compost bins
• Gardens
• Outdoor eating areas
• Grills
• Pet food dishes

Once ants find a reliable food source, they will lay down a pheromone trail to alert the rest of the ants in their colony. The ants will keep returning day after day to gather food to bring back to their nest.

Where will I find ants?

Ants live together in large nests. Most ant colonies will maintain several different nesting sites. Usually, they will build a central nest outside and then several satellite nests outside and inside structures like our homes and businesses. 

When ants are nesting outside, it is common to come across a nest in grassy areas, under mulch, rock piles, and in the soil next to the pavement, foundations, or sidewalks. 

Inside our homes, ants will build a nest in secluded spaces like behind wall voids near water pipes, under floors, behind tubs and sinks, and behind baseboards and wood trim.

How do I get rid of ants?

If you see ants trailing through your Tucson yard or home, the professionals at Pest Friends can help you eliminate them. We know the different species of ants that live in our area, where they like to nest, and how to stop them from returning to our area’s homes and businesses.

Our professionals will eliminate ants through our modern pest control solutions, eco-friendly approach, and innovative services. To learn more about ridding your indoor and outdoor spaces of unwelcome, pesky ants, call Pest Friends today!

How can I prevent ants in the future?

Ants live outside all around us in very large groups. They are social and work together to maintain their colonies, which makes these pests very difficult to control. While the best solution is a professional solution, there are some things you can do around your property to make it less attractive to ants.

Take away foraging sites by keeping lids on trash cans, compost bins, and recycling bins. Regularly harvest produce from gardens, and pick up your pet’s uneaten pet food. Keep your grill areas and outdoor eating areas free of food debris that ants love to feed on.

Moisture is also a big attractant for many species of ants, especially for those species living in Arizona. Make sure leaky pipes and air conditioners aren’t providing ants with sources of water.

To keep ants out of your house, make the following repairs to its exterior.

• Seal cracks and gaps in your foundation.
• Place door sweep under exterior doors.
• Replace torn or worn weatherstripping around windows and doors.
• Make sure screens in windows are tight-fitting and free of holes.
• Place screens over vents and other openings leading into your house.

Learn more about our home pest control and commercial pest control solutions.