When ants decide to take over your home, they can be stressful to contend with and require professional assistance to eradicate. The best approach is a preventive one. To ensure your house is a fortress against these invaders, implement the following steps this summer. 

How to Prevent Ants From Invading

1. Seal All Entrances to Your Home

Ants are tiny creatures, so they can easily fit through the smallest cracks leading into your home. Fortunately, many of these areas, including windows, doors, and gaps around pipes leading into the house, can be sealed with caulk to prevent their entry. Also, regularly inspect the exterior walls of your property for damage and have these openings quickly sealed. 

2. Don’t Leave Food Out

For the most part, ants will invade your home looking for a food source. You can easily remove this lure by keeping all items stored in sealed containers and remembering to clean up food crumbs immediately after eating. To remove the scent of any food in that was in the area, use vinegar or lemon juice to clean surfaces after preparing meals. Also, avoid throwing away food inside garbage bins unless the bag is being taken out that day. Similarly, don’t leave pet food or water dishes lying around when they’re not in use. 

3. Create Repelling Barriers

There are many scents and chemicals you can spray or line around your home to kill or repel ants. Nontoxic substances like peppermint oil, cinnamon, cayenne and black pepper, whole cloves, and bay leaves have odors that drive the insects away. You might also use salt or diatomaceous earth, which create a drying-out effect, to kill any that try to enter the premises. 

Sometimes even the best efforts can fall short. If ants have invaded your home, contact the exterminators at Advanced Termite & Pest Control. For over 15 years, this family-owned-and-operated business has been providing quality services to the Crossville, TN, and Upper Cumberlands region. They offer superior customer service and meet each home’s individual needs. To schedule a pest inspection or receive a free quote today, call (866) 636-2687. You can also visit their website to learn more about their services.