Pest Education

Ants

Ants are regular but unwanted visitors to our Utah homes and businesses. Many ant species live far away from people, but others have learned to coexist with us, taking advantage of the food, water, and shelter we provide. Ants will forage for food from trash cans, gardens, grill areas, and inside our homes in kitchens and pantries. They will drink from leaky pipes and puddles, and nest in our yards and our homes.

The ant’s small size allows them to easily move indoors and take advantage of the food sources and temperature-controlled environment found inside. Some of the most common ants species to find their way onto our Utah properties are the odorous house ant, sugar ant, fire ant, pavement ant, and velvety tree ant.

Most ants are nuisance pests, and although they contaminate food and surfaces with bacteria, they don’t cause significant health concerns, nor do they cause structural damage. However, not all ants are harmless. An example of a dangerous species living in our area is the fire ant. They are incredibly aggressive and will bite and sting in large numbers, causing pain and triggering serious allergic reactions in people.

Ants are social insects that live together in large colonies spread through multiple nests. To maintain their colony, they divide their members into different groups, each group tasked with a set of jobs. The ant’s ability to work together and support many nesting sites are the biggest reasons why these pests are so difficult to control.

The list below will provide you with some helpful tips to prevent ants from taking over your Utah property:

• Seal cracks and holes in your home’s exterior that ants can move inside through.
• Keep lids on trash cans, recycling bins, and compost containers to keep ants from foraging for food within them.
• Remove ground cover, overgrown landscaping, and woodpiles from your yard that could act as harborage sites.
• Remove fruit and vegetables from the ground that have fallen from plants in gardens or fruit trees.
• Fix leaky pipes and remove standing water.
• Maintain a clean kitchen and remove trash from your home daily.