As one of the tiny ants in Los Angeles, pharaoh ants don't have an intimidating appearance. But that doesn't mean you should welcome them in with open arms. Pharaoh ants are extremely dangerous and can make people in your household sick. If you want to avoid all of the trouble that comes with pharaoh ants, you should learn how to keep them out of your home.
What Are Pharaoh Ants?
Measuring about 1/16th of an inch, Pharaoh ants are tiny. They are yellow or red in color and have black marks on their abdomens. No one knows where these ants came from, but now they're practically everywhere.
In only 45 days, these ants can grow from an egg to an adult. One queen can live for almost 40 weeks and lay 400 eggs at a time. Although the workers don't live nearly as long or lay eggs, there are enough queens to cause a massive infestation.
Pharaoh ants aren't content to stay outside. Instead, they seek out food and moisture inside homes and businesses. Typically, grease stains, spilled drinks, and dead insects attract these ants indoors. You don't need to have much food to have pharaoh ants, however. They may build nests inside pipe chases and other places far from food.
Because pharaoh ants are so small, they're challenging to keep out of properties. If you have tears in your window screens, bad seals on your doors, or cracks in your foundation, you could have pharaoh ants. They're sneaky and highly likely to invade your home if you don't take preventative measures.
The Trouble With Pharaoh Ants
The biggest problem with these ants is the fact that they spread diseases and contaminate your food. However, there's another issue with pharaoh ants. They mark their trails with pheromones, which means managing an infestation is nearly impossible. The ants keep on coming, and even if they flee one area of your property, they might make their way into another.
Usually, pharaoh ants create more than one colony in a building. As a result, you need to work hard to kick out these invaders. Bait traps may not eliminate all of the ants in your home, and the remaining ones will continue to breed and thrive.
If you don't want to have the frustration of pharaoh ants, you should do everything in your power to keep them away from your property. This means making your property less appealing to pharaoh ants and working with a professional to deter them effectively.
Pharaoh Ant Prevention In Los Angeles
Although pharaoh ants are more troublesome than some of the other local ant species, you should follow some basic ant prevention tips to keep them away. This means doing the following:
- Check Your Doors: Even if your doors have weather stripping or door sweeps, they could allow pharaoh ants inside. Check your doors for gaps and make sure the weather stripping is intact. If you notice any daylight coming in, find ways to seal them.
- Store Food And Trash Properly: Pharaoh ants will be happy to eat your garbage crumbs or pantry offerings. Therefore, one effective form of ant prevention is to store your garbage and food in lidded containers. Go through your pantry and seal up all the food, and buy new garbage cans if needed.
Work With Us
Here at A Step Above Pest Control & Termite, we can help you keep pharaoh ants out. Please don't waste your money and energy dealing with pharaoh ants when our experienced team is here for you. If you're interested in learning more or need help with an infestation, call us now.