You wake up in the morning and make your way into the kitchen for the day’s first cup of coffee or some breakfast, only to discover, through still-bleary eyes, that ants have found their way into your kitchen. They may be on your counters, devouring the crumbs left over from last night’s dinner, or, even worse, they found their way into your pantry and are in your food!
There are many sites that will give you helpful advice for keeping ants out of your kitchen, such as sealing off any entry points or keeping your kitchen clean and your food in tightly sealed containers, and those are all good tips, but what do you do when the ants are already here?
The first thing you should do is throw away any food that they have gotten into. Make sure you dispose of it into an outdoor waste container that’s not near your home. Next, you should take out your vacuum, and using the hose attachment, vacuum up as many ants as you can. After you’ve done that, replace the bag in your vacuum cleaner (throwing the used bag into the trash outside) or empty your vacuum’s canister.
Next, you want to wipe all surfaces in your kitchen with soapy water and also mop your floor. There is a very important reason for doing this, other than just to get your kitchen clean. Argentine ants—the most common species of ant in Temecula, Murrieta, and Fallbrook—leave a chemical odor behind that attract more ants. It’s basically their way of saying to the other ants in their colony, “Hey, follow this trail to the food inside!” You want to get rid of this scent to keep other ants from immediately replacing the ones you just got rid of.
What you don’t want to do is spray the over-the-counter sprays you can buy at your local home improvement store everywhere. These sprays are highly toxic, and not something you want anywhere near your kitchen. You also don’t want to place bait stations inside your home, since they could potentially draw more ants inside.
The next step is the most important one: call a professional pest control company. A professional pest control company in Temecula like Knockout Pest Control has access to pest control treatments that are much more effective that those you can buy as a consumer, and they are also much safer for your family and pets. The ant treatment we do in homes in Temecula, Murrieta, and Fallbrook gives you longer-lasting results. We spray inside and out—getting rid of the ants that are already there, and keeping out future invaders.
DIY ant control is rarely effective long-term. Contact Temecula ant exterminator Knockout Pest Control to get started with professional pest control treatment today. We can come to your home for a one-time service call, or we can set you up with a recurring service plan that will give you year-round protection from pests like ants and spiders. Contact us today to get started.
