Ants

Ants are found throughout all outdoor areas of New Jersey, and inside homes and businesses where they can find available food, water, and warmth. While most ants live underground or inside trees and vegetation, they will aggressively feed on human food sources and food waste whenever possible. When ants find food inside a building, they may travel back and forth to the interior from their outdoor colony, or they may establish nesting sites and colonies inside the building. Ants leave strong chemical scents when they find new food sources to lead other ants from their colony to the food, and a large-scale infestation can occur rapidly.

 

Ants transmit disease-causing microorganisms to food stored inside homes and businesses and contaminate food preparation surfaces they contact. Ants are also food sources for other common household pests and attract their predators inside the buildings where they feed and nest. Ants travel quickly and in large numbers, and when they open up entryways to buildings, other pests are attracted to their paths to the inside of homes and businesses.

In addition to the problems presented by other ant species, Carpenter Ants can cause significant property damage. While it appears that Carpenter Ants feed on wood, they do not. They chew through wooden structures to form their nests and tunnels. If you see sawdust piled around baseboards or other interior wooden structures, you may have Carpenter Ants building satellite nests inside your home or business. Conditions favorable to carpenter ant nesting also indicate a higher risk of termite and other wood-destroying insects.

The anthills you see along outside concrete surfaces are typically the work of Pavement Ants. When these ants get inside basements and garages, they can be particularly destructive. Working together, they can undermine concrete surfaces in some places while placing upward pressure in other places. 

Odorous House Ants 

These ants are called odorous because of the strong smell they give off when crushed. They usually nest in soft and moist wood and will quickly nest inside buildings if they find soft wood that is insulated from cold weather. They will feed on any human food source and look for nesting areas close to the food they have located.

These ants seek out warm and moist interior spaces to avoid winter weather and are particularly aggressive in feeding on human food and food waste. Even the smallest amount of food waste will attract these ants in large numbers. They are known to quickly expand their inside nests when they have located food and moisture. 

Professional ant extermination and control involves thorough inspections and identification of invading ant species, followed with an expert application of safe and effective insecticides. Long term ant control can require structural improvements and food storage changes to make the interior of your building less accessible and less attractive to ants. 

 

Elite Pest Control, LLC will eliminate and exclude ants from your home or business. We will provide a thorough inspection of your structures to determine what type of ants are in and around your buildings and whether they have access to your interior spaces. At Elite Pest Control, LLC, we are experienced in the proper formulation and application of insecticides in places where ants travel but are very hard to see. We will provide you with clear and understandable information about the best treatment and exclusion methods for your situation, and we will develop a maintenance plan to prevent any further ant infestation on your property. Contact us today for a free estimate and additional information.