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Identifying And Preventing Ant And Spider Problems
9/23/13
Unfortunately homes and businesses in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois cannot escape infestations of ants and spiders. Very common problems for both residential and commercial properties, these pests often invade in search of food and shelter and if you aren’t careful, may stick around to enjoy their new digs. Eliminating ants, spiders and other pests is essential; if left un-treated their numbers will grow exponentially and they could become a risk to health and property.
Most types of spiders and ants are considered to be nuisance pests and while they need to be eliminated from home they do not pose a significant health risk to people or cause damage to structures. Ants and spiders in Indianapolis and throughout Indiana as well as Kentucky and Illinois that fall into that category include pavement ants, odorous house ants and common house spiders.
There are exceptions of course and unfortunately there are some ants and spiders that can cause damage to homes and buildings as well as be a problem for you, family members or employee and customers; these types of pests include fire ants, carpenter ants, and poisonous spiders. Fire ants are a very aggressive ant that lives in large colonies and will defend their colonies with a painful sting. If a person is stung multiple times or has sensitivity to their venom they can have a serious allergic reaction that requires medical attention. Carpenter ants are another type of ant that live in large social colonies and while they do not pose a health risks for you or your family they are capable of causing significant, costly damage to the structure of you home. They create tunnels in the wood of you home to make nesting and breeding areas and if left alone can create enough damage to weaken the structural integrity of your structure. Poisonous spiders like brown recluses and black widows are two types of arachnids that can prove dangerous if encountered in homes and outbuildings, unfortunately they can also be hard to spot as they tend to hide out in undisturbed areas including wood piles, attics and other storage areas. A spider bite from either type could, although rare, be life threatening and should be attended by medical personal to be on the safe side
There are many things that you can do around you home and property to help prevent pests like ants, spiders and a variety of other common household pests from being able to enter your home. Most prevention methods do not take much time or money to accomplish and could save your from costly damage repairs in the future. Try these pest prevention tips to keep unwanted and potentially dangerous pests out of your home:
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Trim trees and bushes back away from your building to prevent pests from using their branches as a bridge.
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Seal cracks and crevices in your foundation to eliminate entry points.
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Keep a tight fitting cap on your chimney.
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Caulk around windows and doors so that there are no gaps that these opportunists can use to sneak in.
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Replace or repair screens while holes or tears.
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Reduce the amount of humidity in your home by running dehumidifiers or correcting ventilation issues.
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Repair or replace leaking faucets and appliances so that they do not cause water damage to the structure (carpenter ants and termites both love rotting or decaying wood).
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Reduce the amount of clutter in the basement, attic, closets or other storage areas so that pests cannot find a suitable place to hide.
Along with implementing the prevention measures mentioned above, you should also consider talking to a pest control company about a yearly pest control program that would protect your home from ants, spiders and other pests that have a habit of invading.
To learn more about ants and spiders or to find out how to protect your home with pest control services in Indianapolis and throughout Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, Action Pest Control would be more than happy to help. In business since 1946, Action has been helping homeowners protect their homes against ants, spiders and other insects and rodents and can answer all of your questions and concerns.