Ants are social insects that usually live in underground colonies. These colonies consist of workers and a queen. Ants will eat just about any kind of food, but are especially attracted to sweets.
Many ants enter homes from outside nests as they forage for food. Ants usually take regular routes to and from their nest and the food source by establishing a chemical (pheromone) trail. The nest may be found by watching where the ants go; for some ants, such as carpenter ants, this works best at night. If the nest is discovered, it can be treated or removed (in the case of rotted wood).
Most ants are primarily a nuisance and cause little damage. Some, such as Pharaoh ants, may infest food. Others, like carpenter ants (pictured above), can weaken wood in structures.
Here in Massachusetts, there are 3 reasons why ants are frustrating to control:
(1) homeowners struggle to identify the ant species invading their home - without proper identification it's difficult to understand the best methods for treatment,
(2) homeowners fail to locate active nests to eliminate the source of the problem and
(3) homeowners spray insecticides or use ant baits to kill foraging ants but don't have strategies in place for preventing their return.
If you are having an ant problem, call the professionals here at Burgess Pest Management. Our expert technicians will solve your ant problem once and for all.
