Do I Need to Hire an Ant Exterminator?

Do I Need to Hire an Exterminator?

Ants are a common problem in the Garden State, especially in the spring and summer months. While these pests are certainly not as feared as a termite or cockroach, they do come with their own set of problems. Ants build large colonies in and around your home, so they can multiply very quickly and overtake areas where food is close by.

Did you know that the ant is the longest living insect alive? It doesn’t bring much assurance when you’re fighting an infestation, but when you know that these tenacious little pests can live for up to three years, it certainly puts things into perspective. Another issue is that ants can carry up to 50 times their weight on their back.

If you ever see an ant crawling away with a big chunk of food more significant than their bodies, you know that it takes incredible strength for them to haul such items.

Source: http://npic.orst.edu/pest/selectpco.html

The Problems with an Ant Infestation

While ants certainly aren’t as unwelcomed as a roach, they come with their own issues. For starters, they make your house unpleasant and unlivable. If the infestation is bad enough, you may fear bringing home anything as they will devour it.

Since they’re so small, they can invade every nook and cranny of your home. While the house ant won’t cause much damage, other ants are more destructive. Carpenter ants can cost you thousands of dollars in damages, as they can be just as fierce as a termite.

There are 12,000 species of ants worldwide, but you will only deal with a few of these varieties in New Jersey. The house or sweet ant, carpenter, citronella, fire, Acrobat, pavement, and fire ants are the most common. At any given time, you can experience an infestation.

One thing that many people don’t realize is that ants can bring diseases into your home. You only think of this when considering rats and mice, but the humble ant is also a transporter of some pretty horrific disease. The following illnesses have been observed with ants in New Jersey homes:

E. Coli
Shigella
Clostridium
Salmonella

Streptococcus
Staph
Fungus

Source: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/

Important Reasons to Find an Exterminator

If you must ask yourself if you should call an exterminator, you already know the answer. The situation must be bad enough for you to consider such a call. So many people wait till the problem is out of control before they get help.

However, it will save a lot of wasted time and money if you just make the call first instead of heading to the local hardware store. Here are some signs that you need to get professional help.

1. The Ants are Destroying the Foundation of Your Home

If you’re dealing with the larger carpenter ants, you should know that this is not an issue that most people can fight without help. They’re strong and can do a great deal of damage to the foundation of your home. You wouldn’t try to treat a termite infestation by yourself, so you shouldn’t try to treat one with carpenter ants either.

Some DIY methods, like borax powder, will only relieve the situation temporarily. However, they will often come back with a vengeance.

2. The Ants Compromise your Food

Groceries are expensive, and the cost of feeding your family is increasing every day. When ants get into your food supply and cause you to throw away precious items, it’s time to get help. The problem with ants is finding the colony and getting to the source, as that’s the best way to treat an infestation.

This is not often possible with sprays and methods from a hardware store. It would help if you had something strong to get to the root of the problem. There’s nothing more horrifying than pouring a bowl of cereal and finding these little friends waiting inside. When your food is compromised, it’s time for you to take action.

3. You’re Getting Bit by Ants

Some species of ants will bite. The carpenter ant is one of these more aggressive ants, but they usually will only bite when they feel threatened. Still, if you enter their space and invade what they perceive as their territory, they can come out swinging.

If you or your children have got bitten because of the massive number of ants in your home, you need professional help.

4. You Don’t Know the Extent of Ant Infestation

Many people don’t know what they’re dealing with regarding ants. All you know is that what started as a few each day has now grown to them crawling around you continuously.

You see trails of ants going up and down the walls and even across your bed. Your sanity is being threatened because the infestation seems much worse than what you’re equipped to handle, so you need an exterminator.

5. There’s Vulnerable People in the Home

It could be problematic if you’re using store-bought insecticides to combat an ant issue. Anyone in the home that has asthma or other problems can be affected. If anyone has a compromised breathing or immune system, it’s best to get the advice of a trained professional rather than just using chemicals blindly.

6. You Have to Find a Long-Term Ant Solution

If you’ve been battling ants for some time without relief, it’s time to call in a trained extermination team. Their expertise in the area is hard to beat and throwing all sorts of sprays and baits at the bug can waste money. It’s better to do it right the first time.

Final Thoughts on Knowing When You Have to Hire an Exterminator

If you’re asking yourself this if it’s time to call an exterminator, you’re already past due. Stop throwing your money away on bombs and sprays from your local retailer that may not be doing a thing. That’s not to say that there aren’t some suitable treatments to be found at a hardware store, but each situation is different.

You need to know what type of ant you are treating, the hots spot they frequent, and if there’s structural damage from their chewing. These are all issues best left to the professionals.