The Ultimate Guide To Ant Control: Tips And Techniques For Katy Homeowners

No one likes to have ants take over their yard or enter their home in large numbers like an invading army. But these little pests tend to do both. Why? Because most Katy residents don't know all that much about ants. Today, we hope to fix that. We will share fun facts to help you understand the different types of ants in our area, why they come into your yard, and what you can do to keep them away naturally. You'll find everything you need for ant control in your yard. We'll also show you how professional pest control works to address the ant pressures on your property.

This article from Modern Pest Control is your ultimate guide to ant control in Katy, Texas. If you're currently struggling with a frustrating and perplexing ant problem, remember that you don't have to battle those ants alone. Your Modern Pest Control team is available to provide industry-leading ant control in Katy. Jump over to our contact page and tell us about your issue. Or, just give us a call. We're here to help.

Ant Identification: Species Found In Katy

We're sure you see ants all the time. They are the most common insects people see because there are so many of them. You'll notice them on your driveway, around your exterior doors, scrambling across the railing on your back deck, exploring every inch of your outdoor trash barrels, crawling along cracks on your front steps, building mounds in your lawn, and more. When you see ants, take a moment to consider a few physical characteristics. If you're able to identify the ants you see, there are a few things you'll know about them immediately. Here are four types of ants commonly seen in our area, a physical description of each, and a few facts you should know about each.

Fire Ants: A fire ant worker is a reddish-brown color. It may have a dark abdomen, depending on the species. It will range from 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. The head will appear as large as the abdomen with a thin thorax between. It has two nodes between the thorax and the abdomen, but you'll have to look closely to see them due to the size of the ant. Here are a few helpful facts:

They build mounds in the sunny areas of properties.
They create surface tunnels that stretch out as much as ten feet from their mound and will come out and surround you if you disturb the mound.
They are stinging insects that cause wounds with a small pustule at the center.
They don't usually invade homes, but when they do, they are a risk to babies, older adults, and individuals with an allergy to their venom.

Rover Ants: A rover ant worker is pale yellow, dark brown, or black. It is about 1/16 of an inch. It is so small it is impossible to see its physical characteristics without magnification. If you manage to capture one and examine it, you will observe that it has one node between the thorax and abdomen. You may also have a species with an abdomen much larger than the head. Here are some facts about rover ants:

They typically have small colonies of a few thousand individuals.
They only have one queen, which is quite unique among pest ants.
They nest in rotted wood but don't cause damage.
They like to nest into potted plants.

Tawny Crazy Ants: A crazy ant worker is red or light brown and around 1/8 of an inch long. Colony sizes are impressive, and you may notice a lot of ants all in one place. They may even swarm together and create a large biomass. If you collect one and examine it under magnification, you may see that it has one node. Here are some other characteristics:

The workers are all the same size.
They typically come inside from an outdoor nest.
They can forage for food without making trails.
Their movements are erratic, which is how they got the name "crazy" ant.
You'll often find them underneath wood timbers, organic debris, rocks, and other natural materials.

Carpenter Ants: A carpenter ant worker is entirely black, red with a black abdomen, or dark red with a black head and black abdomen. It will be 1/4 to 1/2 an inch long. Due to its large size, you should see that it also has one node between the thorax and abdomen, like rover ants and crazy ants, a fact that will help you tell certain carpenter ant species apart from certain fire ant species.

They have minor and major workers and vary in size.
You will often find them near wood.
You will usually find piles of frass, which look like tiny wood pellets, wherever they are.
They prefer to nest in damp environments and inside decaying wood.

These descriptions should help you with ant identification and provide insights into locating an ant infestation in your home. Along with these descriptions and basic facts about workers and colonies, it is important to know what problems they pose when they invade your house.

Ant Problems: Ants In The Home Can Be More Than A Nuisance

There are many ways ants can cause trouble. The number one problem is that they are an incredible nuisance. Their ability to disturb people is one big reason ants are the pests we get called out to deal with most. But they're more than a nuisance. Here are some other consequences of an ant infestation:

All ants can get into unsanitary places, such as trash bins and trash piles. They can pick up and spread microorganisms that cause diseases. They will contaminate counters, sinks, tables, dishes, and silverware or get into stored foods.
Fire ants are stinging insects that can present a health concern. These insects can trigger an allergic reaction with the potential for severe symptoms, such as anaphylaxis.
Certain ants can chew on wiring inside walls and can cause electrical malfunctions. Crazy ants are particularly troublesome because they get into electronic devices and automobiles and cause short circuits.
Carpenter ants tunnel in wood and can cause property damage over time. They typically start with water-damaged timbers.

It is best to get ahead of ant problems if you can, and knowing how to keep ants away naturally is a good thing. In most cases, there is no need to use pest control products. In the next section, we'll explore some eco-friendly tips to help you reduce ant activity and keep ants out of your house.

Eco-Friendly Tips: Natural Solutions For Ant Prevention

When ants come into your yard, they don't know that there are food sources in the landscaping next to your home or that they may find a bite to eat in your trash receptacles. So how do those ants find their way to your house, and what makes them decide to enter? Let's follow the progress of ants as they move onto your property and consider ways you can prevent them along the way:

Ants may enter your yard because you have a weed problem. Many ants love to feed on the nectar in flowers or honeydew produced by aphids and other insects. Removing weeds can slow ant encroachment.
Ants may move across your yard as they find insects to eat. Many ants live mostly on insects, both alive and dead. You can reduce insects on your property by altering exterior light sources. Insects are attracted to white light. Replacing those lights with yellow lighting will help you avoid attracting insects. Why? Because insects don't see light in that spectrum.
When ants move into your yard, they'll stop off in places that appeal to them. They may check out potted plants. They may drink from mud puddles or objects that capture water. They may explore a small pile of discarded construction materials. A clean and dry yard is resistant to ants.
When ants move through your yard, they may smell your trash receptacles from a distance. Keep your receptacles washed and free of strong odors to prevent this. It is also helpful to remove your trash weekly.
When ants invade your property, they'll notice if you have unhealthy plants because unhealthy plants attract insects, which they'll want to eat. They'll also want to eat the honeydew from aphids.
When ants crawl around the exterior of your house, they love to find leaf litter because an ecosystem develops underneath the leaf litter, and ants can forage for bugs in this environment.
When ants file stacked wood or brush piles, they climb all over them because other insects do this as well, and the ants may find a bite to eat.
When ants explore your exterior, they'll enjoy damp conditions caused by a clogged gutter system, dense vegetation, tall grass, or weeds.
If ants find a food source near your home, they'll get excited. One example of this is raking up nuts, storing them in bags, and placing them against your exterior walls. That is a recipe for trouble. Store natural foods in a covered bin.
When ants live near your house, they'll send out scouts to search for food. If these scouts find entry points in your exterior foundation or walls and find food inside, they'll lay down a trail on the way back to their nest. That invisible, scented trail will guide other ants inside.
If the ants that invade your home to collect food are a species that can live indoors, they may build an indoor nest and create lots of trouble. You can keep pest ants from getting in by sealing gaps and cavities in your exterior. A great tool for this job is a can of expanding foam. Along with doing this, we recommend repairing screens and fixing any issues with your weatherproofing.

Ant prevention takes effort, but many of these steps are routine maintenance you will do anyway. Trimming grass, getting rid of weeds, dealing with trash, sealing openings in your exterior, and general sanitation are all part of maintaining a home. You can also get professional year-round pest protection to make this job a little easier. Let's quickly look at how this can help control ants.

Year-Round Protection: The Benefits Of Professional Ant Control

Most people know that when you want to get rid of ants, you contact a professional. But there are many benefits to getting year-round pest protection for your home. One of the benefits is ongoing and proactive prevention against infestations. Here's how it works:

Your pest control technician will perform an inspection during your service visit, evaluating ant activity and applying targeted control methods, such as baits or mound treatments.
Your service comes with spot treatments for other pests in your yard. Reducing these pests removes one of the food sources ants are looking for on your property.
During your service visits, your technician will apply a liquid application to the exterior of your house, creating a barrier to protect your home from pest entry.
Along with barrier treatments, your technician will apply exclusions to seal up common entry points ants and other pests use to get into your home.

It is easy to get started with a pest control plan. Our Modern Plus program is cost-effective and provides all the protection you need for a variety of ants, including fire ants. If you want to step up and add termite control and mosquito control, those options are available as well.

Life is nicer when ants stay outdoors where they belong. Contact your Modern Pest Control service team when you need ant pest control services in Katy or year-round pest control to keep all the pests out of your home. We'll help you find the right solution for your specific requirements. We know that every family is different. We listen closely and tailor our services to match your needs. Connect with us today by phone, text, or email. We're here to help.