Many people underestimate the ant’s ability to be strategically coherent and creatively improvise when facing a threat. Fortunately, most ant species are harmless and would not pose a life-threatening issue. However, ants are one of the most common insects to be lurking in cabinets or pantries. Nobody wants a growing ant infestation potentially contaminating their food supply.
Their miniature size helps them secure entry into a home through small cracks, openings, and gaps. Furthermore, a colony can house thousands of ants and multiple queens. This makes them a major source of annoyance for many homeowners, who try their luck with Do-It-Yourself (DIY) methods without much avail. Let us examine why DIY ant treatments might not be as successful as the ones conducted by professionals.
- Different Ants, Different Solutions
One might purchase an over-the-counter insect spray and feel the job is done. That person cannot be more wrong because not all ants are the same. There are over a thousand different ant species in Australia, and all have distinct behavioral traits. For example, carpenter ants would build nests near exposed wooden structures like termites. Additionally, aggressive types like fire ants or pharaoh ants are better dealt with by experts.
Either by observation or experience working in the neighborhood, a professional pest exterminator can better identify which species has inhabited your home. Hence, a more specific plan is devised to get rid of the issue permanently. In addition, you can have peace of mind that the treatment spray will not have an adverse health effect on your family and pets. This cannot be expected from unfamiliar and untested over-the-counter chemicals.
- Treatment Effectiveness
Many DIY methods are based on using contact-specific sprays or baits. It is useful in killing individual ants which have firsthand encounters with the product used, but the colony remains thriving. Only eradicating a small percentage of the population cannot be regarded as an effective method because ants reproduce at a higher rate.
Moreover, a household or commercial pest control expert relies on up-to-date and dependable sprays with higher effectiveness. Many pest control companies have exclusive access to specially formulated sprays restricted for professional use. It helps them to target nests and discourages ant infestation.
- A Professional’s Touch
A common side effect of DIY methods is called “budding”. The term refers to when ants are diverted into multiple colonies and cause an infestation in several parts of the house. Hence, the best ant treatment practice is patience and knowledge. Luckily, professionals are trained and educated in multiple protocols. They carry a detailed and thorough treatment procedure to properly deal with the situation.
Generally, a pest control company will execute multi-faceted processes to eradicate odorous house ants. Firstly, they would set up interior baiting and protective barriers to minimize the chances of budding. Then the experts would apply reliable insecticides on the exterior perimeter or places experiencing heavy ant traffic. Ants would unintentionally carry the active ingredient inside the colony and infect the entire ant population. Lastly, you can consult with professionals to guide you over some steps to prevent an ant infestation in the future.
