Ant-proof your home

Ant proofing your home may not be as simple as you think. The most crucial thing is figuring out how you are attracting them in the first place and you would be amazed at the wide array of things that are enticing to ant species. With over 15,000 different types, there’s pretty much an ant with a taste for anything, including carpenter ants which munch on wood of all things. Of course, if you can figure out how to keep the ants out, chances are you’ll have much fewer insects of all kinds in your house.

To figure out how to deal with your ants find the answer to all these questions:

• What is their primary food source?
• How did they get here?
• Where are they living?
• Do they bite? (generally household ants don’t, but it’s always a good thing to know before you start wiping them up with a sponge.)

You will likely have to clean up live ants while you’re figuring out elimination tactics. A sponge soaked with soapy water or a spray bottle filled with soapy water will help kill ants so that they don’t run amok on your sponge and up your arm. Take a close look at ant trails and follow them to the source. If you can find out where they are coming in, you can stop them for coming through that way again. Block any ant entrances with silicone caulk.