How much does an ant exterminator cost?
There is nothing worse than having pests infesting your house, regardless of what they are, they are a complete nuisance. As the weather gets warmer, the days get longer and the sun is out, everyone loves it, but no one loves it more than ants.
The warm weather brings with it a booming of ants, which is exaggerated by the sweet treats that we love to enjoy in the summer. Things such as ice creams, fresh juice, and the crumbs that we leave behind from our summer meals all attract swarms of ants which are a pain to get rid of.
The fact that there are so many types of ants and the fact that they come out in such large numbers makes it extremely difficult to control. The main aim therefore is to control the issue before it even begins, but if it gets past that stage, you need to seek pest control services to get rid of ants effectively.
Signs and causes of ant infestations
If you have an ant nest or any kind of severe infestation, you will notice it, as you will have ants running around all over your house or in your garden. It helps to understand the signs and causes of ant infestations to be able to get it under control and identify the type of ants.
Below are some of the most common signs and causes of ant infestations to help you prevent ant infestations.
Causes
Food
Food is the main cause of an ant infestation. Leaving any kind of food out in your home will attract ants. They are even attracted to pet food. However, they especially love sugary foods, which will attract them in large amounts. As they are so small, they can easily get into your home through any small cracks or openings in your home's structure. In the summer, most people have their doors open, and ants make the most of these open doors.
Signs
You see ants
Of course, seeing ants in your home is the biggest tell-tale sign that you might have some species of ants in your house. Seeing only one or two ants is not necessarily a cause for concern, but if you are getting rid of the few you see and are consistently seeing more, you have an ant problem.
Many people ignore this obvious sign of infestation, but there is one important thing to look out for when you see the ants in your home. If they are walking in a straight line, single file, one after the other, you have an ant infestation in your home. Ants leave a pheromone trail which attracts other ants to the exact route the original took, meaning your house is targeted by the colony.
Call exterminators if you see ants in your house
Sawdust trails
People do not tend to associate ants with eating or destroying wood. In most cases, if you saw wood destroyed, you would suspect termites before you suspected ants. However, there is one specific specie of ant, known as carpenter ants, who can destroy wooden structures and furniture in your home.
Whilst extraordinarily annoying and inconvenient, a carpenter ants infestation is one of the easiest to identify, which means pest management services can quickly mitigate the problem. As soon as you see small trails of sawdust, call an exterminator.
Piles of soil
Piles of soil in your garden are a sign that ants are around. Although they might not have made their way into your house, they are terrorizing your garden already. Ants live in groups and create ants nests in the ground. One of the most obvious signs of an ant nest is a small pile of dirt protruding out of the ground.
It is not a good idea to destroy or disrupt the nest, no matter how tempting it might be. Doing this will simply anger the ant and tease them out from under the ground, which will cause you even more problems. Instead, you should consult a pest control company.
When to call an exterminator for ants
You should call an ant exterminator if you consistently see many ants in one place, or can’t find their source. On the whole, ants are harmless but they are extremely inconvenient, and when they are foraging ants looking for food they can contaminate your food.
If you only see one or two ants, you can get rid of them by yourself, using bug spray, or whatever means you wish. However, if the problem is any bigger than that, it’s best to hire an ant exterminator. Extermination companies have specialized methods to get rid of ant collonies.
Average ant exterminator cost
The average extermination cost for ants depends on a few different factors, but you can expect to spend anywhere between $ 150 to $ 1,500. The main contributing factors that affect ant control prices are the type of ant specie and the area that needs to be treated.
As for the size of the property, a 500 square foot home will cost you around $ 150, whereas a 4,000 square foot home will cost you around $ 500. Carpenter ants are the type of ant that will incur the highest ant control cost because they are difficult to locate and get rid of. Fire ants, and sugar ants, on the other hand, have the cheapest removal cost, coming in at around $ 150-200, depending on the severity of the issue.
There are a lot of different factors that affect ant treatment costs, so it is important to consult with a professional ant exterminator to get a quote that will consider the size of your home, the severity of the infestation, and the method that will need to be used depending on the type of ant.
Guide to identify insects in your house
What are the factors that affect ant extermination pricing?
- The size of the property
- The severity of the infestation
- The type of ant
- The method used for extermination
- The frequency of the treatment
DIY ant removal vs. using an exterminator
DIY ant removal is viable if you have a small infestation. However, if it gets big enough and you notice that there is an infestation, you need to consult a professional pest control company. It can be tempting to just deal with a few ants on your own, but if you are facing a colony, this can’t be done alone.
Additionally, there are some circumstances when you should not hesitate to call a professional, as it could be dangerous to try and deal with the problem alone. For example, if the ants that have invaded your home sting, your children and domestic animals are vulnerable to their mandibles.
Professional ant removal service
How to prevent future ant infestations
Killing one group of ants does not guarantee that another group will not come back and re-infest your home. Here are some of tips to help you prevent future ant infestations:
- Get rid of their trail
- Do not leave food out
- Fill in any cracks
Get rid of their trail
Ants leave a pheromone trail behind them that attracts other ants. You need to get rid of this trail so that other ants cannot find their way back to your house. To do this, simply clean and disinfect any surfaces that you saw the ants on. This will ensure that their friends do not know where to go and should find it more difficult to find your home.
Do not leave food out
Food being left out is one of the most common reasons for ants to enter a home, so simply putting food away will remove their reason to come to your home. You should get into the habit of putting food away straight away, especially anything sweet.
Fill in any cracks
If your doors are not open, ants can get into your house through cracks. You should preventively inspect the perimeter of your house looking for any cracks or openings. If you see any, you should immediately fill them in and close them up.
Ant extermination services
Ant control is extremely important to do early on. As soon as a potential problem is identified, you should call a professional exterminator who knows how to appropriately handle the specific type of pest that you have on your property.
At V Extermination, we understand how annoying and inconvenient an ant infestation can be, which is why we offer a comprehensive emergency service for residential pest control problems. Our pest treatments are fast and efficient, so you can be assured that the problem will be dealt with as soon as possible.