Ant Control  - Exterminators - Removal

All ant species can either bite or sting, but to different levels of pain and severity. The common ant varieties that we find in our homes here in Knoxville TN, like pharaoh ants and odorous house ants, have negligible bite strength and are rarely pushed to taking defensive measures. However, there are fire ants in the area, which are capable of dishing out painful stings that can cause allergic reactions.

Ants are omnivores with a wide diet, but they especially love sweet foods. Varying slightly by species, ants will be attracted to sugars, proteins, and greasy counters, and pans. However, they are known to swarm to any food source that has been left out or unsealed. Ants also need a water source to survive, so any excess moisture in our bathrooms and kitchens can keep them hydrated.

While all ants can easily build their colonies outdoors, odorous house ants, pharaoh ants, Argentine ants, and carpenter ants like to grow their colonies inside the cracks and crevices of our homes, especially during the winter. Ants will enter homes through any accessible gap to find food and water when their outdoor supply doesn’t suffice. Once inside your walls, ants can chew right through your electrical wiring, causing damage and fire hazards.

Although ants do not pass diseases on to victims when they bite, they do have the ability to harbor and spread pathogens and disease-inducing organisms. Ants can carry many kinds of bacteria, including Salmonella, which can pose a serious health threat. Since ants tend to infest kitchens, bathrooms, and other moist areas, they pick up germs from travelling near toilets and sinks and eventually transfer them to our countertops and cookware. 

If you notice a trail of ants in your home, try following the trail to locate their point of entry. Common entry points include doors, cabinets, baseboards along walls, and plumbing fixtures. To stop the influx of ants, seal entry points with a silicone-based caulk and spray undiluted vinegar along the trail. Double check that your drainage systems are in good shape, and maintain an orderly and clean kitchen. Sanitizing your bathroom regularly will also help greatly.

Yes, certain species of ants have a specialized class that can fly. Winged ants are called “reproductives,” and they emerge when a colony is swarming. It’s easy to confuse them with termites, but you can differentiate between the two by the size of their bodies and the shape of their wings (ants’ are smaller on both accounts). If there are flying ants in your home during the winter, it probably means that an ant colony is already living somewhere in your home.

Ants are insects, and the most abundant ones in the world, at that. There are presumed to be over 10,000 unique species of ants in the world, with the total number of individual ants estimated to be in the tens of trillions! When you find one ant in the house, there’s probably hundreds of others closeby, and this fact holds true anywhere you go.

Ants communicate with each other using pheromones. Scout ants emit a signal to their colony to follow them when they find a food source in your home. When looking for food, water, and shelter, ants can enter homes through any tiny gaps that they find in the walls or foundation, drains, cables, and open doors. They alert their colony of their findings and come back shortly to scavenge.