How To Keep Pavement Ants Off Your Western Massachusetts Driveway

Are you noticing lots of tiny black ants crawling around on your driveway, scaling your exterior door frames, and climbing on your walls? It is quite possible that those are pavement ants. While not particularly a threat to human health or property, they can be extremely annoying.

Let's take a look at pavement ant pest control in Western Massachusetts and go over a few key pavement ant facts you should know. If you'd like immediate assistance with your ant problem, connect with us through our contact page for service.

What Attracts Pavement Ants?

These ants encroach upon zones that provide a food source. Some of the foods they feed on are obvious, such as nectar from flowers, and dead insects. Others are not quite so obvious. These ants will eat seeds, honey, meat, nuts, and honeydew from plant-damaging insects. They'll also get into garbage and eat bread, jelly, peanut butter, and many other foods that people eat.

One way pest management professionals handle pests is to remove attractants, like food and water resources, to reduce pest activity. This is difficult with these ants. If you're hoping to get control of pavement ants in Western Massachusetts, you'll need to do more than remove attractants.

Natural Ways To Deter Pavement Ants

There are natural ways to deter pavement ants, but many Western Massachusetts residents take advice from people online who don't know how to get rid of pavement ants naturally and end up getting very frustrated with the results.

Can you kill pavement ants naturally? Yes. But we don't recommend using home remedies such as boiling water, vinegar sprays, soapy water sprays, and other methods that use household items as some of these online influencers suggest. You can scald yourself with boiling water (for no reason), and spraying ants will only deal with the symptoms, not the problem. Here are some natural options we suggest:

• Remove the food sources that these ants are eating. Cover trash containers and deodorize your trash receptacles. Rake leaves and blow leaves out of your landscaping. Pick up nuts. Remove bird feeders. Address aphid problems. Address flowering weed problems. These all work to naturally deter pavement ants.
• Remove water sources. Address gutter clogs and gutter breaks. Trim vegetation in your landscaping. Remove unnecessary vegetation from your landscaping such as weeds and grass. Repair plumbing leaks. Refrain from overwatering your plants. Consider watering your plants in the early morning.
• If you have pavement ants in your house, clean surfaces to remove their pheromone trails and seal your exterior. Use a caulking gun to seal gaps around utilities and frames. Replace damaged screens, weatherstripping, and door sweeps. Get every potential entry point, no matter how small.
• Sprinkle natural ant deterrents. There are a surprising number of organic materials that pavement ants don't prefer the smell of, such as lavender, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.

Use these natural methods to deter pavement ants in your yard and to keep them away from your home. If you need to get rid of these ants, you'll need a different strategy.

How Do I Get Rid Of Pavement Ants On My Property?

The most common method used to eliminate pavement ants is bait. Unfortunately, there isn't a silver bullet for pavement ant control. There are many species of pavement ants. Some have a preference for sweets. Some have a preference for meats.

The bait used must be appropriately selected and administered to prevent bait aversion. Pavement ants learn what is safe to eat and what is not safe to eat. If they discover that the bait you put down is dangerous to them, they won't eat it. A licensed pest professional uses field-tested methods to evaluate baits and gets results fast enough to avoid bait aversion. Contact a professional for the best results.

How To Get Rid Of Pavement Ants Permanently

Pavement ants are not going to stop coming into your yard. While you can deter them and reduce pavement ant activity, ant control products are needed in order to get rid of pavement ants permanently. This is where a high-quality residential pest control plan fits into the picture.

When you have ongoing pest control for your property, it will reduce the insects that pavement ants eat and directly target ant colonies as needed. Contact American Pest Solutions for guidance in selecting the right pest management plan for your Western Massachusetts property.

If you need assistance getting rid of pavement ants in your home, we can help you with this as well. These ants can be difficult to treat as they hide in wall voids and other hidden places. We know what is needed to arrest the ant infestation in your home. Connect with us today for immediate assistance.