Practically everyone is going to deal with at least a few ant infestations over the years, and those colonies are going to bring your life to a grinding halt if you aren’t careful. While most ants aren’t dangerous, these pesky insects can ruin your food products and bring unwanted germs into your home or business. Those are just a few of the reasons why you should do everything in your power to prevent ant infestations. Here is a quick look at some tips and tricks that you can use to keep ants and other pests off your property.

Keep Surfaces Clean

One of the easiest and most effective ways to deter ants is to keep all indoor surfaces as clean as possible. Ants need food to survive, and they aren’t going to create a colony inside your home if the scouts can’t find sustenance. Whenever a spill occurs, you must immediately clean up the mess with a towel and all-purpose cleaner. You should also deep clean all of the indoor surfaces with high-quality disinfectant once or twice a month.

Seal Up Food Products

Putting your food products in sealed containers is another important step in this process. Ants can eat many different materials, and they are going to attack your pantries and cabinets if they suspect that there is any food in those areas. While containers with airtight lids are preferable, sealable bags should work as well. In addition to eating human food, ants can also feast on a wide variety of other products including:

• Grease
• Motor oil
• Various indoor plants
• Pet food
• Cellulose insulation
• Seal Up Openings and Entryways

You will never be able to make a building completely ant-proof, but you can deter the scouts from getting into your home or business. At least once or twice a year, you should seal up any cracks or pinholes that you can find. Those openings are usually around doors, windows, vents, baseboards, and pipes. Luckily, this project is relatively inexpensive, and it should take you no more than an hour or two to complete as long as you have the proper supplies. Most openings can easily be sealed with all-purpose caulk and a caulking gun.

Deploy Bait Traps

Ant traps aren’t perfect, but those small devices could help you avoid a few major infestations over the years. When you notice a single scout or small group of ants, you need to put out a few bait traps. Those traps usually contain poisoned pellets that the ants will take back to their colony. You can also try to get rid of their trails if you can tell where they are coming from. Scout ants leave scent trails for the other ants in their colony, and you can disrupt those trails with a mixture of warm water and white vinegar. Once the trail has been disrupted, they will need to establish a new path to the food.