DIY vs. Professional Ant Control
DIY vs. Professional Ant Control
How can you tell when a pest problem becomes too big to handle on your own? It isn’t always easy to appreciate the scale of an infestation, especially when it comes to ants. Without an expert approach to ant exterminating, these highly coordinated creatures can reform or even expand their colony to infest new rooms in your home, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
When it comes to ant control, there’s a big difference between DIY products and the professional expertise of a company like Hulett. With over 50 years of experience and training from a board-certified entomologist, Hulett’s certified technicians don’t guess — they deliver proven, customized solutions that actually work, unlike the hit-or-miss results of DIY gimmicks.
Understanding Ant Infestations
Ant infestations can be among the most complicated to deal with without professional ant treatment. With intricate social structures, massive population sizes, and a high level of coordination, they come in force when ants infest.
The Main Types of Ants in Florida
There is a wide range of ants present in Florida, with a mix of both native ants as well as invasive species that have established themselves. While there are dozens of different types you are likely to find, the most common and most problematic ants in Florida include:
- Ghost ants. These can appear in seemingly impossible places. Pale, tiny, and common in Florida, they can squeeze through even tightly sealed food containers to reach the nutrients inside.
- Carpenter ants. Carpenter ants don’t consume wood like termites, but they do nest in wood that has been previously damaged by moisture, mold, or even termites. As a result, carpenter ants are not only a nuisance — they can also be a warning sign of a more serious underlying problem.
- Red imported fire ants. As their name suggests, these ants aren’t from around here. Originally introduced to the U.S. in the 1930s, most likely catching a ride in the soil used as ballast for ships, these ants have few natural predators in Florida. This allows them to fully embrace their already aggressive behavior, and they will not hesitate to bite you with multiple painful stings.
- Big Headed Ants Among the biggest threats to Florida homeowners, they form massive supercolonies so big that they often have multiple queens, and they are remarkably hard to eliminate due to their population size. This is an ant that certainly requires professional ant killers.
How Ants Get Into Your Home
![DIY vs. Professional Ant Control
Alt Text: A red fire ant on a plant stem with its jaws open. (Source)
How can you tell when a pest problem becomes too big to handle on your own? It isn’t always easy to appreciate the scale of an infestation, especially when it comes to ants. Without an expert approach to ant exterminating, these highly coordinated creatures can reform or even expand their colony to infest new rooms in your home, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
When it comes to ant control, there’s a big difference between DIY products and the professional expertise of a company like Hulett. With over 50 years of experience and training from a board-certified entomologist, Hulett’s certified technicians don’t guess — they deliver proven, customized solutions that actually work, unlike the hit-or-miss results of DIY gimmicks.
[H2] Understanding Ant Infestations
Ant infestations can be among the most complicated to deal with without professional ant treatment. With intricate social structures, massive population sizes, and a high level of coordination, they come in force when ants infest.
[H3] The Main Types of Ants in Florida
There is a wide range of ants present in Florida, with a mix of both native ants as well as invasive species that have established themselves. While there are dozens of different types you are likely to find, the most common and most problematic ants in Florida include:
● Ghost ants. These can appear in seemingly impossible places. Pale, tiny, and common in Florida, they can squeeze through even tightly sealed food containers to reach the nutrients inside.
● Carpenter ants. Carpenter ants don’t consume wood like termites, but they do nest in wood that has been previously damaged by moisture, mold, or even termites. As a result, carpenter ants are not only a nuisance — they can also be a warning sign of a more serious underlying problem.
● Red imported fire ants. As their name suggests, these ants aren’t from around here. Originally introduced to the U.S. in the 1930s, most likely catching a ride in the soil used as ballast for ships, these ants have few natural predators in Florida. This allows them to fully embrace their already aggressive behavior, and they will not hesitate to bite you with multiple painful stings.
● Big Headed Ants Among the biggest threats to Florida homeowners, they form massive supercolonies so big that they often have multiple queens, and they are remarkably hard to eliminate due to their population size. This is an ant that certainly requires professional ant killers.
[H3] How Ants Get Into Your Home
Alt Text: A carpenter ant chews on a piece of wooden siding from a home. (Source)
No matter the species, every ant scout you see is looking for the same three things: food, water, and a potential place to shelter. The main difference between them is where these sources of sustenance are located.
Carpenter ants, for example, will target cracks, gaps, and vulnerable areas of rotting wood in your home’s exterior to create an entry point. Other ants may catch a ride inside on firewood, furniture, pets, or even your clothing. The key thing to remember is that the scouts alone are not a sign of an infestation, but if they return to their colony, one is likely to follow.
[H2] Common Approaches for DIY Ant Control
At-home pest control has its limitations. In the right scenarios and with the right strategies, you can slow or stop a small ant problem before it grows. Ants scouting inside your home are a precursor to an infestation, so your goal should be to eliminate them before they return to the nest to alert the others. These ant explorers leave pheromone trails behind them as they travel, forming a path for others to follow. What seems like a minor ant problem now can quickly spiral out of control without professional intervention.
You can disrupt this process in one of two ways:
● Eliminate any scouts you find. This isn’t as easy as it may seem and is certainly not a long-term solution. Ant colonies will routinely send out scouts into your home, and killing just one isn’t enough to stop a pending infestation. Professional grade repellents are the key to keep the scouts away.
● Disrupt their scented trails. Ants are highly sensitive to smell, an adaptation that has made them highly effective at scouting and foraging. You can use this against them by treating areas where you’ve seen ants before with soapy water or a vinegar solution. This will cover up the scent they use to navigate, making it harder for them to come inside. While DIY methods may provide short-term relief, professionals use targeted baiting strategies to eliminate the nest at its source — ensuring long-lasting, effective results.
[H3] Where At-Home Ant Control Falls Short
On-sight elimination of scouts and disrupting trails can only go so far. Ant infestations can slowly expand in your walls, allowing them to appear in one room one day, only to be seen all the way across your home the next.
Ghost ants and Pharaoh Ants can be particularly difficult to address on your own because of a behavior called “budding.” When disturbed, the ants will scatter in different directions. From there, these separated groups can start new offshoot colonies, effectively doubling your pest problem and making it even more difficult to address without professional residential or commercial ant control services.
[H2] How Professional Ant Control Services Can Make a Difference
Professional pest control goes a step beyond DIY ant control methods. Hulett Environmental Services takes an integrated pest management, IPM, approach. This focuses on long-term solutions to pest problems through a combination of biological, physical, and chemical methods to create a highly effective and environmentally conscious plan.
Our thorough inspection process helps us pinpoint the source of the infestation, even if the colony is far away from where the ants appear. From there, we use specialized ant baits that allow the ants to take the treatment back to the colony itself for lasting pest control effectiveness.
Just call Hulett to schedule your free ant inspection today and get the best ant treatments with long-lasting protection for your home. Coupled with exclusion methods and routine visits, you can enjoy comprehensive ant protection for your home all year.](https://cdn.bugs.com/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1338450641.jpg)
No matter the species, every ant scout you see is looking for the same three things: food, water, and a potential place to shelter. The main difference between them is where these sources of sustenance are located.
Carpenter ants, for example, will target cracks, gaps, and vulnerable areas of rotting wood in your home’s exterior to create an entry point. Other ants may catch a ride inside on firewood, furniture, pets, or even your clothing. The key thing to remember is that the scouts alone are not a sign of an infestation, but if they return to their colony, one is likely to follow.
Common Approaches for DIY Ant Control
At-home pest control has its limitations. In the right scenarios and with the right strategies, you can slow or stop a small ant problem before it grows. Ants scouting inside your home are a precursor to an infestation, so your goal should be to eliminate them before they return to the nest to alert the others. These ant explorers leave pheromone trails behind them as they travel, forming a path for others to follow. What seems like a minor ant problem now can quickly spiral out of control without professional intervention.
You can disrupt this process in one of two ways:
- Eliminate any scouts you find. This isn’t as easy as it may seem and is certainly not a long-term solution. Ant colonies will routinely send out scouts into your home, and killing just one isn’t enough to stop a pending infestation. Professional grade repellents are the key to keep the scouts away.
- Disrupt their scented trails. Ants are highly sensitive to smell, an adaptation that has made them highly effective at scouting and foraging. You can use this against them by treating areas where you’ve seen ants before with soapy water or a vinegar solution. This will cover up the scent they use to navigate, making it harder for them to come inside. While DIY methods may provide short-term relief, professionals use targeted baiting strategies to eliminate the nest at its source — ensuring long-lasting, effective results.
Where At-Home Ant Control Falls Short
On-sight elimination of scouts and disrupting trails can only go so far. Ant infestations can slowly expand in your walls, allowing them to appear in one room one day, only to be seen all the way across your home the next.
Ghost ants and Pharaoh Ants can be particularly difficult to address on your own because of a behavior called “budding.” When disturbed, the ants will scatter in different directions. From there, these separated groups can start new offshoot colonies, effectively doubling your pest problem and making it even more difficult to address without professional residential or commercial ant control services.
How Professional Ant Control Services Can Make a Difference
Professional pest control goes a step beyond DIY ant control methods. Hulett Environmental Services takes an integrated pest management, IPM, approach. This focuses on long-term solutions to pest problems through a combination of biological, physical, and chemical methods to create a highly effective and environmentally conscious plan.
Our thorough inspection process helps us pinpoint the source of the infestation, even if the colony is far away from where the ants appear. From there, we use specialized ant baits that allow the ants to take the treatment back to the colony itself for lasting pest control effectiveness.
Just call Hulett to schedule your free ant inspection today and get the best ant treatments with long-lasting protection for your home. Coupled with exclusion methods and routine visits, you can enjoy comprehensive ant protection for your home all year.
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