With the rise in temperature, ants try to come inside for cooler temperatures and more food sources, said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs of the National Pest Management Association.
Pavement ants, carpenter ants and odorous house ants are the most common ants in the Dayton region, Jones said. Carpenter ants are the most harmful because, “They are going to be chewing the wood, they do not consume it like termites,” she said.
Black carpenter ants primarily are the ones that get into homes, she added.
Carpenter ants can do more damage than termites and are more aggressive, said Dan Kelley, former owner of Z-Best Pest Control, a family-owned exterminator in Centerville. Dan Kelley said the company has seen an increase in ant complaints this year.
Carol Raab of Fairborn, has had an ant problem for the past two years. Last year, she tried using bait ant traps and ant spray, but those didn’t work.
“They (the ants) just walked around the bait traps,” said Beverly Miller, Raab’s daughter, who has tried to help Raab get rid of the pests.
Miller said the ants walked along wall edges in the living and dining rooms.
“We gave it our best shot to treat them ourselves, but it did not work,” she said.
Eventually, the family hired an exterminator, which they said seems to have helped the problem.
Jason Kelley, who took over Z-Best Pest Control, said ants sometimes find their way into homes through cracks or holes in the a home’s foundation.
Jones said if the wrong bait is used, an ant will walk around it. Using spray and bait at the same time doesn’t work because the spray affects the bait.
To keep ants out of the house, Henriksen suggests limiting sources of moisture. She also said to focus on, “cleanliness, wiping up spills and crumbs and fixing cracks. If you can fit a piece of paper in any parts of doors or windows, bugs can get into them.”
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