Ant Control Services in the Gainesville, VA Are with ExtermPRO

Ants are not a problem individually. But there is never only one ant. Once ants find the food, water, or other materials that they want to take with them back to the colony, they will invade in large numbers all throughout your home.

Both residential and commercial properties in Gainesville and nearby towns can experience infestations from several different types of ants, and because we’re surrounding by nature, we are often at greater risk than even the rest of VA. At ExtermPRO, we have ongoing pest control to get rid of ants and keep them off your property for good. Call us today at 571-620-1168 to learn more about how we eliminate ants, or to get a quote for your property.

Types of Ants in Northern Virginia

The majority of ants we have in Northern Virginia are harmless. They do not bite, do not spread bacteria, and – with the exception of carpenter ants – will not damage your property. Virginia has been known to attract fire ants, which can be dangerous, but they are still extremely rare this far north.

But something does not need to be dangerous for it to be a problem. As part of our Gainesville pest control services, we are able to provide ant control through prevention and extermination, using one time or ongoing pest control to get rid of ants fast and keep them from coming back.

We have a lot of ant species here in the region – too many to name here. But some of the most problematic and common ants include:

• Little Black Ants – These common ants are tiny and pure black. Their colonies are smaller than other ant species, and they will build their nests under rocks, in rotting trees, under carpets, and in wall voids. If threatened, they will move their nest to another location. Their preferred foods are sweet, but they will also eat insects, meats, produce, and oily foods.
• Carpenter Ants – Named for the fact that they chew through wood, carpenter ants hollow out spaces in your walls or foundation to build their nests. They don’t eat the wood, but rather live in it and feed on sugars and proteins. These ants can be up to half an inch long with noticeable antennae. They are not quite as destructive as termites, but still can cause irreparable damage.
• Odorous House Ants – As their name implies, these ants release an unpleasant smell similar to rotting coconuts when they are crushed. They are tiny and will often live in soil outdoors with workers crawling in through small holes to get to kitchen pantries and cupboards.
• Pavement Ants – These ants live underground in soil, often near a sidewalk, patio, or driveway. They come inside regularly for food and may move their colony inside entirely to escape cold weather. They are small with a black body and brown-black legs.

With several different ant species here in Northern Virginia, infestations can offer their own challenges based on the number of ants, where they live, and what treatment strategies will be most efficient. With some species, finding and removing the colony is the only solution. With others, a bait or poison carried back to the nest may be enough to eliminate the entire colony.

Our pest professionals will look at the type of ants, where the colony is, and the degree of infestation to determine the right treatment. In some cases, ants can be prevented with a simple exterior spray, and in other cases, it may be best to eliminate the entire colony.

How Ants Invade Properties in Gainesville, VA

Ants are social insects, often living in colonies that contain thousands of insects. The location of the colony will vary – some ants build nests underground while others may live in dead trees or the walls of a building, but the colony needs to be close to resources:

• Food – Small crumbs on kitchen floors or countertops or any unsealed food can be a feast for ants. Regular cleaning in a kitchen can help minimize the available food, but resilient ants can often still find crumbs in well maintained homes.
• Water – Like all animals and insects, ants require water. A leaking pipe, outdoor puddles, frequent condensation, or collected water like that in a toilet or sink can provide the water a colony needs.
• Shelter – Ants build their colonies in locations that are protected from extreme heat or cold, rain, and predators. Removing dead foliage gives ants fewer places to build outdoor colonies, and exclusion to seal all the small cracks ants might enter through can help reduce the chances of ants building a colony indoors or getting inside to get to food.

In the social structure of ants, the colony’s workers are responsible for scouting out food and water to bring back to the nest. How far a scout will travel depends on the species, with some traveling over 100 yards away to locate food.

When they find something they need, they send a message back to the colony by leaving a pheromone trail behind. Other ants follow this trail by scent once food is found so that hundreds of worker ants can begin to bring food back to the nest. Eventually, hundreds and possibly thousands of ants will come, and even more will start exploring elsewhere around the property to see if there are any other items they need. This is what causes one ant to become a massive ant invasion.

Ant Control with Bi-Monthly and Quarterly Pest Control Treatments

Ants are a pest that can invade year round. Once an ant colony is established, it can survive for 20 or 30 years. New ant colonies also pop up through a behavior known as swarming, when a new queen leaves an existing colony to establish a new one.

This is why we offer ant control and prevention all year long with our pest protection plans. We visit your home or business on a schedule to identify any ants inside or out on your property and treat them. We also establish a seal around the exterior of your home so any ant colonies in the nearby area will not attempt to come inside searching for food. Our pest treatment plans can provide:

• Bi-monthly Ant Protection
• Quarterly Ant Protection

The choice between these two depends on your personal risk factors, and we’re happy to discuss the different options with you. With ongoing pest control, we can lay a barrier that prevents ants from getting on your property, and if any are living on or near your home in a way that puts you or your property at risk, it also makes it easier to eliminate them and help keep your property protected – not only from ants, but from all other pests as well.

Exterminating an Ant Infestation

If you have spotted ants around your property, we have a range of treatment methods we can customize to get rid of the ants. Our process often includes:

• Identify the Ants – We first determine if the ants present are carpenter ants, little black ants, or another species so we can plan treatment accordingly.
• Locate the Nest – Knowing what type of ants you have helps us find the nest so that we can remove the queen and the ant’s home base if necessary.
• Treat External Areas – All of our ongoing pest control visits focus on external treatments. By eliminating ant trails and scouting ants and creating a barrier that ants do not want to cross, we can often solve and prevent interior infestations.
• Apply Treatment Indoors – If ants have come inside, we use fast and safe treatments to get rid of them and remove any pheromones that might attract other ants.

Unlike natural ant control or commercially available baits and traps, our methods address the underlying issues that enable ants to come back again and again. We remove the colony itself and the pheromone trails that can lead the ants right into your home. Since we also tailor the ant control to the specific species of ant, you can be sure that our solutions are efficient and effective.

Commercial Ant Control in Gainesville, VA

It is not only homes in Northern Virginia that can have an ant infestation. These pests can get in through a small crack in any building to find bits of food inside. Restaurants, cafes, grocery stores, and other locations where food is sold often have infestations, but any properties where employees, customers, or visitors bring food in can also have enough crumbs for ants.

We provide one time and ongoing commercial ant treatments for:

• Retailers
• Food Service
• Offices
• Schools and Hospitals
• Hotels, and More

Although ants are unlikely to bring in bacteria, any pest at a business can be damaging to your reputation and ants are likely to infest any food stored on the property, which can be costly. In addition, the presence of ants also implies that other pests can enter. Ongoing pest control that includes ant control can help keep your business free of all irritating pests.

Why Choose ExtermPRO for Ant Control

As a professional pest control company in Gainesville, Haymarket, Centreville, and other local towns, we approach ant control with comprehensive pest control methods. We eliminate not only the ants we can see, but those that may be living in a nearby colony.

We do this through:

• Local Knowledge – With every ant infestation needing a slightly different approach, a team like ours that knows the local species can always choose the right ant control strategy.
• Targeted Methods – From a range of ant control methods, we choose those that will be fast, affordable, and as minimally invasive as possible while still removing every ant.
• Safe and Eco-Friendly Treatments – Our treatments are naturally green, making them safe for interior and exterior use around your family, including your pets.

Our services are also affordable and guaranteed for your added peace of mind. If you notice ants between our bi-monthly or quarterly visits, we return at no charge to take care at no additional charge.

Get Rid of Ants Today – Contact ExtermPRO

Whether you’ve been struggling with a persistent ant infestation or want to be prepared with pest prevention, ExtermPRO’s ant control services are the best way to keep out ants in Northern Virginia. Get a quote or learn more about the benefits of a pest protection plan by contacting us at 571-620-1168.