Ants Archives | Topbest Pest Control Services

June 30, 2022

3 Common Kitchen Pests To Watch Out For

What are the common kitchen pests to watch out for?

Ants
Cockroaches
Rodents

The kitchen is the place where food is prepared. Where there is food around, there is the risk of pests attraction, especially if pests have easy access to your kitchen. Whether it’s a kitchen in your home, restaurant, office, or school, it’s important to know the common kitchen pests to watch out for. Take steps to prevent annoying, damaging, and costly pest infestions by implementing high standards of sanitation and hygiene. Keep on reading to learn more!

Ants

Ants are one of the most common household pests, and they can be commonly found in the kitchen. Ants are known for liking the sugar content of food, which is why you might find them near sweet foods, such as syrups! Since these pests need water, they might also be found near the sink.

Here are some of the reasons why you might find them in your kitchen:

Having sugary and sticky food items
Excess moisture source
Improperly stored food
Uncovered garbage

Unfortunately, ants are capable of causing food contamination and spreading diseases like Salmonella, E. coli, and Shigella. For this reason, you don’t want ants to come and go in your kitchen, especially if you have a food business.

Ants leave scent trails behind when they go through places as this allows them to follow each other. That’s why you will often see them walk in lines. You can follow the trail to find out where they’re coming from. You’ll need the help of a pest management team to find and get rid of the ant colony.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches can be found in poorly cleaned and sanitized kitchens, and can be a reason for your health code violation if you’re managing a restaurant. But how do they get into your kitchen?

Here are some of the things that can attract cockroaches:

Food debris
Moisture
Clutter
Warmth and heat

Cockroaches can hitchhike in deliveries and also get inside holes that give them access to your kitchen. They look for a steady supply of food and water to survive. Cockroaches are problematic because they can spread disease-causing pathogens. Their droppings can leave dark stains and trigger asthma attacks, too.

One of the most effective ways to prevent a cockroach infestation is to properly store food and practice proper cleaning. If you already have a cockroach problem, a pest management team can help you solve the problem effectively.

Rodents

Mice and rats are commonly found in kitchens since they’re also enticed by food and nesting options in this area! They can climb and squeeze themselves into small openings to get into your kitchen. Whether it’s through holes or gaps in walls, floors, or windows, they will find a way to get in for the following reasons:

Food and water source
Food debris
Nesting location

Some of the usual food sources of rodents in your kitchen include grains, rice, and cereal which can be found in your cupboards. However, they don’t have a preference of where they will get their food from, so garbage is just fine too. Rodents also attracted to dark and damp areas, so they might gather under the sink.

Urine and feces from rodents can be a cause of food and water contamination. Rodents can also spread pathogens, such as leptospirosis and salmonella. Rodents also carry smaller pests with them, such as ticks, fleas, and mites. They like to gnaw and can cause damage to your kitchen.

To get rid of rodents in your kitchen, store all food properly and get rid of nesting materials, such as cardboard, paper, fabric, or rugs. Seal entry points so they can’t come in. Pest control teams will help you remove rodents if you have an infestation.

Key Takeaway

These common kitchen pests to watch out for may be small or look harmless, but they can cause many problems for you and others, such as contaminating food and water, spreading diseases, and causing damage to property!

The three things that will attract them to your kitchen are food, water, and a place for nesting, so make sure to implement higher standards when it comes to hygiene and sanitation and seal all entry points!

If you presently have a pest infestation in your kitchen, call us here at Topbest, so we can help you! As an experienced pest control and management company, we only use safe and effective methods to get rid of pests for good. We also offer FREE pest consultation in the Philippines.

May 6, 2022May 12, 2022

Red Ants Vs Black Ants: Things You Should Know

What are the differences between red ants vs black ants?

Physical appearance
Nest
Bite
Pest management

Ants are one of the most common insects that you will see in your home or when you’re out and about. But there are more than 10,000 ant species around the world that we know today, so you might be wondering why some ants don’t look the same. You might be particularly interested in red ants vs black ants, which have many differences apart from their color. Keep on reading to learn more!

Physical Appearance

Aside from their color, red ants and black ants differ slightly in appearance. For instance, most ants are black, which means that they can be found in a variety of sizes and shapes.

One of the most common black ants that you might encounter is carpenter ants. These are usually black with dark red legs. Worker carpenter ants are about ¼ to ½ inches in length, while queens are as long as ¾ inches.

Red ants usually refer to fire ants, which are reddish-brown to bright red in color. The size can differ, but are usually medium-sized, with others as long as ¼ inch. They’re smaller compared to other types of red ants. Fire ants have a stinger, which they’re known for.

Nest

Black ants typically live outdoors, but there are some species that can form colonies in homes too. Carpenter ants prefer to live in dead or decaying trees, stumps, logs, and branches, while there are also species that live in the soil. Carpenter ants can also nest in building materials such as lumber piles, sheds, and houses. But unlike termites, they don’t eat wood but dig it for nesting. They’re also nocturnal insects too.

Meanwhile, fire ants build visible soil mounds in areas exposed to the sun, as they’re most active during the hottest hours of the day. You won’t find them that much in dark and shady areas. They like to build their nest in open areas compared to forests. The mounds are usually dome-shaped and can be as high as 18 cm and as wide as 61 cm.

Bite

Fire ants are known for their bites. Unlike other species of ants, they can bite with their mouths and use their stinger to sting their prey and inject toxins. The venom injected can cause a burning pain that feels like the wound is on fire — earning them the name of a fire ant. Fire ants are more aggressive than black ants.

On the other hand, black ants can also bite and spray acid, but the pain is not as bad as from the bite of a red ant. The bites are small, so you might not even notice them. Most black ants also don’t have a stinger too. Black ants won’t bite you unless you disturb them as a form of defense.

Pest Management

The good news is that most black ants will leave you alone, as long as you leave them alone, too. But they can be bothersome as they can create homes within walls and ceilings.

But if you want to prevent black ants in your home, make sure that you keep your home clean. Always clean up crumbs and spills immediately. Black ants will usually come in looking for food, so make sure that there’s nothing that will attract their attention in the first place. To solve the problem for good, you will need to target their nest and eliminate the entire colony.

Red ants, especially fire ants, are more problematic because they can pose a danger to you and to your pets. It’s best to call a professional pest control group that can handle the problem. They will inspect the area and create a treatment plan suitable for the situation.

Key Takeaway

When learning about red ants vs black ants, you need to know about their appearance, habitat, and bite in order to know which is which. This way, you will have an idea of how to get rid of them for good.

But with so many species of ants out there, you might have difficulty in determining what kind of ant you have in your building. In this case, it’s better to get help from a professional with the knowledge and expertise in dealing with different kinds of ants. If you’re interested in hiring a pest control management group, you can contact us here at Topbest!

January 11, 2022January 10, 2022

4 Common Ant Species in the Philippines

What are the common ant species in the Philippines?

Pharaoh Ant
Weaver Ant
Pavement Ant
Black House Ant

Anywhere you may be in the world, the chances are high that you’ve been annoyed by all kinds of ants. Ants are small, vicious, and worst of all, ubiquitous. You’ll find them everywhere, in all kinds of habitats in any kind of weather. The Philippines is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot, with a wide range of ant species that makes its study more interesting. There are more than 12,000 known ant species worldwide, but here, we’ll talk about # of them.

The most common ant species in the Philippines are the ones we encounter in our homes because food sources are abundant there. They like to make colonies they have access to food that we discard or leave out in the open. As you read the list, you may recognize some of these ants as unwanted visitors to your home. Let’s get started with the first one:

Pharaoh Ant (Monomorium pharaonis)

The Pharaoh ant, sometimes mistakenly called the Pharaoh’s ant, is a common ant in the Philippines. They are considered an invasive species worldwide, and a major indoor pest in the United States.

Appearance: The Pharaoh ant is a tiny and slender ant of yellow-brown color. Males are slightly larger than the average worker, and they have a darker color with wings. The Queens are even larger than the males, are bright red, and winged.

Behavior: These ants like to make ground nests and are generally scavengers. Their habit of making nests in hard-to-reach places makes them difficult to control. Colonies can also have multiple queens that are interchangeable, allowing their colonies to have longer lifespans.

Weaver Ant (Oecophylla)

The weaver ant can be encountered even in urban areas of the Philippines. They are commonly known as the “hantik”.

Appearance: Weaver ants are large ants that are red and sometimes green. They are generally larger than other common ants in the Philippines so they can easily be spotted.

Behavior: Hantiks are known for their aggressive and territorial behavior. When people encounter them, they tend to steer clear because it is likely that they will get bitten. Weaver ants get their names because they like to weave mango leaves together and call it home. One colony can make several nests in different trees, and they are found mostly on canopies. Because they make their home in leaves, they have evolved to be averse to fair. If you light a matchstick near some weaver ants, they will attempt to put it out by secreting a liquid from their abdomens.

Pavement Ant (Tetramorium caespitum)

The pavement ant is another ant species that are considered invasive in the Philippines. They are typically found in agricultural and highly disturbed areas. You’ll find them under rocks and loose bark.

Appearance: Pavement ants come in dark brown and black, have two spines on the back and a groove on the head. These ants are relatively small, and the winged ones are often mistaken as termites.

Behavior: These ants are labeled as aggressive breeders, and they are not picky of the time of the year to swarm your household. They like to scavenge and are generalist predators. They’ll often be foraging on the ground and building nests in twigs, rocks, and bark. They don’t bite, but they can sting you. Thankfully, they’re not as aggressive as weaver ants and would most likely leave you alone.

Black House Ant (Ochetellus glaber)

The black house ant is one of the most common ants in the Philippines, being present in households anywhere in the country. These ants are not dangerous, but they can be annoying at times.

Appearance: As the name suggests, these ants are small and black. They are small, just 2.5-3 mm long, and they are often described as shiny.

Behavior: Black house ants are arboreal when nesting outside, but they like to go ground-foraging. Indoors, their black bodies can be easily noticed, and they form very noticeable columns when traveling to and from the colony. They are fast-moving, but not aggressive and rarely bite humans. The only threat they can pose is unintentionally spreading disease-causing bacteria to food sources.

Key Takeaway

As mentioned earlier, there are way too many common ant species in the Philippines to be discussed on a single page. The ones you’ve read here are some of the most widespread in the archipelago, making them familiar problems in Filipino households. Even though biodiversity is good, having invasive species might be more damaging to both humans and the environment.

If you’re having an ant problem, then the best way to solve it is to call for professional pest control. We at Topbest have been the first choice of Filipinos when it comes to pest control solutions. Our experts have liberated over 5,000 homes in the Philippines from harmful pests of different kinds. Interested? Feel free to contact us anytime for a free consultation!

November 8, 2021

5 Facts About the Life Cycle of an Ant

What are some facts about the ant’s life cycle?

Some eggs hatch, some get eaten
Larvae feeding is crucial
Ants metamorphose
Colonies have castes
Timelines differ per species

Where do ants come from? Have you ever wondered what goes on underneath those ant mounds you see outside? Their tunnels are filled with thousands of ants for one queen, and yet we almost never see what happens to their growth. The ant life cycle might be mostly hidden from our eyes, but it’s no longer a secret.

Ants go through four stages in their lives: as eggs, as larvae, as pupae, and as adults. Keep on reading to learn some more facts about the lives of ants!

Some eggs hatch, some get eaten

All ants start as eggs. They are white, oval, and roughly 1 mm in length each. I’m sure you could imagine just how small the eggs of insects as small as ants must be. But ant eggs are more than just amazingly small.

Queen ants can lay up to 800 eggs on average each day. When an egg is fertilized, it will hatch into a female. Unfertilized eggs produce males. You could understand how ant colonies grow so populous, but not all eggs become adults.

Some eggs get eaten before they even hatch. While the colony is just starting, the queen may eat some of the eggs for sustenance. Workers would also feed some eggs to the larvae. Tough luck for them!

Larvae feeding is crucial

Ant larvae emerge from the eggs after about 3-4 weeks. These larvae look like worms with no eyes. During this stage, the larvae do nothing but eat and grow. They get fed by the workers and they rapidly molt and grow. These larvae would shed their skin again and again during this 1-2-week stage of their lives.

How is this crucial? Larvae that get fed more grow bigger. And eventually, they grow into queens. The other less-fed larvae grow into simple workers. Future queens are determined by the amount that larvae eat.

Ants metamorphose

Metamorphosis isn’t exclusive to butterflies. When larvae get big enough, they pupate or become pupa. This is the transition period when they metamorphose (transform) into full-fledged adults.

They start to look more like adults in this stage, except with legs and antennae tucked close to their bodies. Some species of ants even form a silk cocoon and attach themselves to walls as they pupate. After 9-30 days, the transformation will be complete.

Colonies have castes

Adult ants arise from pupae, and then the direction of the life cycle branches out. As fully formed mature ants, they stay the same size for the entirety of their lives. However, adults are separated into different castes and play different roles for the colony.

Adult ants can become queens, workers, or males. The biggest of them are the queens. These ants have wings that let them fly off, mate, and start their own colonies, completing the ant life cycle. The queens tear off their wings before burrowing into the ground and laying the first eggs of the colony.

Workers are smaller females than queens, and they are the backbone of the colony. Workers do everything; they gather food, take care of the young, build and maintain the colony, and everything in between! Larger workers are the ones that defend the colony, sometimes called soldiers.

Males, or drones, are winged and fertile. They can fly and they can mate with queens. Other than that, they don’t really do anything. They don’t help with any of the chores of the colony, and they die after a few weeks.

Timelines differ per species

The life cycle lasts around 6-10 weeks on average, from egg to adult. The timeline becomes a lot different when they become adults in their own castes, and it’s also different for each species.

Drones only last for a few weeks. They’re the quickest to die in a colony, and since they don’t help anyway, that’s one less mouth to feed.

Workers can live for a few months at a time, but they have high mortality rates. After all, they’re the ones who venture out of the nest. Good thing the queen can produce hundreds in a day!

Ant queens are tough. In the right conditions, they can live for over a decade. They keep the colony alive, so if you wanted to get rid of them, the queen should be a prime target.

The lives of ants differ largely on the species and conditions that they are in, so it is difficult to give a single estimation for all ants.

Key Takeaway

Ants live life very differently from us. Understanding how they live and how they develop gives us more insight into how they function. This deeper understanding can help us study them better, or learn how to counter them.

Ant problems are very common, and we know that very well. If you have an invasive ant problem, then you’re in the right place to be! Just send us a message here and we can talk about shortening the lifespan of the ants in your home!

October 7, 2021October 7, 2021

Why Do Ants Keep Coming Back?

Why do ants keep coming back?

Presence of an ant colony nearby
Access to their survival needs
Remaining ant pheromones
Accessible entry points
Ineffective home remedies

It might be tempting to squish ants and be done with it, but their family and friends will keep coming back. If this occurs to you often, there might be some things that you’re overlooking or doing wrong. If that’s the case, you might need pest control services soon. If you’re wondering why ants keep coming back, keep on reading!

Presence of an Ant Colony Nearby

Although some species of ants typically travel, others prefer to build a nest. That’s why killing a few ants won’t be enough if there is an ant colony nearby. This could be built in trees, underground, or inside ant plants. Some colonies have even survived for hundreds of years, so as long as it’s there, the ants will keep coming back. Aside from nesting outdoors, they can also live inside your home or establishment. You could find them inside walls or behind the baseboard.

Although some ant colonies have only a few dozen ants, the average nest has thousands of ants. This is why a pest control professional is needed if the colony is still alive. They can help find the roots of an infestation and prevent it from causing further problems.

Access to Their Survival Needs

Just like other pests, ants need food, water, and shelter to survive. If you have a messy kitchen, then that’s another reason why they keep coming back. Store food in airtight containers, clean up the mess as soon as possible and take the trash out regularly. Check the pet bowl for leftovers too, as this can attract them.

Other than that, ants also need moisture. Check your pipes for leaks and drips to keep them away. Keeping your place clean and hygienic can help stop them from coming back. It will also keep other pests away.

Remaining Ant Pheromones

They might look small and unintelligent, but ants use special navigational methods to find their way back to your home. As ants move, they produce a special pheromone and deposits it along a route. This acts as a guide to the other ants on how to find specific food sources in your home. That’s why you will see a line of ants going through the same trail.

If you only kill the ants and forget to clean the area where they have gone through, you can’t get rid of the pheromone trail that they made. This might be the reason why other ants keep coming back. One way to solve the problem is to use a mixture of vinegar-water spray. The strong scent will mask the scent and pheromones on the trail.

Accessible Entry Points

If you provide ants an entry point into your home or establishment, they will keep coming back. And this just doesn’t mean closing doors and windows. Any cracks and crevices in the wall, door frame, or ground are a means of entry.

To stop ants from coming back, it’s a good idea to perform some repairs and renovations. Patch up holes, fix the caulking around doors, and replace the screens on the window. Inspect the foundation for entry points too because there might be some loose mortar in there. Other than that, be mindful of trees and shrubs as these can acts as bridges into your home.

Ineffective Home Remedies

If you ignore an ant problem with the hope that it will resolve eventually, the problem will worsen. Queen ants can produce multiple eggs per day, so an infestation could grow in no time. But it’s also important to do your research if you’re trying home remedies.

For example, spraying your entire home with ant repellent might not be the wisest choice. Instead of getting rid of the problem for good, you’re contaminating your living space with harsh chemicals. Often, this is only a short-term solution and you’ll see ants again soon. If you have a severe infestation, the best option is to hire a pest control professional.

Key Takeaway

Ants are a persistent problem for many homes and business owners. Unfortunately, they will keep coming back as long as the colony survives, they can access their necessities, detect pheromones from other ants, and find holes they can enter through. Spraying them with an ant repellant might not be the best solution too.

If you’re wondering why ants keep coming back, Topbest can help you! As a professional pest control company, we have methods to detect and treat an ant problem in your home or establishment. It comes with a free inspection too. To get started, you can contact us here.

July 20, 2021July 19, 2021

5 Remedies for House Ants in the Philippines

What are some ways you can deal with ants in your house?

Find the Source
Check Your Food Storage
Use Deterrents
Seal up Gaps and Holes
Do Some Gardening

Have you ever walked into your kitchen only to find a line of unwelcome guests heading towards your food? Or left a snack on your desk and come back to it an hour later to find it covered in pests? An ant infestation can add loads of stress to a good day because if you’ve ever had an ant problem you know exactly how difficult it can be to get rid of. This is especially true during warmer months, which is why it is such a common problem for many households in the Philippines. Here are remedies for house ants so you can begin to tackle this pesky problem.

Find the Source

If you’re already dealing with an ant problem, one of the first things to do is try to find the source of the problem. Follow the ant’s trail to find out where their nest or point of entry might be. Once you’ve located it, you can decide how to deter them from entering, or how to remove the source entirely.

Check Your Food Storage

Tackling the problem at its source is the best way to get rid of ants and prevent future infestations. If your food is lying around and not properly stored, ants will definitely find a way to get to it. In order to prevent this, store your food in air-tight containers or sealed in plastic bags. Keep in mind that ants will be attracted to sweet and starchy food, so pay extra attention when storing food like sugar, honey, and the like. On top of that, cleaning your containers after use is also a good practice in preventing ant infestations. Rinse out your food containers before recycling or throwing them out.

Keeping your home clean is one of the best ways to avoid ant problems. Ants will only want to move in if there’s enough food to interest them! Always clean up after eating – wipe away spills, sweep away crumbs, and wash your plates and utensils after meals. Avoid leaving food out on tables or counters (even if they’re covered!) for too long.

Seal up Gaps and Holes

Ants can only invade your home if they’re left an opening. They typically move in through small gaps and holes in your walls, cabinets, floors, roofs, and even near pipes. No matter how small, if you want to prevent them from coming in you should seal them up. Use caulk or sealant to cover up any spots where ants can enter your home, and make sure to inspect your home frequently for any new ones that might appear.

Use Deterrents

You could also try to discourage ants from trying to enter your home by trying both chemical and natural deterrents. Most types of ants dislike certain scents that come from plant oils, such as peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus. Ants also dislike the scent of bay leaves, pepper, and coffee grounds. Sprinkling these things around or on doorways and windowsills can help in driving ants away. You can also try spraying a mixture of vinegar and water around these areas.

If you’re worried about how these deterrents might smell, you can also try using chalk to draw lines on the same areas. Ants typically will avoid crossing chalk lines, as they contain calcium carbonate which they hate. You can even try using other materials to create lines, such as powder, salt, and flour.

Do Some Gardening

If the previous steps fail, you might want to look at the state of your home gardens. One of the ways that ants can reach your home is through the plants and trees in your yards. Check your plants for ants, and keep them neatly trimmed to prevent them from using branches or vines to enter your home. You can also make sure your plants are ant-free by putting lemon or orange rinds in their plant beds.

If all else fails, you might have to attack it directly at the source, which will most likely be in your garden. The easiest way of getting rid of them is to pour boiling water on their nest, which can remove most of the colony and prevent them from rebuilding their nest.

Key Takeaway

Insect problems are unfortunately common in the Philippines. Remedies for ants in your house are something that many families end up searching for at least once in their lives. Luckily, there are many ways to solve this problem, and with these remedies, you now know how to get rid of that infestation and control future ones. Don’t forget to continue treating problem areas that you find in your house even after all the ants seem to be gone! They can easily re-invade your home if you’re not careful.

January 9, 2021February 8, 2021

How to Not Attract Ants to Your Home

Silhouette red ant walking on tree branch and sunset background

How can you not attract ants to your home?

Throw away food wrappers
Don’t leave any dishes in the sink
Store dry food properly
Seal any holes in your house

If you own a house, you’ve probably thought about different ways of how to not attract ants to your home. You buy all the insecticides and pesticides that you can think of — only to end up having to deal with another ant trail that you thought was gone forever.

In dealing with ants, you don’t even need to do too many complicated things. Preventing them from infesting your home can be as simple as throwing away food wrappers, religiously washing your dishes, or practicing proper food storage. Read on to learn more

Throw Away Food Wrappers

Bad news: ants have an exceptionally good sense of smell that’s even considered to be around 5 times better compared to other insects. The good news, however, is that you’re not powerless against this ability. Those food wrappers lying around your house? They’re the perfect breeding ground to attract ants of all kinds. But throwing them away is one of your best defenses.

As much as possible, you’ll want to make it a habit to dispose of any snack packaging or disposable food-related packaging as soon as you’re done with them. Don’t put them off or leave them lying in an open area that can be reachable by these pests.

If you can’t trust yourself with this, a good practice is to make sure that there’s a garbage bin nearby you. Although its contents will have to be taken out later on, it’s definitely better than leaving wrappers randomly around the house.

Don’t Leave Any Dishes in The Sink

Another simple tip that you can use against ants, is to make sure that you don’t leave any unwashed dishes in the sink. Sure, this may be a lot of work if you’re living with a lot of people under the same roof, but there is a way to make the job less taxing.

For example, after using any kitchen utensil, dish, cup, mug, etc., you may rinse them under running water and leave them for washing later. In this way, any residue left from your last snack or meal has already been dampened, lessening the chances of an ant colony detecting them.

However, you can only do so much by rinsing your dishes for a few seconds. The better option is still to wash them thoroughly as soon as you’re done with them. For best results, scrub each item using a dishwashing liquid in order to remove grime that can attract ants to the area.

Store Dry Food Properly

If you don’t have a pantry or dedicated shelving for any food items, then it’s common to leave them sitting on a table or on a countertop. While this may be a common practice among households, it increases the likelihood of ants that may feed on the food.

What you can do instead, is to transfer the food from their original packaging into washable and reusable containers that are also airtight, if possible. These containers offer a protective barrier against not only ants but other insects that may flock to your kitchen or dining room.

Alternatively, you could also turn to your refrigerator even in storing these items. Aside from helping the food stay fresher for a much longer time, ants are averse to the low temperatures and cold conditions. They prefer locations that are warmer and less humid in order to survive.

Seal Any Holes in Your House

Another measure that you can take against ants is to examine and assess certain parts of your home for any cracks, holes, or damages, oftentimes these can serve as a way for these insects to entire your home. They may be difficult to spot but there are some signs that you can watch out for.

For example, you can look around hotspots in your house — living room, dining room, kitchen — for any ant trails. You could also inspect window ledges, window frames, or door frames for any dead ants lying nearby. Both of these serve as good indications of ant presence in or around the area.

First, you’ll need to eliminate any ants that have already entered by spraying on pesticides or wiping them away with a damp cloth. Once this is done, you can now seal the crack or hole with a caulk that can prevent further entry in the future.

Key Takeaway

Knowing how to not attract ants to your home is the key to having one less pest to deal with. This guide has outlined a number of measures that you can take. You can do simple things like washing dishes after eating, throwing away wrappers, storing food properly, or inspecting your home for any potential sources of entry.

As always if you have an ant problem that’s just too great for you to deal with alone, you can always enlist the services of a professional pest control service. Topbest Pest Services can help keep your home safe from termites, ants, and other unwanted bugs and insects in your home. Get in touch with us here for more inquiries!

September 23, 2020September 23, 2020

The 5 Places Where Ant Colonies Hide

Where will you most commonly find ant colonies?

The Kitchen
Inside Walls
The Trash
Under Flooring
The Living Room

Ants can be found almost anywhere as long as there is a suitable habitat for them. There is no one place where ant colonies hide. As long as there are cracks, holes, and gaps a colony can easily build up.

Ant colonies usually live in wood or soil outside of the house. They may enter your house to get some food or when it starts to rain. It’s also possible that they live inside a building or your home at certain points of time.

If there’s an unusual number of ants moving all over your house, then there might be an ant colony hiding in the wings! Here are the top 5 places where ant colonies might be hiding in your home!

The Kitchen

If you are thinking of where to look first, it has got to be the kitchen. The kitchen, be it the floor, the refrigerator, or anywhere there’s food, is a pest’s paradise. Ants are the same.

The kitchen is the most likely place for an ant colony to thrive.

Ants live by feeding on food scraps and whatever water they can find. All of which can be found in or very close to the kitchen.

Take a look at the hard to reach places in your kitchen. Behind the kitchen cabinets and right below the kitchen sink and the stove where a lot of grease builds up. These are perfect sweet spots for ant colonies to buildup and hide!

Follow ant lines as soon as you find them in your kitchen. That way you will easily find and get rid of the ant colony that is invading your kitchen pantry!

Inside Walls

Most people would think that their walls are full enough that there won’t be any space for pests to move through. But time and time again, pests have proven otherwise.

Ants are probably the most annoying ones with this. It is like whatever you do, the ants will find a way through. Be it through large openings such as doorways or windows, or very small cracks in the walls, ants and other insects can just squeeze on through.

It won’t be easy to find them clumped up, but you will find ant lines moving into small cracks. That’s a sign of a possible ant colony within the walls of your home.

Bear in mind that some ant colonies prefer to hit build their colonies outside, while some prefer a safer place. The walls inside your home give these species of ants a place that is safe and can easily reach the outdoors as well.

The Trash

It may not come as a surprise that in your trashcan or anywhere you place your trash is one of the most common places where you’ll find an ant colony. It is an easy place for them to thrive, especially if it’s a little bit neglected. This place is an amazing habitat for ants because it’s got everything they need.

You will most commonly see them under the trashcan, or somewhere that won’t be moved too much. These ant colonies are the easiest to spot as they’ll be crawling any garbage that’s placed there.

To prevent the colony from getting big, take out the garbage at a regular interval. You may also move the trash bins somewhere else. Segregating your trash will also help prevent ants and other pests from living in that place.

Under Flooring

If you have even a small garden at the front of your house, there’s a high chance that there’s an ant colony just outside your doorstep. Ant colonies could have created a nest under some concrete slabs within or around your house.

The most obvious sign of this is an unusual number of ants scouring your floor for food and other knick-knacks.

There are pesticides and other tools such as ant bombs that will easily get rid of them. Experts say this is the best way to deal with colonies under floorings and concrete slabs!

The Living Room

Or anywhere else that you frequently spend time eating in like your bedroom or the dining room. If the rooms aren’t regularly cleaned of the food scraps, pests will easily take a liking to the place.

Ant colonies might start to form behind or inside furniture, cabinets, and as mentioned above, the walls!

Key Takeaway

Ants are some of the harder pests to deal with because of how resilient they are. They come and go whenever and will almost always find a way to sneak through your defenses.

Finding out where ant colonies hide is one of the best ways to remove them early. When ants start showing around your home, search for their colonies immediately! That way, you can stop them from becoming too much to handle in the future!

September 17, 2018

Examples of Pests that Are Affected By Pest Control Services

What are some examples of pests that are affected by pest control?

Rats and mice
Cockroaches
Termites
Ants

When it comes to pest control services, you have to know what you are dealing with to ensure that you will get rid of them once and for all! No one likes having pests as unexpected visitors to their homes. This is why various pest control experts are always up for the task of eliminating them in your area. You might think that those little creatures are just harmless but the truth is, they can be hazardous not just for your health, but for your family’s as well.

Here are some common examples of pests affected by pest control. Hopefully, this list can help you when identifying a pest problem with the help of professional pest control teams.

Rats and Mice

Don’t you just get the most uncomfortable feeling when you see a mouse or a rat scampering around your house? Well, that feeling is certainly justified because rodents often carry diseases that will subject you to potential health risks.

Your kitchen is especially vulnerable to these pests because they can contaminate your food which will spell disaster for you. Mice can carry diseases like salmonella or meningitis and rats can infect you with leptospirosis as well as other precarious illnesses that can cause liver, kidney, and heart problems.

The presence of rodents such as mice and rats greatly affect humans which is why at the first sign of trouble concerning these pests, you should instantly call pest control professionals.

Cockroaches

It seems unsightly to call these pesky little creatures disgusting, but they sure live up to their reputation! One look at a cockroach, it can get girls (and boys for that matter!) screaming at the highest pitch.

Cockroaches live and thrive in dirty places so it only makes sense that they carry the same qualities as well. Their droppings, urine, and decaying bodies can turn into airborne particles which can be harmful, especially if you are asthmatic or you have young children at home.

They are the worst pests to have in your home because no matter how much effort you exert in order to get rid of them, they never seem to go away because of how fast they multiply. This is the reason why you should call on the services of pest control experts as soon as possible in order to have a roach-free household!

Termites

Do not be fooled by the small stature of these pests because they have the ability to cause damage to many things in and around your home. Termites are perpetually hungry, and they can gnaw their way through anything and everything in your house.

If you do not deal with them before the situation gets worse, termites can be the cause of you losing large sums. There are many DIY treatments for termite infestation that you can look into such as orange oil and tea tree oil but the best way to eliminate termites is to call the local exterminator.

The many species of termites all share this common denominator; the only way they can be dealt with before they bring extensive damage to your house structure and possessions is through thorough and proper extermination.

Ants

You may not care about leaving crumbs all over the floor or failing to cover up food containers but once ants find this source of food, then you might have a hard time ahead of you.

Colonies of ants can invade your home to the point that it becomes more than just annoying. What stands out about them is their ability to travel in large groups which ultimately means bigger problems for you. The best way to get rid of them is to get rid of open food containers and ensure cleanliness, especially in the kitchen. Keep them out by making sure to properly manage your waste. Most of all, do not leave out food in open areas.

Key Takeaway

The list of common pests affected by pest control does not stop here. In fact, there may even be new species of insects and bugs that can plague your home. To make sure that your home is protected from these creepy-crawlies at all times, cleanliness and proper upkeep are key. In times when their presence gets becomes too much to handle, do not hesitate to request for the expertise of pest control specialists so your situation would not get too out of hand.

April 24, 2018April 24, 2018

Have a Buzz-Free Summer with these Pest Prevention Tips!

The summer season is the time for outdoor activities, which is probably the reason why you have been waiting for it to come all year round.

Unfortunately, your summer play can be interrupted by pests who want to join in on the fun by lurking around you like an ardent lover or a persistent stalker.

The latter description is fitting since they can be really annoying.

To get rid of them, you’re in need of some pest control since it is important to have precautionary measures when dealing with these creepy crawlies. Thankfully, there are many methods of repelling them without taking too much time off your summer vacation.

In fact, you can be an operator of pest control with these pest prevention tips below: