Servall Pest Control bringing you an interesting article: CREEPY crawlies are invading North Coast homes and pest controllers say it's all because of the rain.
Increased moisture has led to big and small infestations of spiders, ants and rodents seeking shelter inside suburban homes.
This means phones are running hot at pest control companies across the Northern Rivers.
"Whenever the phone rings it's ants or rodents," explained Sanctuary Pest Control owner Michael Powell.
"Rats and mice are usually more prevalent in the winter months when they're seeking shelter, but this rain is driving them from their burrows into people's ceilings. So there's been no let-up in people calling for rodent control."
Ants marching into your house are not only unsightly, they can lead to bites, problems with hygiene and the removal of soil can lead to cracking in bricks.
But Mr Powell said most household ants are after shelter, not food.
"They're not in your house for food, they're there to nest. They will nest in your wall or roof cavities, then travel outside for food and bring it back."
Spreading salt along windows and under doors is a popular deterrent for ants, but Mr Powell said this won't get to the cause of the problem.
"I've heard a lot of ideas like putting cloves or chill powder out but ants will just find a way around it."
"If you do bait you will slow them down but black ants have very large colonies and they won't abandon their nest so they will always come back."
In order to deter the ants, Mr Powell said it's important to clear foliage from around your home and also ensure there is no pet food left out.
Aside from household ants, Mr Powell said he's also been called out to destroy funnel ant mounds around Lennox Head, Alstonville and Ballina.
He said funnel ants are very "destructive" because they ruin lawns and affect the structure of sub-soils.
"If you've got an infestation you won't get rid of them through spraying. They have a lot of queens so they will just keep splitting their colonies and coming back stronger. So if you can't get a handle on it call a professional."
NATURAL REMEDIES:
-Seal cracks around doors and windows
-Vinegar may destroy scent tracks followed by ants
-Add borax to sugar so the ants take it to their nest
-Spiders do not like the smell of lemon oil
Visit www.servallpestcontrol.com for all your pest control needs or call us at 1.800.264.1433!
