You know that you do not want ants in your house, but that does not necessarily mean that you are fully aware of all the reasons that they are considered pests. Most people simply do not want ants inside because they see them as a sign of uncleanliness or are concerned about them contaminating food. In reality, these are just some of the reasons that ants are considered pests. Take a look at some of the main reasons that ants have well-earned their designation as pests.

They Can Transmit Disease
Depending on the type of disease, it is possible for certain types of ants to carry it around. This is particularly problematic in hospitals and other treatment facilities. Ants have been linked to spreading bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. They can also spread diseases that used to be serious risks, including dysentery and smallpox.



Contamination
As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest issues associated with ants is the risk of contamination. Ants are determined to find food, which is bad news for humans who keep those food items accessible. If you have food containers that ants can breach, they will likely do so. The result is contamination of the food that you eat or you feed to your kids and pats.

Some Ants Bite
Certain species of ants can also cause problems via their bites. They may contain venom that causes varied effects in humans. Inflamed skin and potential itchiness are common reactions to ant bites, but you may also experience cramps, headaches, or worse symptoms. In other cases, people may be allergic to ant bites. In this situation, having a biting ant species on your property can actually be a matter of life or death.

Ruining the Landscape
Ants can also cause plenty of accidental damage simply by ruining your beautiful landscape. Their nests are not the prettiest addition to the property and they can be on wood stumps, wood piles, or even your soil.

Special Damage Caused by Chewing Ants
Chewing ants cause even more problems in addition to those caused by other types of ants. Since they will chew on a range of items and materials in your home, their damage can be extensive. In the worst cases, they may do enough harm to cause structural damage to your property, putting the entire building at risk for safety. Or they may chew on electrical cables and ruin them or even create a serious fire risk. Chewing through the wooden structures of a home is a particularly common problem with carpenter ants. These particular ants make these tunnels to create a nest that has easy access to the various food you have on offer. To make matters worse, carpenter ants tend to target wood that is already weak. This makes the chances of them accidentally causing structural damage even better.

Ruining Insulation
Chewing ants are not the only type of ant that can cause serious damage to specific structures. Many types of ants will do their best to tear apart insulation and succeed in the process. They do so as a way to make their nest and given the fact that insulation is relatively easy to destroy compared to other materials.

Risks with Chemical Control Methods
In addition to the pest-like problems caused by the ants themselves, the methods of controlling them can also cause issues. Specifically, most of the solutions to take care of ants involve chemicals or other substances that can be dangerous to humans and pets. This means that you must exercise extreme care when using insecticides to get ants out of your home. That caution is necessary whether you try to control the ants yourself or hire a professional.

Wasted Time and Mine
Because of all of the above problems, ants end up resulting in lost time as well as money. Many people will try various homemade remedies or worry about the ant problem for days or weeks on end. This can cause stress and you may waste money on the attempts to control the ants. Professional ant control tends to reduce the time and money wasted somewhat, but there will still be a small cost associated with the service.

They Increase Quickly
To top off all of the above issues with ants, they multiply very quickly. Ants are social insects so you will not have just one or two ants; you will have a colony. They also breed very quickly, so what was a mid-sized colony can quickly become a large one. The larger the colony, the worse the damage. To minimize the issues that you have with ants on your property, work with a professional to help discourage these insects from invading your home. If you notice ants, try to remove them with professional help as soon as possible and do what you can to mitigate the issues in the meantime.

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