Warm spring days bring ant colonies out of winter dormancy with worker ants marching out of the nest in search of food. Once they've located a food source, the worker ants return to the nest laying down an odor trail leading from the food to the colony. The rest of the colony then follows the odor trail back to the food which explains the "ant trails" you can see across the kitchen counter.  

To prevent an ant invasion in your home this spring follow these steps.

• Treat the perimeter of your home. TERRO® makes several great products to either spray or sprinkle and even ground stakes designed to attack ant colonies before they enter your home. Sevin is another great product that will help prevent ants from entering your home, you can use it around the perimeter of your home or can treat your lawn for all types of bugs.
• Seal Any Cracks/Holes in Foundation.  Make sure your foundation, window and door seals are secure.  Ants can climb through very small spaces so be sure to seal any you find. BONUS: This also helps save on your electric bill!
• Store Food Properly.  Make sure you are putting food in tight, sealed containers so ants aren't attracted and can't feed. Leaving an open bag of chips or sugar out can cause a HUGE ant outbreak.
• Clean Up Food and Crumbs. Be sure your counters, floors, cabinets, etc. are food and crumb FREE. A trail of crumbs can bring you a trail of ants so be sure everything's cleaned up.
• Wipe Down/Disinfect Counters.  Some sugary substances invisible to the naked eye attract ants.  Wiping down counters with a disinfectant will help dissolve leftover spills or sticky areas ants love.
• Set Out Ant Bait. TERRO® liquid and granular ant baits have a low toxicity and are easy to use! The active ingredient is borax,a natural mineral which doesn't cause cancer, accumulate in the body, or absorb through the skin. Borax has a low toxicity for people and animals, but is toxic to ants. Attracted to the sweet liquid in the bait, you'll initially see many ants feeding but when they consume the borax bait it interferes with their digestive system and gradually kills them. This slow kill allows time for the worker ants to take the bait back to the nest sharing it with the rest of the colony and wiping it out. TERRO® liquid and granular ant baits our #1 ant solution!  

Organic Ant Prevention.  After following the steps above, apply scents that ants don't like such as vinegar, peppermint oil, cinnamon, black pepper,

cayenne pepper, whole cloves and bay leaves.