This is where ants hide to beat the Texas summer heat — and how you can get rid of them

Megan Cardona
·2 min read
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As temperatures rise in North Texas, a small home intruder may work its way inside your home to escape the heat.

Ants are a common household pest in Texas and — although they can show up year-round — pest control specialists report increased calls about the insect during the summer.

What kinds of Texas ants can come into my home?

Common Texas household ants include fire ants, carpenter ants, crazy ants, pharaoh ants and acrobat ants.

Fire ants are one of the most common ant species that nest outdoors, however they will enter buildings in search of food and water typically in late summer, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Carpenter ants make their home in hollow trunks and branches of trees when outdoors but can also live in hollow doors, boxes, walls and ceilings. According to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, acrobat ants also nest in trees but can make a home in building walls or insulation.

When crazy ants nest indoors, they usually go for potted plant soil and pharaoh ants will go for cardboard boxes, electrical boxes and dark, narrow spaces.

How to prevent ants coming into my house?

Sealing entry points into your home is a key step to preventing an insect invasion.

Ants can come in through door sweeps or weep holes on the exterior of your home. Make sure daylight can’t be seen from underneath your door and that your home’s windows are not drafty.

Maintaining your lawn and trimming hedges, bushes, shrubs and trees also keeps critters from coming in, the Star-Telegram previously reported.

What do I do if there are ants in my house?

Pesticides and ant traps can be purchased at home improvement retailers or grocery stores, however there are exterminators in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for you to call if your problem is too big to contain yourself.

Make sure the exterminator you hire is licensed, bonded and insured by the state of Texas.

Use the Texas Structural Pest Control Board website to search for licensed exterminators in your area, using your ZIP code or address.

Cross reference with Google, Yelp and Facebook reviews to find out what past customers have said. Call the exterminator company to find out key information like how much experience they have, how many technicians they have employed and how long the company has been in operation.