Common Myths about Ants and Ant Control

When you have an ant problem, the internet can be a misleading place. Here we busted some of the common ant misconceptions.


If ants don’t make your skin crawl at least a little bit, then you may not have been paying attention. A single, determined ant hill, can empty your pantry in a week, spread bacteria all over your house, and crawl all over you while you sleep. As far as insects go, ants are some of the worst. Why? There’s never just one ant…. they come in droves.
If you think you have an ant problem, then this article is for you. Here are all the things you ought to know about ant invasions, coupled with a few busted ant infestation myths.

Is having ants in your house bad?

Many people who think they have ants, don’t realise what it is about an infestation that is all that bad. Asides from having streams of tiny bugs parading through your living space, ants can actually cause a fair number of problems.

On the surface, an ant infestation is simply unsightly. It never looks good to have lines of ants going in and out of your home. It might even trigger a visit from the neighbours as the ants spread out in their search for food. Ants which have been in the bathroom or infested a bin area, can then spread all the germs found in that area around with their feet. You could end up with bathroom germs in your kitchen cupboards while they search for food.

House Ant Infestation Myth #1 – All Ants damage your home

99% of ant species are only dangerous in their germ spreading ability. On the other hand, the 1% can do severe structural damage. If you have a carpenter ant infestation, then you may be in real trouble.

Carpenter ants are similar to termites except in what they do with the wood. While a termite will chew up your wood to eat it, a carpenter ant scrapes out your wood to live in it. A big enough colony could bring the roof down about your ears.

So while a few ant hills in the yard won’t damage your property, if they are living in your woodwork, it’s a different story. That’s why it is important to have every ant infestation checked, even if you’re not seeing structural damage…yet.

House Ant Infestation Myth #2 – Ants are ‘Clean’ Pests

There are no insects alive that can be considered ‘clean’. It is not that they are inherently dirty, but rather that they walk through things. Ants feed on decomposing food, walk over areas of the colony where there is urine and dirt, and almost never wash their hands.

So, when the ants walk out of the colony and a long line of them form all the way into your kitchen cupboards, you can see how the bacteria from other areas might spread. Ants are known to have spread diseases in the past, many of which are food related. E.coli, which can hospitalize you, Shigella, and the deadly Salmonella, are both a risk when you have ants in your home.

Do ants carry diseases? Yes they can. And some of them might even kill you.

What repels ants in the house?

There are a number of methods for getting rid of ants, but obviously the most effective is to hire an ant exterminator to take care of the problem. The longer you leave your ant problem to fester, the greater the cost and more extensive the extermination.  For instance, if you leave a colony of carpenter ants to take over, your house could have structural damage.

Ant Repellent Myth – Ants will move on when a place is clean

If you have no food scraps lying around, then the ants can’t steal your food… right? Wrong! Ants can live in a clean house just as easily as they can live in a dirty house. Admittedly, the chances are higher of causing an ant infestation if you don’t clean up spills – but that’s not the only way you get ants.

Any Repellent Myth #2 – Ants only come to dirty homes

Ants come inside for shelter from the weather, because you keep the doors open often, or simply because they like the smell of your kitchen. Never assume that an ant infestation means the house is dirty. It could be any number of reasons.

My ant control method doesn’t work – help!

There are many so-called natural ant control methods out there. However, if you want to effectively obliterate the ant infestation in your home or office, once and for all, natural methods just don’t cut it. You need an expert and that’s where Avon Pest Control comes in.  The knowledge of our experienced Vancouver ant exterminators about each ant species in BC ensures that they will help your home be rid of ants.

We can provide you with safe and effective ant infestation treatments, diagnosis, and solutions. We are our customers first choice in pest control services, throughout the Vancouver, Surrey, Delta, and White Rock areas. Contact us today for all your residential, commercial, or industrial ant infestation prevention needs.