“When I saw we had ants in the house, I freaked out,” Marie said. “My boyfriend says I’m over-reacting and that ants are no big deal. I say they can make us sick. Which one of us is right, and more importantly, how do I get rid of the ants in my house?”
We turned to one of the best pest control companies in Cape Cod for answers. Here’s what they had to say:
There are so many different kinds of ants, and some of them are absolutely harmful to humans. The type of ants most likely to be encountered in the Cape Cod area are not known to carry diseases the way mosquitoes and ticks do. However, they pose a significant health hazard, because ants transmit dirt and feces wherever they travel within your home. This can contaminate your food, which leads to gastrointestinal distresses. Ants have also been cited as contributing to asthma and other respiratory concerns.
An additional issue is that carpenter ants, very common in Cape Cod, damage the homes they are in. They do this by actually eating the wooden structure of the home, in much the same way termites do. Carpenter ants are always on the lookout for suitable nesting sites to raise the next generation of ants. If they damage the structural integrity of your house to do so, they don’t care. They’re just ants! But you, as the homeowner, may wind up needing to pay for thousands of dollars in repairs.
“My boyfriend wants a new motorcycle. Which whatever. But I told him we’re not going to be able to afford that bike if we have to pay to fix the house because of the ants!” Marie laughed. “All of a sudden, it was important that we have the Cape Cod pest control company show up and take care of these ants! Which they did, and now we are 100% ant free. It’s wonderful.”