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Exterminators can get rid of your current ant problem, but they won’t prevent ants from coming back. So it’s important to implement ant preventatives to avoid future infestations.

The primary reason ants enter your home is to find food. If they can’t find any, they won’t survive. So, the most effective way to prevent ant infestations is to clean, clean, and clean some more. 

Keep your kitchen sparkling and wash your dishes immediately (or at least give them a quick rinse and wash off leftover food). Take out your garbage and compost as often as possible and tightly seal all your kitchen containers, especially the mason jars you use to hold your sugar—sugar is gold to ants.

You can also hire a local handyperson to help you prevent future ant infestations. The handyman can seal cracks and fix leaks throughout your home, which will keep any ants from entering.

There is very limited scientific evidence to support the efficacy of essential oils against bed bugs and they are very unlikely to kill the species. However, a 2021 study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) found that compounds in essential oils like clove oil, lemongrass, citronella, and bergamot could repel the insects.

Skunks spray as a defense mechanism to ward off predators. The active ingredient in their sulfurous, oily musk is n-butyl mercaptan, which evaporates into a powerful and smelly gas. Once the spray hits the skunk’s target, the stench can linger for days, and water and common cleaning kits aren’t enough to wash it away.

If you happen upon a skunk in your yard, try to back away slowly to reduce the chance of them aiming at you. Encouragingly, they don’t use their weapon casually, as it can take up to 10 days for their life-saving weaponry to refill. Paw stamping, hissing, lifting their tail, and arching their back are early signs they feel trapped or under threat and that it’s time to make a careful retreat.

The time it will take to see results from a professional exterminator can vary depending on the type of treatment and the severity of the infestation. You may notice a reduction of ants within a few days, but it can take weeks to months for the treatment to take full effect and kill the entire colony of ants. Make sure to discuss what results you can expect with your exterminator and any post-infestation cleaning you should do after the treatment.