You’re spending a nice spring day enjoying the sun coming through the windows when you notice something moving around on your kitchen counter.
At first you think it’s a trick of the eye. Maybe you just imagined you saw something moving. But then you take a closer look and see an ant crawling across the space you could swear you just cleaned off. And then you see another one. And another one. What gives? Where did the ants even come from?
And that’s the sneaky thing about ants. They can show up almost without warning … and they never come alone. Before you know it, you have a full-on ant attack.
You can prevent ants in your house in Central and Southern Maryland. First, you have to understand where they are coming from and where they are hiding.
How Are Ants Getting in Your House?
Though ants are aggravating, they don’t just enter your home for the sole purpose of being annoying.
Where are ants coming from? They are actually driven by some common attractors that bring them into your house. Here’s what they are after.
Food
The most common reason you have ants in your house is because they are seeking food.
They usually find sugars or uncovered foods the most attractive. This means crumbs on the floor and foods like sugary cereals that aren’t in sealed containers. Then they go back to their nest, sending a message to their worker friends that they found food. Suddenly, swarms of ants come into your home to grab some snacks for the rest of their colony.
And it’s not just human food ants are interested in. Pet food of any kind, including dog and cat nibbles, can be a draw for these little pests.
Shelter, Safety & Moisture
So you’ve cleaned every section of your home, secured your food in sealed containers and could swear there’s not a single cracker crumb on the floor. Yet, you still have these pests. Where are the ants coming from?
While the main reason ants enter your home is to seek food, that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in other things.
They are also looking for shelter, safety, and water or moisture.
Ants drink water just like we do. If you have a humid home, that will likely attract them. If it’s hot and dry outside, your cool home with water and moisture looks pretty attractive.
Ants also seek out a place they can call home -- somewhere they can safely thrive. It’s a basic necessity that everyone -- ants included -- need.
Where Do Ants Hide in Your House?
Ants are so small, you might think they can fit in anywhere in your home. And that’s true.
But pest control pros know where to look for common hangouts when you have ants in your house.
You’ll find ants near food sources, moist areas, and in protected hiding spots. Think under appliances, beneath floors, and in walls.
How to Prevent & Get Rid of Ants
Now that you know where ants are coming from and where ants hide in your house, it’s time to banish them from your home and keep them away.
First, let’s start with the basics.
- Keep ants at bay by keeping things tidy. Clean up spills, keep foods stored in airtight containers, and manage trash regularly. Store pet food properly as well, and keep pet bowls clean.
- Minimize moisture by fixing water leaks and ensuring gutters and downspouts guide rain away from your house.
- Ensure tougher entry by sealing locations where wires or pipes enter the home and caulk gaps in windows, doors, or foundation cracks.
- Keep trees or shrubs near your home pruned so they don’t touch the house, enabling ants to use branches to get inside.
- Stack firewood at least 20 feet from your home since this is a regular ant hangout.
These strategies above will help keep ants away if you don’t have them. If you do have an infestation, the following are techniques that help eliminate ants inside:
- Pest control pros can use a contact insecticide to control an initial ant population that keeps coming back and growing.
- Non-repellant ant control products are useful because the insecticide is hidden in a protein or sugar source as a bait so the ants think these bits are food and take them back to their colonies. This enables the insecticide to reach the queen and knock out the bigger problem: the source of your ant problem.
- Once your inside infestation is controlled, barrier treatments can help keep ants out because they include a smell or taste that ants don’t like so as they near your home and come in contact with the barrier treatment, they immediately go in another direction.
Banish Ants in Your Home For Good
Ants are a nuisance when they invade your home and end up ruining your favorite foods or crawling across your clean countertop.
Once the problem starts, it’s one thing. Once it is left unattended and continues to grow, it becomes quite another.
We know dealing with an ant problem can seem overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to look, where the bigger colony is located, or what to do to stop them from coming in.
Frustrated with the ants you can’t seem to get rid of in your home? Let Natural Green help. We can offer a complete proactive pest control program that includes an inspection and treatment plan to eliminate those ants and keep them from coming back.
Do ants keep spoiling your day? We’d love to help you take back control of your Central or Southern Maryland home. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we’ll prepare a custom plan that is the best choice for you. Then you can relax without constantly having to inspect your counters and floors for tiny insects.
Image Source: Ant
