If you spot armies of ants marching towards your living space, do not panic. You can take steps to address the issue. As with other pests, ants come inside to find food, shelter, or water. To keep ants at bay, deny them access to food and water sources. Ants forage for food all the time, and they search elsewhere once they cannot find sustenance inside your home. Sometimes, sealing up water and food sources is not enough, particularly if ants live inside walls. If you have taken these steps and your ant issue persists, visit a pest control company website to hire pest technicians.
What Draws Ants to Your House?
Ants look for food, shelter, and water in different ways while in the wild. But they can more easily access such resources inside your house. if ants more indoors, they escape the harsh weather and their predators. Ants may find their way inside your house in search of the following:
Food sources. Ants can enter your house in search of food. Leaving dirty dishes in your sink means inviting ants to come over. The same is true when there are crumbs on the floor. Ants eat a lot of things including sugar, grease, protein, salt, and carbohydrates, and can smell these from a distance. As they are drawn to sweet scents, they can invade your home to find candles, laundry detergents, and other scented items. Although they cannot eat such products, they may look for other sources of food while inside your house.
Water sources. Ants also need water to survive. They can get water from accessible water sources in your house like drippy faucets or leaky pipes. Once they find a source, they can camp out and live in your home. Most ants are found inside bathrooms and kitchens because of their need for water. To keep these pets out, evaluate water accessibility in your house. Pay attention to pet water bowls and use dehumidifiers for bathrooms. Also, make sure to fix leaky pipes. Ants will not stay in your house if they do not have access to water there.
Ants prefer to be in a dark, warm environment. They may create nests inside your house, nearby, or underneath it, depending on the species. Understanding the species of ants you are dealing with can help you determine where you could find them. Once these insects discover a food source, they leave behind a pheromone trails that other ants can follow. This is the reason you can find ants marching in a straight line. Tracing back the line can help you find where these pests are entering your house and seal it off.
How Ants Enter Your House
Ants can find their way into your home through tiny cracks and crevices along doors, walls, and windows. Also, they may enter through the basement through foundation cracks. To prevent them from gaining access, below are steps you can take:
Seal openings. Seal up cracks and crevices that would let ants come inside. Check exterior openings like doors and windows as well as the foundation and exterior walls for cracks or damage. Seal these openings to prevent ants from getting inside.
Eliminate outdoor attractants. Ants are drawn to flowering bushes in your outdoor landscaping. Ants can swarm over sweet flowers such as roses and peonies. Also, vines or plants that grow up your home’s side or around the doors can offer ants a road into your house. clearing off your home’s sides can make it more difficult for these unwanted guests to enter your home.
Get rid of outdoor food sources. Leaving pet food outside or eating outdoors can make your home attractive to ants. cleaning up food, sweeping away crumbs, and giving pet food only when your pets are hungry can keep ants at bay.