You walk into your kitchen first thing in the morning, turn on the light… And discover a trail of “visitors” across the floor. Yikes! Why are ants suddenly invading your home, and what can you do about it?
First, don’t take the problem too personally. Contrary to common belief, ants aren’t always a sign that you’re a terrible housekeeper. If an ant colony just happens to be located near your home, sooner or later they’re going to venture inside to explore. It only takes a few crumbs to encourage them to stick around, and almost anyone will drop a stray crumb here or there.
Second, this can be very normal behavior in the spring and summer. This is the time of year that swarms of winged ants set out to establish their own colonies, so they’ve already been out there looking for just the right spot. We see a lot of new ant infestations during the warm months.
A simple trick. For now, you can start combating the problem by wiping down surfaces with disinfectant. Ants leave scented trails for their buddies to follow, so you can eradicate those trails and discourage more ants from following the leader into your house.
Observe your ants. If they’re the tiny black variety, they probably have an established colony outside your home. Dealing with the problem will involve discovering their entry points and sealing them, then addressing the colony itself.
If you have carpenter ants, they are likely nesting in the wood of your house. In many cases they choose moist or rotting wood, so these ants can actually indicate plumbing leaks or other types of water damage somewhere within your home. Eradicating them will likely require you to locate the damaged wood, repair it, and address the original source of the problem as well.
Call a professional pest control company. In most cases, an established ant infestation won’t be eradicated by simply sealing up entry points and cleaning up food particles. You will need professional treatments on the inside and outside of the home to exterminate your pests. While over-the-counter ant sprays can kill ants that you see wandering about, they will not address the colony which is located either inside your walls or just outside of your home. Give us a call if you’ve discovered an ant problem, and we will get to the root of the problem.