Having an ant infestation in your home can be something that happens yearly or seasonally.  A lot of ant species form colonies in the outdoors and come inside as they forage around for food.  When the ants find a food source they will keep coming inside to gather food to take back to the nest.

What attracts ants in the house?

What makes ants want to get inside your home? The same thing that attracts you to the indoors.  These pests are commensal, which means they prefer living near people and even eat similar things. Ants eat meats, starches, sweets, and liquids.  They come inside in search of food and water.

Where can you find ants in the house?

 

Wherever there is water or moisture you will probably find ants.  Ants like the parts of your house that are protected. Such as beneath appliances, wall voids, and under floors, and behind window frames. If there are plenty of food sources that allow ants to get inside they will make themselves at home.

 

What are odorous house ants?

These popular types of ants are called odorous house ants.  They can be recognized by the not-so-pleasant odor emitted when one is smashed.  The smell is similar to that of a rotting coconut.  These ants have a smooth body that is dark-brown with legs that are light, honey-colored hues. These ants are medium-sized and build nests in cracks and crevices;  ideal places ants use to start an infestation.

 

Why am I getting a lot of ants in my house?

Ants are always scourging around for food and water to bring back to the colony. Therefore, your bathroom and kitchen are where you will find ants in your home.  Ants like the water and moisture in your faucets. As well as tiny crumbs found on the counters and floors.

 

Where are the ants in my house coming from?

There are many ways ants can get inside your home.  Discovering how ants get inside your home is only the first step in fixing an ant infestation. We must understand the many entry points which ants get inside in order to kill ants in an effective way.

 

There are so many entry points

Your house is not sealed hermetically. What this means is there is room for the air outside to be transferred to the indoor air.  This transfer is completed along with the window frames and wall seams, as well as vents and doors. These tiny gaps are big enough to allow ants to enter your home. Make sure to inspect all areas of your home where a wall progresses into the ceiling, corner, or floor.  In addition, any places in which holes have been made to install electrical outlets or lines, vents, and plumbing pipes. Cracks and crevices in walls, or splits in the plaster can be an open invitation for them to get inside.

What is an ants house called?

It is the place where you will find an ant colony living. It is a nest that is also referred to as an anthill. They may be found in trees, underground, beneath rocks and sometimes you might see them in an acorn! When we are speaking about an ant colony's nest that is underground it usually is an anthill.  This is the result of worker ants piling soil or sand in the shape of a mound outside the entrance.

Why can't I find where the ants are coming from?

Are you having a difficult time finding where the ants are coming from? Here a list of some of the most common areas, many ant species like to hide:

• Moist areas, such as the bathroom and kitchen
• Floor drains--both in and around them
• Within the motor areas of a microwave or refrigerate
• In tiny cracks or crevices around walls or in cabinets
• Behind wallpaper

It is a fact that a lot of ant species prefer to nest and hide their eggs in moist areas.  Therefore, the first place you should check are areas that fit any of the above descriptions.  When searching for ants, take a flashlight to ensure optimum visibility.

One way you can entice ants is with the honey and peanut butter test. This is an excellent test if you are only discovering a few scattered ants.  This test will enable you to attract ants to a specific area in which you may view the ants trail as it forms.  It will also aid in the detection of the best kind of bait when enlisting a control plan.

• First, using a jar lid or small saucer, put it in the area of most noticeable ant activity
• Next, put a half teaspoon of honey at one side of the saucer or lid
• Put a half teaspoon of peanut butter on the other side
• Keep this in place until you notice a trail of ants
• It is recommended using your flashlight at night in order to follow the ants trail during the nighttime.  Ants are nocturnal and late evening hours will be the best time to follow the trail to their nest.

Professional pest control tip to get rid of ants

When using the honey and peanut butter test to trail ants is also a good way to know what type of bait you will need.  For instance, if your pests prefer honey, then a bait that is a gel or liquid will work best. If those pests appear to like the peanut butter more then a paste or granule bait would be better. This is a good tip to remember when doing self ant control.

Humane, non-toxic ways to get rid of ants in your house

If you have pets or small children, then you may be fearful to use toxic chemicals for pest control. If this is you, then here is a bit of good news. You can divert an ant infestation outdoors without the use of harsh chemicals.  We have learned through scientific studies that ants are intelligent pests. Believe it or not, these pests are actually capable of experiencing pain.

We have listed below some tips for getting rid of ants in a safe, humane manner by:

• Get rid of things that attract ants.  This means keeping your kitchen clean. Wipe down the cabinets, counters, and the floor with a water and vinegar solution of equal parts.
• Store food (pet food included) in airtight containers.
• If possible, avoid feeding pets outside and do not feed wild animals.
• Get rid of items that collect moisture-such as kiddie pools, barbeques, potted plants, boards, sheet metal, and any large chunks of debris, logs, or bricks.
• Maintain yard vegetation and ensure lawn furniture is stored away from the house.

Natural ant repellants for pest management

 

As mentioned earlier, many homeowners prefer less non-toxic methods of pest management for the removal of an ant problem. If the ants inside have entry points by way of windows and doors you can use cream of tartar. Wherever you form a line of this spice, the ants will not cross it to enter.

Other natural ways to repel ants are coffee grounds, cinnamon sticks, paprika, dried peppermint leaves, chili pepper, or cloves.  Simply leaving any of these items close to openings will keep them away. In addition, you can squeeze lemon juice at their point of entry along with leaving a piece of the rind. Some homeowners will grow mint along the foundation of their home; this trick has been proven effective.  Lastly, garlic not only deters vampires, but it will also keep ants away! Just lay a few cloves along pathways inside and out to keep this little pest from coming in.

How to keep ants outside

The best way to keep ants outside is to clean up the inside. Make sure there are no crumbs lying around on the floor and the counters are wiped clean. When feeding pets, do not keep feeding containers sitting around with leftovers remaining in them. The secret to keeping ants outside is to maintain a clean indoor environment.

What ant species are in my house?

There are so many different species of ants; how do you tell which species is your ant problem?  Ant infestations may consist of the following species (to name a few):

• Carpenter ants
• Pavement ants
• Ghosts ants
• Rover ants
• Argentine ants
• Fire ants
• Crazy ants

Of all the possible ants in your home,  carpenter ants are probably the worst of the ant infestations. The reason is because of how much they damage wood. It doesn’t matter what types of ants are in your home; you just want to get rid of the pest problems.

If you see any of the above colonies forming outdoors they may soon become indoor problems.  Make sure to seal all the cracks you see around your home and keep it extra clean. If there is no way in, and nothing lying around you can deter ant problems before they start. But should the ant colonies get in your home, the next step is to call a professional.

Calling a professional

You have tried humane, non-toxic, and natural remedies to kill ants around your home. Yet, the problem still exists. It may be time to call a rights reserved professional ant control company. A.N.T. Pest Control is that company to call when you want to get rid of ants. This professional control service for insects knows the best way to kill the whole colony including the queen. Your ant problem will become nothing short of a bad memory.

A professional ant service such as this knows the best way to eradicate the entire colony. Ants need to make their way through the cracks in your home.  They enter your home because they need to bring food back to the queen. An ant may forage around and even kill other insects in the way as they search for sustenance.

You are going to like the results these professionals provide you with. Once you see the pest problem you once had disappeared.  Your home will even appear cleaner with these insects gone.  Our rights reserved service will come back if we need to, part of our guarantee to keep your home insect-free.