Why Do I Have Ants in My House? (And How to Show Them the Door)

You have vacuumed and mopped and maybe even danced a victory dance over your beautifully sparkling floors. Then, the ants come marching yet again across those spotless floors in a tiny parade. You are not alone if this is something you are familiar with. Ants are ingenious little opportunists and can quickly turn “clean” into “swarmed.” Do not lose hope. With a little knowledge and understanding, your home will be ant free in no time. 

Why Ants Love Invading Your Place

Ants aren’t fussy about which homes they invade, but they are picky about what is accessible. These are some common reasons they choose to make your house their home:

Gaps: Ants are tiny and can find their way through the smallest of gaps in your home and make it their own little expressway. They look for gaps around windows, under doors, in foundation crevices, and along pipes. 

Scents: Ants don’t need a five course meal. Tiny forgotten crumbs, a leftover spill, or even just the residue from your hand on a doorknob are all they need. They are professionals at following pheromone trails and recruiting friends. 

Multitude: It may look like there are just a few scouts on your kitchen floor, but that usually means there is a lively colony under floors or behind walls or outside. Most ant species have multiple queens and send foragers out to find food and bring it back to feed the whole family. 

Not every species of ants is looking for the same things. Pavement ants might target your driveway, sugar ants may target your pantry, carpenter ants may target your structure, and odorous house ants may target random areas. But they are all looking for food, water, and shelter.

Spotting the Signs of a Sneaky Infestation

If you are seeing ants it doesn’t always mean you have a real problem. But you should watch for these signs:

• Trails along baseboards or counter edges
• Ants showing up in the same spots at similar times
• Piles of tiny wood shavings (frass) near walls if carpenter ants are involved
• New activity after rain or during warmer months

Colonies can grow quickly so being proactive is best. The longer you wait to do something about it, the bigger the problem can become. 

Smart, Effective Ways to Show Ants the Exit

You won’t solve the problem by only taking care of the ants you see. Ants work in an operation. In order to eliminate the issue, you will need to disrupt their system. Here’s our advice:

1. Seal the Fort: Inspect your home where you have been seeing ants. Look for entry points and use caulk or weatherstripping to close the gaps. Pay special attention to areas around pipes, vents, doors and windows.
2. Clean Like You Mean It: Wipe surfaces with a solution of vinegar and water. Ants hate the smell of vinegar and cleaning the surfaces will erase their scent trails. It is also helpful to store food in airtight containers and take the garbage out regularly. Small preventative measures go a long way.
3. Target the Colony, Not Just the Messengers: This is where we come in. We use an effective spray that is safe for children and pets but will send those ants on their way. The spray attracts the ants and then those foragers take it back to the nest, sharing it with the queen and worker ants. It’s like delivering a Trojan horse—efficient and colony-wide.

Keeping the Peace Long-Term

Ants can be a little relentless but with a bit of strategy and help from the pros, you can reclaim your space. We offer quarterly treatments without a contract and a guarantee in between treatments. It will keep these pesky intruders away from your space. Your home deserves to be safe and ant free, and you deserve peace of mind.