Why are there So Many Ants in my House?
Ants come indoors for many reasons, including to seek shelter and food sources. Commonly, ants may come indoors in large numbers during inclement weather. This article explores the primary reasons why ants enter homes and provides Michigan homeowners with strategies to help control these ant infestations.
Water Sources
Ants, like other pests and wildlife, require water. If nearby ant colonies have had a hard time locating water sources, they may come indoors. This is especially true if there is access to easy water sources in the home, such as a leaking faucet or pipe condensation. Securing and closing these water sources is an important step in keeping ant colonies out.
Food Sources
Of course, food sources are also important to ants. Ants are scavengers, meaning they’re constantly seeking good sources of food. If a foraging ant comes across a good source of food in your home, they will notify the rest of the colony and move indoors. Common food sources that ants may find include open food containers in closets or pet food crumbs. The best way to keep ants out is to ensure there are no sources of food in your home. Be sure that all food boxes are secure and regularly clean up pet food.
Inclement Weather Shelter
Many ant colonies may also move indoors to seek shelter during bad weather. Extreme heat or cold can be dangerous to ant colonies, and they may seek the more controlled environment of your home. Some homeowners may also notice floods of ants coming indoors during extreme winter storms or before or after tornadoes. Bad weather can also lead to home damage, such as decaying or rotting wood, which can also attract ants indoors. Of course, the ant activity also varies, depending on the ant type. Michigan is home to many different types of ants.
Nesting Practices
Ant colonies may also come indoors to nest. Most commonly, they may choose rotted wood to build nests. However, any shelter near food and water sources may work. Because this is the ant colony’s nesting site, homeowners may notice a significant increase in ant populations in the near future. Noticing even a few ants in the home could indicate an ant infestation. Ants do a good job of staying hidden, but homeowners may notice the trails or nests they leave behind. With carpenter ants, owners may instead notice wood shavings or sawdust left behind from the ants’ nesting activities in the wood. The good news is that identifying ant infestations is usually simple.
Getting rid of them, however, is another story. It’s crucial to get rid of the whole colony, and not just a few ants. The ants you notice traveling from one point in your home to another do not usually give a clear view of the number of ant populations housed in your home. Pest removal strategies should focus on breaching the nest.
At Solidified Pest Control, we have proven ant removal techniques that can help get rid of the ants in your home for good. We take the time to find the ant nest and get rid of it completely to ensure your home stays ant-free. We offer pest control services all throughout Metro Detroit, including Redford, Livonia, Farmington Hills, and Ann Arbor. Our team of experienced technicians also offers other pest removal services, including spiders, flies, and rodents. We offer a range of proven strategies to address your pest and rodent removal needs.
Contact Solidified Pest Control today at (866)614-6762 for your ant removal and pest control needs. Whether you need pest control Livonia services or Commerce pest control, we have an experienced technician to help.
