Ants Marching Into Your Home
Fluctuating temperatures and rainy weather have led to a hotbed of ant activity across the Southeast, and not just in yards, but also in homes.
Bob Belmont, Board Certified Entomologist, and the Pest Control Technical & Training Director for Massey Services, notes that ants are year-round pests across the Southeastern states and ant activity can be relentless, even throughout the winter months.
Living Habits
We may easily spot a trail of ants indoors because ants such as the Ghost ant, which typically nest outside in plant materials near a building’s foundation, can form colonies in the thousands in wall voids, behind cabinetry and in dark voids.
White-footed ant colonies may also reside in walls and under attic insulation, though they are most commonly found in decaying plant materials or within palm fronds, leaf litter and hollow plant stems.
Argentine ants and Caribbean Crazy ants can also move indoors in search of food and water, especially if disturbed by heavy rainfall.
Conditions, Avenues and Sources
Ant infestations typically begin through external conditions, avenues and sources around the exterior of your home.
- Conditions are situations outside your home conducive to pest activity, such as sanitation around garbage cans, standing water or wood stored near your home’s foundation
- Avenues are pathways into your home, such as unsealed cracks and/or crevices, tears in windows screens, breaks in caulking around pipes or cable television wires, etc.
- Sources are places of origin for pests, such as mulch beds, underneath accumulated leaves, inside unsealed trash containers, and others.
An Ounce of Prevention
To fully eliminate ants in your home, use these tips to help prevent ants from coming indoors:
- Seal off any openings in to home; make sure windows and doors have tight seals where they meet the walls
- Check vent openings to ensure they do not allow access points.
- Don’t attract ants. Ants have an incredibly heightened sense of smell. Store food in sealed containers, and clean up any food particles.
- Ants like outdoor clutter. Remove any debris, such as firewood, that may be resting against the outside of your home. This can provide a breeding ground for ants.
Ongoing treatment is the best way to prevent and eliminate ants. Massey Services can help prevent these ants from taking up permanent residence.
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