Are you suffering from a sudden influx of ants in your home? Don’t worry. You are not alone. This is not an uncommon thing to happen for home owners.
Home owners can live for decades in a home ant-free. Then they can suddenly experience a sudden influx of ants in the kitchen, bathroom, and basically in the entire house. Here are some of the main reasons why you may experience a sudden influx of ants in your home and some things you can do to combat the ant infestation.
1. Food and water are too available in your home
Ants are very diligent. They are always on the hunt for food, water, and other resources. So, if you have a sudden influx of ants in your home, it can only mean that they have just discovered that they can find these resources there.
Ants will have no reason to invade your home if they can’t get resources from it. Your best course of action is to eliminate these sources. Here are some things you can do:
- Maintain the cleanliness of your home, especially the kitchen where there are food crumbs and drink spills.
- Store your food properly, including pet food, so ants will not be able to get to them easily.
- Seal your garbage bins tightly, as these are also good sources of food and water for ants.
- Fix plumbing issues that may provide water for ants.
2. There are ant passageways in your home
You can also have a sudden influx of ants in your home if you have new openings that can serve as passageways for ants. The most common among these openings are the cracks and holes in your walls.
These passageways serve as a bridge between your home and the ants’ nest. So, if you want to get rid of your ant problem, it’s wise to put these bridges down. Here are some things you can do:
- Cover the cracks and holes in your walls with the appropriate sealants.
- Cover the gaps between doors and windows with mats, weather strips, and other items that can prevent ants from getting through them easily.
- Also examine your plumbing and electrical wiring, as these structures can also result into gaps that can serve as passageways for ants.
- Cut tree branches that are too near your windows, as these too can be passageways for ants.
3. You have an overgrowth outside your home
Another reason why there are a lot of ants in your home all of a sudden is the overgrowth in your garden, lawn, or yard. Overgrowth really helps ants to thrive. The bushes, long grasses, and fallen leaves are valuable resources for ants. Aside from helping the ants develop their food sources, these greens also act as shelters from sunlight.
It’s important to maintain the outside of your home to prevent pests such as ants to thrive. Here are some things you can do:
- Keep your greens short, so the ants will not have an opportunity to thrive in your garden, lawn, or yard.
- Keep the outside of your home free of debris, such as fallen leaves from trees.
- Avoid the overgrowth from touching your walls, windows, and other passageways that may be used by ants to enter your home.
- If you have fruits and vegetables outside of your home, make sure to pick up those that are already ripe and those that have already fallen off. These may provide sustenance to various pests, not just ants.
4. There is a new ant nest nearby
The ultimate cause of your sudden ant problem may be a new ant nest nearby. Ants can easily thrive in a lot of places. These places can be inside or outside of your home. The best thing to do is to inspect both the interior and exterior of your home and look for the ant nest that is causing your misery.
Here are some things you can do:
- Inspect the cracks and holes in your walls, as these are common places where ants can nest.
- Look for broken or rundown wooden structures around your home, as certain species of ants thrive on wooden structures, because they are similar to the trees in the wild.
- Examine your driveways, patios, and the sidewalks near your home, because certain species of ants thrive on concrete, such as the aptly named pavement ants.
- Check the soil in your garden, lawn, or yard and look for large lumps that may be an ant nest. Give particular attention to shady areas, such as the spots under trees.
Once you finally find the nest, you can destroy it by using ant baits, sprays, and repellents directly into it. You can also pour boiling water into it to kill the ants for good.
5. There has been a disturbance in the soil
An ant infestation can be very tricky. Sometimes, you may experience a sudden influx of ants in your home even if you don’t have the signs enumerated above. Sometimes, you may experience such a thing because of a mere disturbance in the soil around your home.
For example, if you happen to dig up the soil in your garden for a project, you may have disturbed a peaceful ant nest. The ants may start looking for a new place to nest and end up becoming a problem. The best thing to do in this situation is to repel or kill the ants. Here are some things you can do:
- Use ant baits. These are poisonous foods that ants can eat and bring back to their colony to kill even more ants. Just pray that these baits end up killing the ant queen.
- Use ant sprays. These sprays attack the nervous system of the ants and kill them.
- Use ant repellents. You can buy chalks specifically designed to repel ants. You can also use natural repellents like lemon and vinegar. Smear them across surfaces and passageways to prevent the ants from getting into your home.
- Follow the tips in the other entries of this list, to ensure that the disturbed ants will not have an opportunity to thrive in and around your home.
A sudden influx of ants in your home can be problematic. But with the right ant control techniques, you can get rid of this problem fairly quickly.