Why Are Ants in My House?
“Why are ants in my house?!”
You can only ask yourself that, then clean your whole house top-to-bottom (again) so many times before you’re driven to insanity.
Maybe that is a bit overdramatic, but we’re not just Birmingham’s top pest control experts; we speak from experience as homeowners, too! So, trust us, we understand the struggle; we’ve gone to war with ants on the job and the homefront more times than we can count.
In this guide, we explore the reasons ants are in your house and teach you how to address them—whether that involves implementing a proactive prevention strategy on your own or calling us for backup. Keep reading to learn more!
Why Are Ants in My House?
To preface, if you have recurring ant problems in your home and don’t believe any of the reasons below apply to your situation, you should definitely call your local pest control experts for a more thorough, intensive approach.
It is Raining
This is the most obvious reason, but ants will try to enter your home in their journey to find a warm, dry haven to escape the rain.
One of the best ways to avoid getting ants in your home each time it rains is to stop them at the source: their ant hills out in your yard. Before the next rainfall, have your local pest agents over to strategically spray or place ant baits exactly where they need to be to keep ants off your property and from crawling into your house.
If you have pets, be sure to bring them inside or move them to an isolated, untreated area of the yard while ant bait or other insecticides are out; it’s poisonous to everyone.
Your Surfaces Aren’t Sufficiently Clean
If you are dealing with an ant problem, it might be that your surfaces, such as your countertops and table, aren’t actually clean. They might look clean when you’re just walking by, but if you were to shrink down to the size of an ant, you’d see there’s more than meets the (human) eye.
To lift the residual stickiness, greasiness, and smells that linger on your countertop after wiping it down, use a more powerful cleaning agent than water alone. Bleach isn’t necessary because it could ruin granite, wooden, and vinyl countertops. Also, many people are allergic. You do need to use something that actually gets rid of the germs and food residue. You could try a more natural DIY cleaner with a 1:1 white vinegar and baking soda solution, but some people find some ants like the smell of the vinegar. So a bleach-free disinfectant will be your best bet.
Laundry Room Ventilation
The ventilation in your laundry room doesn’t just let out the humid air from washing clothes and prevents lint fires—it also can serve as an entrance to let ants (and other pests) in.
Although you can’t really get rid of the ventilation sites in your home, you can seal the space around it with caulk or insect-prevention foam, place poison ant bait on both sides of the entryway, and consider investing in a dehumidifier to keep the ants from eagerly crawling in after the moisture.
Micro Cracks in Home
Pipes, sheetrock, floorboards, vents—just about anything in your house can let ants in if it has a tiny crack.
To find these tiny entrances, follow the line of ants marching around in your house and see where they retreat after they fetch a crumb for their colony. If you find the entrance but can’t reach the destination on the other side (i.e., you followed them to a crack in a baseboard, and you can’t see past that without tearing it down), call your local pest control agent.
Pest control experts have the tools to exterminate ants in even the harder-to-reach places that the average homeowner does not.
You Don’t Wash Your Garbage Can
Garbage cans aren’t supposed to be sparkling, flower-scented chambers of cleanliness, of course, but they can go from kind of stinky to super-stinky and attractive to ants quickly. All it takes is one night of takeout left to fester in the can before it emits a foul odor that ants will move mountains (or ant hills, at least) to reach.
The best way to prevent indoor and outdoor garbage cans from attracting armies of ants is to rinse them out at least once a week. You can also avoid the stink leaking into your garbage can by being vigilant about what you throw straight in; if you zip a plate of juicy leftovers into a plastic bag before you throw it in the garbage can, they won’t splash all over it or make it reek in a day’s time.
Ants in Your Home Are No Match for Us!
If you have an ant infestation or other recurring pest problem on your lawn, in your home, or elsewhere on the property, call Vulcan Termite & Pest Control at (205) 663-4200! We’re the experts who can guarantee a pest-free lawn for families in Birmingham, AL, and surrounding cities.
Our team of integrative pest management professionals has proudly devoted the last 40+ years to providing families in Birmingham and nearby communities with the practical, lasting, and comprehensive solutions they need to end problems with pests on their property.
Call or contact us online today, and we’ll gladly perform a FREE evaluation and create and implement an effective strategy using our tried-and-true methods so you and your family can enjoy a pest-free home.