What to Do When Ants Come Marching In
Like most insects, ants must do a lot of work in order to keep themselves and their colonies fed. The two main things ants need are a safe place to live, access to water, and from there, they will thrive for as long as they can.
Unfortunately, this can sometimes mean that they are a bit too close for your comfort. Ants will scout around as they seek new food sources and good paths. If they discover something inside your home, you can bet that they’ll be back for more and to find additional food if possible.
This means that something as simple as a small spill of a carbonated beverage that didn’t get completely cleaned up can become the beacon for every ant in the colony to come strolling in. The sugary goodness of an old spill is all they need to crawl around and seek out more. They might be able to find it, too, if there are other items nearby. Ants aren’t above going long distances for their colony.
Ants will keep coming as long as they think there is a reason to. You might be surprised at just how persistent they can be. You may spray an area, and you may not see them for a long time, but eventually, once the pesticide wears away, they’ll be back. Likewise, you can use baits, and, while their fellow ants will die around them, more ants will continue to come. Some might not even bother with the bait! Once the bait is gone, even more workers will come, leaving you just as frustrated as before.
This is because there is a queen producing all of the ants in the colony. If you manage to take care of dozens of workers, she’ll merely replace them. Your options boil down to either finding out how they are getting in and making sure there is no longer a way for them to do so, or find the colony and stop the ants at the source.
You can attempt these things yourself, but chances are you will have a hard time locating the colony. Many times, it can be just as difficult to find out where the ants are coming in. You may discover a small hole inside the house where the ants come in, but cannot find any ants outside your home, and, therefore, can’t find the entrance. You don’t want to give them any way inside, which is why stopping both locations – and possibly others – is so important.
Professional pest control technicians are well-versed in ant behavior and will know what ants look for and how to stop them. They will discover locations where ants will get in and find things that are keeping them in your home. For example, you may have cleaned up the beverage spill, but didn’t realize that by then, the ants had found their way into your garbage. With care and precision, they’ll get ants out of your home and make sure that they stay out for the rest of the summer – and longer!
