Are you surprised to see ants in your home during the winter? Don’t be. It’s a common problem and it likely means that the ant colony is located somewhere inside the structure of your home. In fact, most ant activity that troubles people inside their homes, no matter what the season, is the result of a nest that has developed inside the structure itself. Ants are almost always inside coming in, not outside coming in. Read more about how to get rid of ants in your house!
Where ants live in your house
Different types of ants choose different places to nest. Odorous House Ants love to nest inside the walls of a hollow block foundation. The temperatures and moisture levels inside your foundation are nearly constant, and are ideal for supporting a developing ant colony.
House Ants, like Carpenter Ants, can also find a place within your walls where moisture penetrates the structure creating ideal living conditions.
Pavement Ants in your home are likely nesting beneath a concrete slab and entering your home through a crack. But to be clear, all of these types of ants can nest in any of the places mentioned above.
How ants in your house behave
Some homeowners see ants in their home for a few weeks in spring, and then the ants seem to go away. But, if the ants are living in the structure of your home, they aren’t going away.
These ants are likely foraging for food indoors when it’s cool (sometimes all winter). Then when it warms up, the ants forage for food outside. One clue to ants’ behavior is found in ant trails entering and exiting your home. These trails almost certainly mean the ants are nesting in the structure of your home.
Ignoring this “seasonal” ant activity can lead to future ant problems. Carpenter Ants may be doing damage to your home out of sight. Odorous House Ants will be growing stronger with each passing day as they develop more worker ants and egg-laying queens. The greater the numbers in any ant colony, the harder they can be to eliminate when you reach your breaking point (it WILL come) and you decide to take action – finally!
How to get rid of ants in your house
The first step in solving a home ant problem is identifying the exact species of ant. Next, the location of the ant nests need to be found. Lastly, based on the ant species and infestation level, an appropriate treatment strategy can be developed.
It’s important to remember that there are no short cuts to getting rid of ants in your home; doing the wrong things about the ants can lead to even more trouble. For example, spraying ants with repellant insecticides or aerosols can result in a phenomenon (known as “colony budding”) in which the ant colony splits into multiple colonies amplifying your problem. Sadly, some of the worst House Ant problems are ones where homeowners have been trying for years to solve the problem themselves.
Tomlinson Bomberger Pest Control specializes in getting rid of ants in your house. We identify what species of ant is the problem, then we find the source of the infestation. We’ve been doing this for years across Lancaster County and beyond and we’re ready to help you rid your house of ants once and for all. Contact us today!
