Ants

Ants: The Tiny, Roaming Pest

Ants are an incredibly common pest that can be quite a nuisance, and are difficult to eradicate. When they find a food source, they communicate its location with the other ants in their colony and begin one of their trademark foraging lines. Once that happens, you might notice a surface like a countertop or table becoming a highway for these tiny pests. Also, ants may show up in many other places in the home on their search for food, and because they’re so tiny, you might not notice them until they’re right next to you, or completely invading your home.

While ants are one of the most benign and docile pests that you can find in your home, it’s easy to feel mentally overwhelmed by their presence. Also, ants are known to contaminate human food, and some species can hurt you or cause property damage. For these reasons, it’s best to keep your home or business as ant-free as possible.

What Causes Ants?

Ants are attracted to food and moisture that they can carry back to their nests and use to feed their colonies. Since they eat many different types of food, they will venture just about anywhere in order to find it, from kitchens to bedrooms to bathrooms to even vehicles. Also, different species of ants are attracted to different kinds of foods and environments, so you may see various kinds depending on your location.

What Ants Eat

Ants can oftentimes be considered omnivorous due to the large variety of foods they consume. In nature, ants often eat honeydew, a waste substance excreted by aphids and mealybugs. However, ants will also eat other insects, alive or dead, and are known to gather together to take down insects that are much bigger than them. Many kinds of ants are also attracted to seeds, nuts, fruits, eggs, meats, oils, fats, and sweets. Whenever an ant or group of ants finds a new source of food, it sends signals and uses pheromone trails to guide its fellow ants to the source in order to carry it back to the nest.

Other Factors That Attract Ants

Some ants prefer different habitats over others when building nests or finding food. Knowing where each species can be found can help to figure out how to best prevent an ant infestation in your home.

Why Are There Ants In My House?

An ant infestation can show up from practically anywhere in the home, since there are likely many possible entry points in your home. Even though it can take several years for an ant colony to grow to full size, it may only take a few days or weeks for an ant infestation to get out of hand in your home. Since they are so small and can fit through even the tiniest spaces and cracks, they can enter homes through pipes, gaps in walls, holes in doors, windows, and screens, and crevices in brick and wood alike. Many times, they will build nests outdoors in the ground, but will venture inside to search for food near places like bathroom and kitchen counters, floorboards, and basements. They are attracted to food waste, decay, moisture, and unsealed leftovers, so if they find discarded or poorly stored food or sources of water like drippy faucets or leaky pipes, you’re far more likely to find them in your home.