Keep ants out of your kitchen and off your patio this summer by getting rid of their preferred food and water sources. Warm weather drives these pests to aggressively forage for moisture, grease, sugar, and pet food.
Summer is peak ant season. And if you’re going to deal with them, you probably will find them on your kitchen or patio. That’s where food and water are. Once you know what draws them in, it will be easier to discourage them.
One of the biggest attractants to ants is sugar. Ants have a serious sweet tooth, and will go after spilled juice or soda, syrup, honey, and fruit if they have a chance. Grease and protein can also pull in the species that favor fats, which means cooking residue and meat scraps can also be problems. Pet food is often an underrated draw for pests and a bowl left out indoors or on the patio is an open invitation.
Ants also need water. This is why leaky pipes, condensation, and damp sinks often pull in ants as well. This is especially true during dry spells.
What makes them seem to appear all at once is how they search. Scouts forage on their own, and when one finds food it lays down a scent trail back to the nest that the others follow. That’s what causes the ants to come marching in.
To make your home less attractive to ants, you’ll need to remove the food and water. Wipe counters and tables and sweep up crumbs. If you have spills, take care of them right away. Store food in airtight containers. Fix leaks and drips, as well, so you don’t have damp areas in the home. And then seal gaps and cracks where ants get in.
If you're tired of ants taking over the counters and the patio every summer, Mosquito Squad of Bergen and Passaic County can help. Mosquito Squad offers perimeter treatments that help control ants and other crawling pests. These are applied by a trained technician alongside the barrier service that delivers up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a 21-day cycle.
