Ants can enter your home through any of the following: cracks in the foundation and slab, gaps around window and door frames, spaces where pipes and wires pass through walls, weep holes in brick, and the joint between siding and foundation.
If you find ants in your home, it’s never a welcome surprise. But the good news about ants is they’ll show you how they’re getting in. They follow trails and you can often catch how they’re getting inside. This is helpful because they have a lot of potential entry points.
Ants are tiny, so they need only very small gaps to get into houses. Along the ground, look for foundation and slab cracks including hairline settling cracks. The junction where siding, brick, or stucco meets the foundation is another standard route, as are weep holes in brick veneer. Gaps around doors and windows are common. Given enough time, even really good caulking will crack or pull away.
Every spot where a pipe, cable, gas line, dryer vent, or air conditioning line set passes through the wall could be another entry point. They’re often cut oversized and sealed casually or not at all. Ants use these entry points constantly and that leads them directly into wall voids. Inside, that’s why trails so often appear at baseboards, under sinks, and around the plumbing of a kitchen or bathroom.
Homes around Chicago tend to be old, which means more settling, masonry gaps, and mortar joints that have opened over the decades. So it’s extra important here to think about how ants are getting in. You can ward them off by sealing gaps. Caulk frames and joints to close up some of the gaps. It’s also wise to replace weatherstripping and remove mulch and shrub branches that are touching the foundation.
If ants are taking over your home, Mosquito Squad of Chicago can help. Mosquito Squad's home and yard coverage helps control ants so you won’t constantly find them in your kitchen.
