Ants come into homes chasing three things: food, water, and shelter.
Ants don’t wander inside at random. Though that fact hardly makes them less annoying. They’re looking for specific things, and once you know what those are, it’s a lot easier to keep them out.
Ants are infamous for their appetite. Even a little food seems to bring the whole colony in sometimes. Sugary and greasy food residue, crumbs, and pet food are all common attractants to ants. Everyday cleaning and storing food in airtight containers can help. It’s worth remembering that ants need very little food to be content, and often the crumbs under appliances, on counters, and on floors are enough.
Ants also like water, which is why moisture from leaks and damp spots pulls them toward sinks and bathrooms. This can be made worse during weather extremes, like drought conditions that push them indoors seeking moisture.
As for shelter, ants go inside if they can’t find water outside or if there is a cold snap, because they need the warmth. So if you have a sudden indoor ant problem, the weather might be far more to blame than anything going on in your kitchen.
At the risk of stating the obvious, ants are quite small. That means even really tiny gaps and cracks can let them in. You can often find these around windows and doors, but also utility lines and sometimes the foundation of your home. Once a scout finds food or water, it lays a scent trail that brings the rest of the colony marching in behind it.
Making your home less inviting comes down to removing the draws. Clean up food and spills quickly, store pantry items in sealed containers, don’t leave pet food out, fix leaks and damp areas, and seal the gaps. If they are coming inside, wipe away their trails to erase the scent.
If you're tired of ants marching into the house every time the weather turns, Mosquito Squad of New Haven & Fairfield County offers perimeter treatments that help control ants and other crawling pests, applied by a trained technician alongside the barrier service that delivers up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a 21-day cycle.
