Help! We are being overrun with ants. Little tiny dark ants that are crawling all over the kitchen counters and along the baseboards. I’ve tried spraying the areas where I see them but by the next day they’re back. We’ve never had an ant problem before. P. W., West Roxbury, MA

Ants are fickle seasonal pests. They may be perfectly happy living around the foundation of your home until lack of food or the weather or boredom sends them exploring. If a scouting ant finds an opening into your home, and if that ant finds a food source inside, it takes no time at all for the scout to recruit others from the colony. Then you have a small army of trailing ants moving to and fro.

THEY MAY BE ANTS FROM PLANTS

In the spring, changes in ant behavior can be associated with flooding from heavy rains or can even be associated with foundation plants. Many ants have a cooperative relationship with the aphid insects that feed on plant juices. The ants protect the aphids and, in return, are rewarded with “honeydew,” a sugary liquid excreted by the aphids. If the honeydew supply dries up, the ants will look for new food sources.

In the best case scenario, the ants are living outside, foraging into your home for food, then returning to the outside. Sometimes these exploring ants will move on for no apparent reason, not to be seen again. Their dietary preferences change seasonally and some ants readily move their colonies to new locations. However, a nest may be inside your home instead, and the activity may be constant.

LET COLONIAL PEST PUT A STOP TO FORAGING ANTS

Give us a call. Our experts can inspect your home and determine the source of your ant problem. We may be able to find and treat the nest, either inside or outside. When we can’t locate a nest, we can still treat the problem with the application of gel baits along foraging trails. The ants carry the bait back to the colony, eventually killing the queen and others. We may also apply insecticides strategically to cut off the ants from their food sources or to create an outside barrier to keep them from entering. Call Colonial Pest!

For more on indoor ant invasions, check out these earlier blogs:

• Ant Invasion – What Can You Do?
• What Causes Occasional Indoor Ant Problems?
• Why Do I Have Ants in My House?

Photo Credit : By JMK – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link