Why Do I Have Ants In My Indianapolis Home?
One day, you don't have ants. The next day, you do. What's that all about? It can be mysterious when you find ants inside your Indianapolis home. Today, we're going to help you understand this mystery a little better.
Exterior Nest
You can have thousands of ants appear in your home and not actually have a nest inside your home. This happens when one worker ant finds a food source in your home. As that one little ant heads back to the nest, it lays down a chemical pheromone. This creates a trail. Other ants in the nest find this trail and follow it back to the food. As those ants return to the nest with food, they add to the trail. Over time, the scent of the trail grows stronger, and more ants follow it. This is one of the most common reasons homeowners find ants in their home.
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Indoor Nest
Some ants can create a nest inside your home. It depends on the species. If you have an indoor nest, you may be seeing a lot of ants because the ants are doing the same thing inside your home that they would do outside. They search every nook and cranny for food.
An indoor nest often occurs when a food source is found and an ant colony creates a satellite colony in the walls of a structure. It may also occur when a nest is near the exterior of a structure and the ants start to bring soil into cracks and gaps in the foundation.
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The Best Way To Stop Ants Naturally
When you see ants in your home, the first step is to remove the reason ants are coming inside. Here are a few to consider.
Food Sources
- When ants are drawn into your cabinets by the scent of a product that is past its due date, they can start to get into your food, particularly if you don't store your food in sealed containers.
- If you have kids and one of your kids leaves an apple behind or underneath your couch, don't be surprised when you find a superhighway of ants going to and from that food source.
- If you eat crackers, chips, or some other crunchy food while watching television on your couch, you could wake up with thousands of ants all over your couch.
Moisture Sources
Did you know that ants can carry droplets of liquid? Yup. It's pretty cool actually. So, it is important to be aware of moisture sources that can bring ants into your home.
- Fix leaky faucets, pipes, garbage disposals and other plumbing issues to prevent ants from finding moisture.
- Some ants are attracted to rotting organic juices. If you put a garbage bag next to the front door and accidentally leave a moist spot on the floor, this can bring tiny ants into your house by the thousands.
- If you take baths or showers and don't use the fan in your bathroom, you can leave droplets of condensation on your mirrors and walls.
Entry Points
If you have a gap or crack in your exterior, it can provide easy access for ants. While you can't completely seal ants out of your home, it helps to remove easy access routes.
- The most common entry point for ants is exterior doors. Make sure your weatherstripping and door sweeps are doing a good job.
- Cracks in your foundation wall or gaps around plumbing should be filled in.
- Wood rot is attractive to ants and can provide entry points. Repair rotting wood and address conditions that lead to wood rot.
Exterior Attractants
There are many things that can attract ants to your landscaping, and to the exterior of your home. When ants come in close, you have a greater chance of ants getting into your home.
- Keep exterior trash receptacles free of odors. Ants are drawn to the scent of decaying food.
- Have your gutters cleaned and serviced. A damp and oversaturated perimeter creates the perfect environment for ants.
- Trim your bushes and remove unnecessary vegetation from your landscaping.
- Keep your plants healthy to deter aphids and prevent the creation of honeydew. Ants eat honeydew.
- Replace exterior white lights with yellow lights to reduce insect activity. Ants eat living and dead insects.
