Why Ants Invade Concord Homes And How To Keep Them Out

How And Why Ants Find Their Way Inside

The best way to describe how and why ants find their way into Concord homes is to take the journey ants take. What do we mean? Let's start at the edge of a fictitious property and consider why an ant would want to enter your yard, and what motivates it to finally find its way into your home. 

1. An ant colony sends out workers in search of food. Sugar ants find flowering weeds on the edge of a property, their colony grows as lots of flowering weeds are found, new nests are created, and the ants encroach upon the home. Ants that eat protein find bugs to eat, both alive and dead, they grow their populations and encroach.
2. As new nests are created, the ants move into the yard, closer to landscaping, which is the ideal location for most ants. In landscaping, they find bugs to eat or honeydew produced by aphids, white flies, and scale insects. More nests are created near the foundation walls.
3. As ants explore the exterior of a home, they find food left out by humans. They may eat crumbs, morsels, and condiments around a grill. They may drink from a hummingbird feeder. They may get into exterior trash. It is surprising the number of things ants will eat.
4. As ants climb foundation walls and exteriors, they find tiny cracks and gaps. These gaps lead to interior wall voids. Within a wall void, protein ants may find dead insects to eat.
5. Ants will eventually start appearing in common areas. When one ant finds an indoor food source, it leaves a pheromone trail on its way back to the nest. The other workers in the nest find the trail and follow it. As they return, they add to the trail and the scent grows. More and more ants enter until there is an army of ants indoors.
6. Some ants may decide to create an indoor nest. If they do, they appear frequently inside and they are able to enlist an army to quickly grab food when they find it.

Do you see how it works? Long before ants enter your home, you have options to apply outdoor ant control and prevent them from entering. You can do your own ant control and prevention or hire a professional to handle this job for you.     

Simple Tips To Prevent Ants In The House

Ant control for homeowners is often a challenge when over-the-counter products are used. These products can fail for many reasons. You may use too much bait. You may use the wrong bait. You may apply a treatment that is topical. A product may become inert because it is applied in the wrong area. When we offer ant control solutions for homeowners, we suggest all-natural solutions. They require some work, but there is no specialized knowledge. Best of all, you won't make your ant problem worse by splitting one colony into many colonies. Here's how it works.

• Address lawn weed problems to remove nectar and plant sap as a food source for ants that attempt to explore the edge of your property. 
• Consider keeping exterior lights off or replacing white lights with yellow lights to deter insects. When you reduce insect activity, you will naturally reduce the activity of ants that eat protein.
• Keep your plants healthy and dry. You can do this by trimming your vegetation, watering in the early morning, and clearing clogs in your gutter system. Aphids and other plant-damaging pests are attracted to over-saturated and unhealthy plants.
• Keep the exterior of your home clear of food debris so ants can find a bite to eat.
• Move or remove bird feeders that hang near your home.
• Keep your trash in a covered container. If your trash gets stinky, use some soap and water to wash it out.
• Make home repairs that will create physical barriers to keep ants out, such as installing door sweeps, replacing old and worn-out weatherstripping, and patching torn-up screens.
• Get out the caulking gun and seal places where you may have gaps. Window and door frames are notorious for allowing ants inside.
• Inspect your utilities. If you see gaps around pipes or PVC wire conduits, use some expanding foam or silicone caulk to apply a patch.
• Inspect your foundation and use mortar to fill in any cracks. It is surprising how a little ant (or an army of little ants) can use the smallest foundation crack.
• Clean your counters to remove jelly, honey, barbecue sauce, and other sticky and sweet food sources that ants love.
• Wipe down shelves to remove sugar, flour, and other powders.
• Clean your floors to remove food debris, juice spots, and other sources of decay.
• Keep the top of your oven free of grease and oil. 
• Get those crumbs underneath your toaster.
• Store your pantry foods in sealed containers to keep the scent of food in and pest ants out.
• Vacuum your couch to remove the crumbs that linger after watching television with the family.
• Consider only eating in your dining room or kitchen if this rule works for you.
• Check wastepaper baskets, particularly in kids' rooms. A half-rotten apple is a beacon for an ant infestation.

You get the idea. Use these and other all-natural ant control methods to make your home resistant to ant infestations. It takes some muscle, but keep in mind that natural solutions don't just work on one pest. When you work hard to keep ants out, your home will be resistant to a long list of other pests.