Ants are small, hard-bodied insects that belong to the family Formicidae. They are brown or black and have a thin waist.
There are about 12,000 different species of ants in the world! Ants play an essential role in the environment by helping to recycle dead plant and animal material. In addition, they can also help keep down pests. Unfortunately, some ants also eat dead bugs and rotting food.
So, when an ant colony moves into a house, it’s because they want to find those yummy foods you have around the house too! They can also become pests themselves when they invade homes or yards in large numbers. So, why do you see so many ants inside your house? Let’s take a closer look!
What Causes Ants in the House
Ants are attracted to different foods, from sugar and sweets to greasy or salty food. If you want to know what attracts ants in the house, you should think about how ants would cross a typical home and what is available for them along the way. Ants will generally follow electrical wires through a building, going from appliance to looking for food.
When they find sugary or greasy food that has been spilled on the floor, they will continue to follow the trail until it either ends at a dead-end or reaches a desirable source of food.
Ants can also be attracted by pet food bowls, garbage cans, bird feeders, and other outdoor food sources. Sometimes you will find ants outside your house near a tree or shrub close to the foundation. These are places where ants like to forage for items such as honeydew that may be excreted from aphids, whiteflies, and scale insects on the tree. Additionally, ants will follow a sewer line under a house to a crack in a foundation where they can access moisture from outside or inside the home.
During winter, ants enter houses due to the following reasons :
- The ants are looking for food because there is a food shortage outside.
- The ants are trying to find a place to stay warm.
- The ants are looking for water because it is scarce outside.
If you are having a problem with ants in your house, it is essential to identify the type of ant to use the correct method to get rid of them. There are many different types of ants, but the most common ones that invade homes are carpenter ants, Pharaoh ants, and black ants. You can usually tell which type of ant you deal with by size and color.
Carpenter ants are large, black ants that can be up to one-half inch long. Pharaoh’s ants are small, yellow ants that can be only 0.06 inches long. Black ants are small, black ants that can be only 0.08 inches long.
If you are having a problem with ants, the best way to get rid of them is to call a professional. They will identify the type of ant and use the appropriate method to get rid of them.
What Causes Ants in the House
If you find an ant inside your house, the best thing to do is gently sweep it outside. If there are a lot of ants, you may want to use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of them. You should also seal up any cracks or openings in your house that the ants may be used to get in. This will help to prevent them from coming in during the winter.
Ants will not live inside houses for very long if there isn’t anything to eat or any water available. So if you are having trouble with ants outside your house, you should try to keep your windows and doors closed as much as possible until the weather warms up again. This will help to prevent the ants from getting inside.
If you have food or water attracting ants, then it will be best to try to keep those things away from the areas where the ants are trying to get in. You should also seal up any cracks and openings and sweep and vacuum as many ants as possible. If necessary, you may want to try and use ant baits and/or insecticide sprays.
Ants can be difficult to get rid of, especially if there are a lot of them, but it is best not to kill the ants yourself because they will only make more ants as they die off. You also don’t want to do anything that will harm the environment. Instead, it is best to hire a pest control specialist who can safely eliminate ants without killing them or harming the environment.