“Why Do I Have Ants in My House?” It’s always a shocking situation when you wake up in the morning to find your kitchen or entire house overrun with ants. Especially if you’ve lived in the same house for decades and have never had an issue in the past. Ants are a very troublesome pest in Australia. Only a handful can be enough to completely infest your kitchen and getting rid of them is not an easy task. But why does this happen in the first place? Below we look at some common reasons why this might happen.
Food Source
Ants explore mainly to try and find sources of food. Whenever there’s a sudden ant infestation, the most likely cause of it is that there’s food somewhere in your house for them. Most ants are opportunistic feeders; they’ll eat just about anything. But they usually prefer sweets. Ants are attracted to a wide variety of food sources that you might have, including:
- Sugar
- Syrup
- Honey
- Fruit juice
- Meat
- Fats
- Breadcrumbs
- Any rubbish, containers or wrappers that have been in contact with these items
Once they find out where these food sources are, colonies can form long trails of thousands of ants to link the colony to these food sources. They create a chemical trail using their pheromones to leave a scent signature for other ants. Until this trail is broken, they’ll keep on coming.
Water Source
Access to water is a critical part of any colony’s survival. Even a small pool of water can quench an ant’s thirst for a long time. The more reliable the water source, the closer the colony will want to keep to your kitchen.
Ensure you clean up all water spills quickly and completely. You should also check common high-moisture areas regularly such as underneath sinks, refrigerators, windows and doors to ensure you don’t provide an oasis waiting for these pesky invaders.
Weather
Several studies have suggested there is a link between ant infestations and the weather. Infestations appear to be more likely during periods where there has been heavy rainfall or dry, hot, drought-like conditions. Why this is the case isn’t as well understood. The most likely explanation is that they are either avoiding cold, wet conditions or have found a source of water in your home during dry, hotter times.
Ants are generally relatively dormant during winter and in colder conditions, while becoming more active during the warmer months of October to March. In cooler parts of Australia, such as Victoria, it’s more common for ant infestations to occur during the colder months as ants opt to concentrate their nests indoors.
Pest Control Services in Queensland
If you have an ant infestation or any other pest problem on your property in Brisbane, Redland Bay, Ipswich or Logan, call the team at Critters Pest Management. We use the latest tools and treatments to quickly eliminate ants and other pests from your home or business. Our range of pest control services include getting rid of ants as well as termite inspections, termite treatments and termite barriers.
Call our friendly professionals today on 1300 186 255 to make a booking or contact us online.