Ants are one of the most common household pests that can be found in every corner of the home. While some species of ants can be damaging or harmful, most species of ants are simply unwelcomed guests within your house. When the ants begin to swarm your residence, the situation can quickly escalate. You should always call a pest control exterminator to keep the ants in control.
When these little creatures invade your home during winter, what do you do? We will teach you nine ways on how to get rid of ants in the winter:
1. Find out where the ants are coming from.
Ants are getting into your house somehow. One of the first battles when dealing with ants is to try to figure out where they are coming from. Sometimes, this can be kind of difficult, since they can get in through tiny little holes and cracks that you would hardly ever notice.
By following the line of ants, you should be able to more-or-less figure out the source of the problems. Often, ants will get in through cracks and gaps in the corners of a home, or by windows and doors – places that haven’t quite been sealed properly.
2. Contact a pest management professional.
You might want to just start right off by calling a pest management professional to get rid of ants in the winter. Although it may cost you a little more, you will be sure to have an ant-free home as soon as possible. They will create a plan for getting rid of your ant invasion, and will help you to take measures to avoid future infestations.
3. Implement pest control strategies.
As soon as you detect an ant problem, you need to take action. Ant colonies are made up of millions, and when not treated properly, they will continue to cause you problems. It can be very difficult to do, and can take several different methods to find one that sticks.
Although you’ll want to actually deal with the problem and get rid of the colony, you should start by getting rid of whatever attracts them. Often, ants are attracted to food that is uncovered or not properly sealed. Some things that ants are typically attracted to include fruit, cereals and grains, pet food, and the crumbs that end up on counters and floors.
4. Place traps to get rid of the ants.
Simply placing traps can be a good way to get rid of ants in the winter. Many traps are designed to give the ants food to take back to their colony which will kill the entire colony. Placing several commercial traps around the home, especially close to the ants’ points of entry, will help to control these pests that are infesting your home.
5. Try sugar and borax.
A cheap and easy way to try to get rid of ants is to put small amounts of sugar and borax as a homemade trap. The sugar attracts the ants, and the borax will kill them.
6. Use insecticide to get rid of the ants.
You can spray the inside of your home for ants by using an insecticide that is specifically designed for use inside. Insecticides, however, may be hazardous to pets, and even humans, and should be used according to the instructions to ensure safety.
7. Locate the ant colony.
The ants that enter into your home in the winter are likely not the entire colony of ants. It is probably just a satellite colony, that has split away from the colony to find food and shelter. These nests are still annoying and difficult to deal with, however, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. In these cases it means the rest of the colony likely isn’t far away from the hose.
In some rare cases, the entire colony could be located in the house, but it isn’t the norm. In these cases, a young queen without a fully established colony may have randomly wandered into the home, and decided it looked like a nice place to live.
8. Identify the types of ants.
It may help you to more easily manage your ant infestation if you know what kind of ants you’re dealing with. Although ants are typically attracted to food and water, they may be attracted to different things. Knowing their preferences and habits will help you to choose ant elimination methods that will work.
If you are seeing fully winged adult ants frequently in your home, this is a sign of a fully-established colony with a queen. These ants will come out of cracks in the wall or the ceiling, and then try to get out through windows and doors.
9. Take action. Don’t just wait for the ants to go away.
Ants hibernate during the winter season. In climates that get cold in the winter months, ants will burrow away and slow down. If they can find a warm place to hide and continue gathering food, they may remain active. This means you may have some ants hanging out in your walls, waiting out the colder weather.
However, these ants won’t pack up and leave when it warms up. In fact, they’ll probably get worse. If you see these creatures, your best bet is to get rid of these ants immediately in the winter.
