Ants in your house is probably one of the most annoying pests you can find! These buggers can fit through tiny holes and seem to appear everywhere overnight. You might drive yourself crazy trying to figure out why they are in your home and trying to get rid of them. But read on to find the common causes for finding ants in your house, and how to get rid of them once they’re there!

Why do ants want to be in MY house?

Ants have likely invaded your home for one reason: food. Once ants find a path to a food source, it is nearly impossible to change their minds. This is why you’re most likely to find them in your kitchen or pantry. They are tiny so can squeeze through tiny openings in any bags of food and are especially drawn to anything sweet.

Some tips to keeping them out of your kitchen:

  • Keep sweet things like sugar and honey in well sealed containers, and make sure you wipe off any sticky residue
  • Keep dry goods in sealed containers
  • Wipe up any crumbs regularly
  • Rinse out empty juice or pop containers
  • Take out the trash regularly
  • Don’t leave overripe fruit out
  • Clean your pets’ food dish when they’re done eating

Different kinds of ants

While the measures mentioned above will work to keep most common ants out of your home, there are some ant species that aren’t so easily dissuaded. Species like the carpenter ant like to find a hole or a crack and create a colony in your walls. This makes them very hard to get rid of! An ant colony can consist of thousands or more ants and being in your wall and it’s often hard to track down exactly where their nest is.

Build your offense

There is no single strategy that is going to keep ants from setting up shop in your home. Keeping your kitchen and home clean is one great step, but it’s by no means the entire game. You’ll also want to make sure any cracks around the outside of your house and especially around the doors are sealed. Make sure any piles of mulch or dirt are kept away from the house and cut any trees that touch the siding as they can create a bridge for the ants.

How to get rid of them

No doubt you’ve already considered running to the store to pick up one of the several different kinds of ant killers on the shelves. Unfortunately, these over the counter remedies rarely complete the job. Because there are so many different species of ants, it’s almost impossible for the average homeowner to know exactly which method will be the best solution for his home.

Rather than spend ages testing different products and driving yourself crazy, the best solution is to call a professional pest removal service to rid your home of ants.  If you’re in Burlington, Oakville, Milton or Hamilton-Waterdown areas contact the pros at Halton Wildlife Services!