Eradicating an ant problem on your lawn is one thing, but trying to get ants out of your kitchen can be very frustrating. You may find yourself asking, “Why are ants invading my kitchen?” Discovering how and why ants are entering your kitchen, as well as, what kind of ants you see, will help you know best how to get rid of them. Finding a multitude of ants congregating on a single drop of honey from this morning’s breakfast can make you realize not only do you have ants, but you are also feeding them. To be sure you get rid of whatever kind of ants you have quickly, calling a professional pest control company is always a good idea.
Harmless or Harmful?
If you find ants in your kitchen, they are most likely tiny, black, harmless ants that are just after food crumbs. But it is possible that some marching insects, like carpenter ants, can be found in your home, while also causing structural damage to the wood in your walls. Carpenter ants are large, dark ants and the worker ants have wings.
You also want to be sure the insects you see are not termites, which could entail a different method of eradication.
- Ants have a wasp-like or pinched waist while termites bodies go straight back from their heads
- Ant wings have two sets with the top set longer than the bottom. Termites have two sets of wings but both sets are similar in size.
- Ants have bent or elbowed antennae while termites’ antennae are straight.
Regardless of how harmful the trail of insects in your kitchen are to your home, you will still want to get rid of them. Finding out what is bringing these ants into your kitchen can help prevent them from entering in the first place.
Ant magnets
Ants leave behind a scent trail of pheromones for all their ant buddies to find and follow. If they find something they want to eat, they will soon set up a trail along your baseboards or right across the wall to the source of food. But it isn’t just a matter of not dropping crumbs on the floor of your kitchen. Other spots in your kitchen that can also be a magnet for ants are:
- Water: leaky pipes under the sink, or constant wetness around the refrigerator ice dispenser can attract ants.
- Pet food: If you have indoor pets, you may feed your pets in the kitchen.
- Pantry: If you have stored food that is not in airtight containers, like a cereal box, for example, ants may find the motherload food source, your pantry.
Prevention
To prevent ants from entering your kitchen:
- Wipe down your tables and counters with an all purpose cleaner
- Keep floors and surfaces free from crumbs, and, especially, sticky spots from surgery drink spills or honey.
- Caulk around windows and door frames. Ants can enter through tiny cracks so checking for small entry points will help keep ants from coming in.
- Keep food in airtight containers.
- Spray white vinegar around possible entry points to deter ants from entering.
If you are dealing with the destructive carpenter ants, or simply want to make sure the ants are firmly stopped from entering your home, call a professional ant exterminator. If you are living in Monterey County, let Target Pest Control take care of your home invasion from ants today!
