Ants in the kitchen can be a big nuisance and it can be very frustrating having them running around your home.
These tiny insects can cause harm to you and your property. For instance, carpenter ants damage properties, and fire and harvester ants bite humans.
Normally, ants form their colony outdoors and get indoors only in search of water and food. Usually, this is the main reason why ants appear out of nowhere in the kitchen.
It’s unhygienic to have these pests in your kitchen and hence you need to find a way to eliminate them permanently. Knowing the reason behind ants suddenly appearing in kitchens will help you understand what’s the best way to stop them. Let us help you with your ant control in San Diego.
Why Do Ants Suddenly Appear In Kitchens?
There are three main reasons why you suddenly have ants in your kitchen:
• Food source
A sudden ant infestation in your kitchen means there is a food source somewhere. The food can be honey, sugar, syrup, meat, fats, breadcrumbs, etc.
Once the ants determine these food sources, they form long trails to connect their colonies to the food source. They form chemical trails using pheromones that help them communicate and keep coming back until the trails are broken.
• Water source
Water availability is critical to the colonies’ survival. Even a small amount of water is enough to quench their thirst for a long time and this will cause your kitchen to suddenly have ants.
• Weather
Heavy rainfall can also cause increased ant infestation and this may be the reason you’re finding more of these pests in your kitchen.
Ants are relatively dormant during winter and they become active during warmer months.
What Causes Ants In The Kitchen?
If you see ants in your kitchen, one or several of these factors may be the cause:
• Food pieces
Sudden ant infestation in your home, especially in the kitchen, might be due to food pieces you’re leaving around. Ants survive on food and water and hence they’re consistently looking for food and water sources. Since it’s easy to find food from your kitchen, you’ll find ants there, regardless of your efforts to repel them.
• Greasy surfaces
Greasy surfaces attract ants since grease is also a food source for these pests. These surfaces include the stovetop and the sides of storage food containers.
• Sticky garbage
Garbage containing sticky food items, especially those that are sugary, is likely to attract ants to your garbage tin. Failing to wipe your garbage tin after removing the waste can also attract ants to your home.
• Leaking pipes and faucets
Some species of ant require a reliable water source to survive. Thus, the presence of leaking pipes and faucets in your kitchen is likely to keep them coming.
• Decaying wood
In addition, leaky pipes and faucets are likely to create a moist environment and may cause wooden surfaces to decay. Some species of ants, such as the carpenter, tend to thrive in rotten wood.
They may also form ant colonies outside your house and make them keep coming to your kitchen in search of water and food.
How To Find Out Where Ants Are Coming From And What To Do To Stop Them?
It’s easy to follow the ant trail in your kitchen since they’re always coming from somewhere and traveling somewhere. When you follow the two directions, you’ll easily determine where these pests are coming from in the first place. It’s better to inspect at night or in the evening as their foraging activity is usually greater at this time, thus, you might get better results.
As already discussed, water and food are the main things that attract ants to your home. Therefore, the easiest way to stop them is by eliminating food and water.
• Keep surfaces in your kitchen clean
Eliminating food sources in your kitchen will help stop these pests from returning since they cannot survive without food. Clean dishes and food containers, vacuum your kitchen floor, and wipe all the surfaces regularly.
• Store food in sealed containers
Storing your food and pet food in airtight sealed containers will help stop ants from infesting your kitchen. Once the insects lack access to food, they will stop coming.
• Seal off cracks and ant entry points in your home
After removing food sources, the next step is to seal any holes they can use to enter indoors. Inspect your kitchen to determine any area they might use to get into the house and seal them.
Some areas where ants can enter the kitchen include small spaces in the door and window frames.
• Control ant colonies around your property
If there is a sudden appearance of ants in your kitchen, this means they have their colony near your property. You should wipe out these colonies to properly eliminate ants and put a stop to their regular visits to your kitchen.
• Spray ant barrier product around your house
Spray proper insecticide around the foundation of your house. This will help repel the ants as they come to search for water and food.
Whether it is ants in the kitchen or any other area in your home, they should be treated as soon as possible. Ant treatment is not a simple process and most DIY methods are not very effective or provide long-lasting results.
So if you prefer to leave the treatment to the professionals, our San Diego team at Pest Patrol is ready to help. Let our trained and experienced ant control technicians inspect your house and solve your ant problem once and for all. Have other general pest problems like cockroaches, spiders or termites? We help with those too!