Why Ants Enter Frisco Homes & How to Keep Them Out

It isn't surprising to find an ant crawling around in your home. Ants are small. Really small. It is easy for you to imagine them finding holes that are so tiny that you can't see them, right? You probably wouldn't stretch your imagination to also imagine them scaling the sides of your home and finding tiny holes in high locations that you'd have to take a ladder to get up to and examine. So, it is probably not a surprise how ants get into your home. But why they get in is something altogether more fascinating. If you understand the why, you may be able to keep ants out without using any ant control products. Let's take a look.

Scouts

When a worker ant finds its way into your home and it locates a food source, something not-so-magical happens. That ant takes a little bit and heads back to its nest. Along the way, it puts down a chemical trail. The odor of this trail is faint, but it is enough for other workers to follow. As other workers find the food and return to the nest, they add to the trail. Slowly, one at a time, they make the scent stronger. As more and more ants follow it, and it gets stronger and stronger, soon your home is filled with ants. The first step in keeping ants out is to prevent this from happening. Here are a few tips:

• Put dirty dishes in soapy water. Ants don't have a problem eating after you.
• Put cat and dog food down only during meal times.
• Clean the crumbs under your toaster.
• Consider putting your pantry foods in sealed containers.
• Vacuum regularly. Mop your floors.
• Clean spill immediately.
• Wipe off food shelves and the bottoms of your food storage cabinets.

Removing food options makes it far less likely that ants will create a nest in your home, and it will reduce your encounters with large numbers of ants that have mobilized and come in from the outside.

Ants aren't just attracted to the odor of pheromones. The scent of rotting organic matter can also attract some ant species. If ants smell decay, it can lead to an ant infestation.

Outdoors — Your trash bins, recycling bins, and other sources can attract ants to your home or into your garage. When you keep things as clean as possible, you make your home less of a target for ants.

Indoors — When food or juices get on the floor or into gaps, they can create a beacon for ants. If you want fewer ant issues, it is a good idea to do routine deep cleaning in your kitchen. Get under your fridge and around your oven. Also keep in mind simple things that can cause ant problems to sneak up on you, like placing garbage bags on the floor near your door. If there are juices in the bag, and they soak the floor, ants will take notice.

Moisture

One of the most profound motivators for ants is moisture. They prefer to be in damp areas around your home. They enter through moisture points, such as where your water main passes through your foundation wall. And they often come into your kitchen through the openings your pipes come in through.

• Address gutter clogs and gutter system breaks to reduce moisture near your exterior.
• Rake leaves to reduce the moist habitat underneath.
• Thin out areas of dense vegetation to let air flow through and dry things out.
• Repair plumbing issues, both inside and out.
• Repair leaky faucets and showerheads. These cause constant drips that leave moisture for ants to find.

Exclusion

Once you've addressed food and moisture, it is time to consider sealing your exterior. While you can't eliminate every tiny hole ants can use to get into your home, it is still worth the effort to remove any obvious places. If ants have fewer food and water attractants, they'll be less inclined to look for holes you've failed to seal.

• Replace weatherstripping around doors and door sweeps that are damaged.
• Seal gaps around pipes.
• Seal foundation cracks.
• Fill in any wood holes that have been created by wood-destroying insects and pests.