How Ants Find Their Way Into Greensboro Homes

Why Ants Are Such A Problem For Greensboro Homeowners

It is hard to know where to begin. There are many reasons why ants are a problem for Greensboro homeowners. Some are obvious, but many aren't quite so obvious. Let's take a look at them.

• Ants are mobile. They can scale exterior walls and walk across ceilings.
• Ants are small. They can walk right through a tiny gap or hole.
• Ants defy gravity. If you have a gap in your weatherstripping, an ant can walk right through it, no matter where it is: Top, sides, or bottom.
• The world is filled with ants. One recent study estimated, based on reliable factors, that there are at least 2.5 million ants for every one human living on the planet.
• Ants are attracted to homes because we surround our homes with trees, bushes, plants, and grass.
• Ants eat plentiful food sources in your yard, such as honeydew, nectar, plant sap, nuts, and bugs (both alive and dead).
• Ants eat human foods, particularly sweet things, such as honey and jam.
• An ant only needs a small drop of honey or jam to feed a large number of workers.
• Ants eat crumbs. The bread crumbs under your toaster are a feast.
• Ants are always looking for food.
• Ants work together to find food by laying down pheromone trails.
• Ants are always generating offspring and growing their nests.
• Ants are always encroaching upon your yard and the exterior of your home.
• Ants become a big problem when ant treatments fail to get rid of them, and some treatments cause colony budding which makes ant problems worse.

We could go on, but you get the point. The nature of the problem is somewhat overwhelming if you think about it. The good news is that it isn't as overwhelming as it seems. You can keep ants out of your home if you know how they get in. You can trim vegetation, seal entry points, and make repairs to keep ants out. If more is needed, you can contact Go-Forth Home Services for help. 

The Many, Many Ways Ants Can Get Into Your Home

When ants enter your yard, make the long journey to your landscaping, and start making mounds next to your foundation walls, the next step is to get inside. Ants can't help it. They do what they're born to do. Let's look at what all of those ants are doing outdoors and how they find their way to indoor spaces.

• Ants love to climb trees. There are many food sources in trees. Some ants will even create a nest inside a tree hole. But the most important fact to know is that ants use tree branches that touch your exterior to get to entry points they wouldn't normally access in large numbers. For example, a tree branch touching a window frame that has a small gap.
• Ants climb plants, grass, and other vegetation as well. If you have vegetation touching your foundation walls, ants may go from a plant into a crack above your sole plates. The sole plates, often called sills, are vertical wood members sitting on top of your foundation. It is far easier for an ant to climb a plant than it is for it to scale your walls. Therefore, large numbers of ants don't typically enter through high entry points unassisted by vegetation.
• Ants can go right underneath a door that does not have a door sweep. They'll also get past doors that have damaged or worn-out weatherstripping.
• Ants are attracted to moisture and prone to getting into your home through the tiniest gaps around your plumbing. Your pipes are even more vulnerable if you have tall grass or other vegetation nearby.
• Ants scale screens and enter through rips or tears. Once past your screen, ants can enter your home through tiny gaps in your sliding glass doors or cracks in your window frames.
• Some ants get into your home by air. Yes, by air. Mature nests create winged ants. These are reproductive male and female ants that create new nests where viable conditions are found. They can fly right through an open door or window and build a nest in your home.

Knowing how ants get into your home is essential. But there is one more factor to consider. You need to know how to stop ants in the house. When you see one little worker ant crawling on a window sill or kitchen counter, it is a harbinger. Let's take a look at why. 

Common Mistakes Greensboro Residents Make That Invite Ants

When you see one little ant in your home, we hope you take notice. If that ant finds food in your home, it will lay down a pheromone trail on its way back to its nest. As other workers in its colony find the trail, they will add to the scent of the trail. Within a short time, an army of ants can enter your home to get the food source that was found. If the ant species is one that creates indoor nests, they may attempt to make one in a wall or floor void. Here are a few ways you may invite them to do this.

• Food particles or sweet sticky droplets of honey on shelves or counters provide a food source for ants. Cleaning shelves and surfaces will remove this food.
• Dirty dishes sitting in a stack next to your sink will invite ants. Cleaning dishes as you go can help to prevent this.
• Food in your pantry that is past due will start to have an odor ants can detect long before you do.
• Checking due dates and managing your food can prevent trouble with ants.
• Storing food in sealed containers can not only help to preserve freshness but will also hold the scent of the food inside, and keep ants out.
• Putting pet food down and leaving it will provide a source of food for more than just your dog or cat. Consider only putting pet food down during a set mealtime.
• Some ants are attracted to moisture sources. A leaky faucet is all that is needed to invite an ant infestation.

There are many all-natural ways to prevent ant problems. If you're not able to stay ahead of what needs to get done, remember that you're not alone. Go-Forth Home Services provides ant control solutions for indoor and outdoor ant management. We can address ant mounds in your yard, reduce food sources ants eat (namely insects), apply a liquid barrier to keep ants from entering, and track your pest control needs. As threats are detected, your technician can provide appropriate countermeasures to keep ants out.