Why Do I Have Ants In My Columbia, SC Home?

When you find hundreds, or even thousands, of ants, crawling around inside your home, it can make you wonder. Your home isn't exactly a great place for ants to live, is it? Don't ants prefer to live in the ground? While you can probably make a few guesses as to why ants are getting into your home, there are a few things you may not know. Let's take a look at why ants get inside Columbia homes, starting with the most obvious reasons.

Simply Because They Can

Most ants don't chew holes in wood and other building materials. They will get into your home through gaps, cracks, and holes that exist. You can have some success keeping them out of your home if you take the time to seal common entry points.

• Fill in exterior gaps with caulk.
• Replace damaged weatherstripping.
• Install missing door sweeps.
• Make sure weep holes are protected.
• Because They Found Food

Worker ants leave their nests in search of food and liquids. Some ants can travel quite a distance from their nest. If you find lots of ants inside your home, it might be due to an available food source. When one ant finds food, it leaves a chemical trail as it heads back to home base. This trail is used by other ants to find the food. As each ant returns home, it adds to the trail, making the scent stronger. If you hope to prevent ants from coming into your home, it is important to keep your home as clean as possible and to keep food sources protected. Here are a few ideas that can help:

• Keep your kitchen, pantry, and home as clean as possible.
• Do a deep clean at least once a year.
• Don't leave food out uncovered.
• Put pet food down only during meals.
• Consider storing pantry foods in sealed containers.
• Consider allowing food only in your kitchen and dining room.

Because They Found Moisture

Do you know that ants can pick up a droplet of moisture and carry it? It's pretty darn cool. So, food sources aren't the only attractant for ants. If ants find moisture in your home, this can bring them in by the thousands. Once inside, they may even decide to create an interior nest. Address plumbing issues to remove this potential attractant.

• Repair leaky faucets and showerheads.
• Repair weeping pipes.
• Repair garbage disposal units. 

Because Something Is Rotting

Many ant species are attracted to the scent of rotting organic matter. If juice spills on the floor, the fermenting scent can lure ants into your home. If your kid accidentally leaves an apple core or a banana peel behind the couch, it can become a beacon for ants. If you don't remove trash frequently enough, the scent can lure ants into your home. Address these issues to reduce problems with ants. 

Because You Have Moisture Damage

If the ants inside your Columbia home are carpenter ants, it might be due to wood rot, and wood rot begins with a moisture problem. There are a few ways exterior moisture problems can lead to wood rot.

• A clogged or broken gutter system can allow rainwater to be captured by your roof and run right down the side of your home and oversaturate the perimeter.
• Dense vegetation in your landscaping and landscaping that is too close to the home can invite a moisture problem that leads to rotted wood.
• A deck that goes without routine staining or painting can invite moisture problems and wood rot.

Because You Have Lots Of Ants Around Your Home

The more ants you have around the outside of your home, the more trouble you're likely to have with ants on the inside of your home. There are many attractants that can increase ant populations near your foundation. Here are just a few of them.

• A dirty trash receptacle
• The presence of honeydew as a food source
• Lots of seeds to collect and eat
• Leave, sticks, wood, and other organic debris
• Insects and other invertebrates both alive and dead

Because You Don't Have Routine Pest Control

A home that doesn't have routine pest maintenance and appropriate treatments is going to generally have more issues with ants and other pests. While you can reduce ant activity below your threshold of comfort by sealing entry points, keeping things clean, and removing attractants, there is no better way to prevent indoor ant problems than to have an effective year-round pest plan. A pest control plan will come with routine inspections, identification of ant pests, and targeted colony control. It also reduces insect activity around your home, which is a food source for ants that eat protein.

Ant Control And Pest Service In Columbia

If you live in Columbia, South Carolina, we have good news; you're in our service area. 

Reach out to Go-Forth Home Services to establish a pest plan for your Columbia property. It is one of the best investments you'll ever make for the protection of your health and property.