Ants in Kansas homes and yards are an issue a homeowner may have to deal with, especially during certain seasons. When looking for a new place to establish their colony, ants seek out places with accessible food and water sources. Most of the time, ants find sustainable homes outside, but when indoor environments are equally accessible with ample sources to maintain the colony, they’ll move their nest indoors.
What Attracts Ants in Kansas
When you see ants inside your home, it’s a sign they found food and water, which is what they need to survive.
In the kitchen, ants are drawn to sweet-smelling items such as fresh fruit, sugar, cereal or cookie jars. Stacked dirty dishes waiting to be washed have food remnants ants can dine on, open trash containers draw ants, and breadcrumbs on a kitchen counter or floor, areas where you like to snack like a sofa, chair, and floor retain crumbs, and pet food bowls offer tantalizing meals. Outdoors, barbecue grill grates and patio or deck tables where you eat also provide a resource for food.
For water, ants have plenty of places to quench their thirst in your home. Standing water is available in kitchen and bathroom sinks, showers and bathtubs, the dishwasher, and water bowls for pets. Leaks and moisture around pipes can also provide enough water to sustain the colony.
About Ant Intrusion inside the Home
Ants in Kansas are attracted to damp and humid environments. This can be an area in the basement, behind window frames, air conditioning units, under appliances, and behind walls. Ants are opportunists and if they find an entryway into your home, they’ll take advantage of it since an indoor nesting area provides protection along with food and water. Even if the colony resides outside, once worker ants find entryways to food and water inside, they will come in, replenish their resources, then return to their outdoor colony.
Preventing Ants Inside the Home
There are a few things you can do to help prevent an intrusion of foraging ants:
- Finding and filling exterior cracks, crevices, holes, and gaps seals off entryways.
- Prune tree limbs and keep landscaping near the home thinned out. Ants create trails to follow and often use overhanging tree branches that come into contact with the roof to access your home.
- Check downspouts and gutters to ensure they are working properly, not clogged, and they are directing rainwater far enough away from the home’s foundation.
- Inside the home, plug/seal areas where pipes are located such as under the kitchen and bathroom sinks and laundry rooms.
- Seal around conduits and anywhere wiring leaves an opening. Sealing crevices areas around window frames, replacing weather stripping around doors, and replacing damaged window screens eliminate access.
Ants skittering around, through and across areas in your home are not only a nuisance, but they can be harmful. Some species can carry disease, because they travel over many dirty areas making them transporters of bacteria.
Calling in the Professionals
Don’t let ants have you running in circles trying to get rid of them. Contact our team at Schendel Pest Services for fast, efficient, and thorough help by our experienced technicians to address the problem.
