You wake up one morning, go into your kitchen and see black lines moving across your floor. A closer inspection reveals that there’s an orderly army of ants marching their way over your floor, up your counter and into your sink. After the initial revulsion at this discovery wears off, you’ll probably ask yourself, “why do I have an ant problem?”
Ants are a frequent nuisance for homes in the Houston area, including in Deer Park, La Porte and Pasadena. Read on to learn some of the factors that might be drawing them into your house.
Why Ants are Attracted to Your Home
Ants are omnivorous pests that will eat just about anything that we eat, and the discovery of a steady food supply is often what draws them into homes in Houston. Even carpenter ants, which tunnel through wood, don’t actually eat wood cellulose like termites do; they, too, would much rather munch on the snacks in our kitchens.
Ants will gladly eat bread, meat, fruit and more, but their absolute favorite is sugar or anything that contains it. Because of the high sugar content, soda spills are especially alluring to ants. Crumbs on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink can also be ant attractants, so try to keep your kitchen extra clean if you’ve been having an ant problem. Make sure not to leave uncovered food out on the counter, either.
If food isn’t what drew your ants in, water is the probable culprit. It’s something you might not think about, but ants need to drink water to survive just like we do. In a hot Texas summer, sources of water can become pretty scarce in Greater Houston, and ants will swarm to any available water supply. If you spill water on your floor or leave damp towels lying around, this can attract ants. When a scout discovers the veritable ocean of a spilled glass of water, they’ll relay this information to the colony and you can soon expect to find hundreds of ants in your home. Make sure to clean up spills quickly and fix leaking pipes to prevent attracting ants inside.
Are You Having an Ant Problem in Greater Houston?
Regardless of the cause, if ants have been attracted to your home and you can’t seem to get rid of them, it’s time to get help from your local ant control professionals. Call LanYap Pest Control today for the most effective ant control services in the Greater Houston area!