Ants are persistent intruders. Work with your local Waterloo ant control team at Truly Nolen Pest Control to discover the type of ants in your home and what may be attracting them. Consider these top five reasons that a variety of ant species may wish to enter your building.

1. Easy Access

These curious insects are always looking for a new place to expand their colony, particularly if that area is sheltered and easy to access. Ants look for small holes to enter your home. They won’t be particularly persistent if your home is sealed well, but many homeowners have these access points easily available to ants:

• Cracks in the walls
• Seams in the siding
• Gaps in the foundation
• Air leaks around the windows and doors

Seal these with the help of our pest control team to make it difficult for additional ants to march right into your home. Sealing your home won’t help with any ants already present, but it’s a crucial preventative maintenance step.

2. Warm Indoor Temperatures

Most ants are also looking for a warm place to call home. This is particularly true in the winter when freezing temperatures prevent ants from roaming your yard. As the temperatures drop, ants are attracted to the warmth around your home. From the basement to the attic, every small space around your home is significantly warmer and more inviting than your yard.

You can’t exactly remove this point of attraction, so the best way to minimize this feature is to prevent ants from noticing or entering. Sealing up your home and removing any easy access will help avoid encouraging ants to see the warmth of your home.

3. Convenient Water

Just like other insects, ants need water to survive. They love damp environments where water is easily and frequently accessible. An entire ant colony is happy with the amount of water found in a damp bathroom mat or small drip in a water line. Ants are often found in bathrooms, where this is excess water.

Monitor your water lines for signs of leaks and clean up any water spills around your home. Try to avoid leaving wet shower mats on the ground or puddles of water in your bathroom. These simple steps can help prevent thirsty ants from entering your home.

4. Available Food

Leaving out food where ants can reach it is a common way you may be attracting these pests. Ants are particularly attracted to sugary liquids and sweet food, but they will also happily carry away any human food or pet food they can find. These resourceful pests can find food on counters and in pet food dishes.

Be sure to keep your kitchen and other areas of your home clean and free from leftover crumbs. These inviting food morsels can attract a number of ant species in your area. Once ants find food that’s left out, they can infect it with salmonella and staphylococcus.

Remove any contaminated food or pet food and thoroughly clean the area to avoid being exposed to these harmful bacteria. Work with our team at Truly Nolen Pest Control to ensure you thoroughly clean your home after an ant infestation.

5. Lack of Pest Control

Preventing ants from entering your home is a professional job. Keep your home free of ants and the effects of an ant infestation with Truly Nolen Pest Control. There are some steps you can take to limit these five ways ants are attracted to your home, but our team can help you with expert tips and time-tested techniques.

Contact us to learn more about our ant removal and prevention strategies of our Waterloo ant control specialists.  We’ll not only help keep ants out of your home but also prevent other pests from entering your property.