How To Avoid Ants Taking Over Your Hendersonville Kitchen

Throughout the summer months, ants can become a problem in your Hendersonville home and specifically in your kitchen. In other articles, we’ve talked about the common ants in Tennessee that do this and how ants get into homes, but today we’re going to focus on why ants can become a problem in your kitchen.
 
The first thing required for an ant infestation to happen in your kitchen is that ants have to find a way in. There are many ways they can do this. They’ll climb through gaps in weatherstripping on doors and past damaged door sweeps. They’ll climb in through the seal around door and window frames. But the most common entry points ants use are holes created by wood-damaging pests. If you want to avoid problems with ants, the first step is to patch or seal holes, gaps, and cracks in your exterior.
 
Once you’ve done everything you can to keep ants from getting in, they may still be able to get into your home. The good news is that most ants won’t enter your home in large numbers unless they have a good reason. What reason might that be? An infestation usually starts with a small number of scout ants locating a food source. As a scout ant returns to the nest with food, it lays down a pheromone scent that alerts the other ants in the colony to the presence of food. Within a very short time, a large number of ants can quickly mobilize to go after that food. The more ants that do, the more pheromone is laid down. The catalyst of this invasion is the food source. Here are a few ways you can prevent ants from mobilizing a large army to enter your home.

• Clean spills up immediately.
• Put dishes in a sink full of soapy water, rather than sitting on the counter next to the sink.
• Vacuum your rugs routinely.
• Put pet food down only during mealtimes.
• Be cautious about where you set bags full of trash down. It may be easy for you to overlook a spot on the floor where organic juices have leaked through, but it won’t be difficult for an ant. Bring trash straight from your interior receptacles to exterior receptacles if possible.

Ants are tiny, persistent insects that can quickly become a nuisance, but infestations aren’t always just a nuisance. Some species of ant can contaminate your foods and some are able to damage your home. When ants appear in your Hendersonville kitchen, or long before, reach out to All-American Pest Control. We know what works to keep ants out.