Why Are There Ants In The Kitchen?

Ants on the counter. Ants near the sugar bowl. Ants in the pantry. Ants on the floor. Ants here, ants there, ants in the kitchen everywhere!! If you have ants in your Nashville, TN, kitchen what kind are they? Are the ants in your kitchen dangerous? How did they get there? What do they want? Most importantly, how do you get rid of the ants in the kitchen?

Ants in your Tennessee kitchen are most likely odorous house ants, a.k.a. sugar ants. These small black colored ants are pretty tiny and when you kill them you’ll notice that they have a rotten coconut smell. Often in periods of rainfall they will move inside your home to get away from the water. The foragers, the ones you see in your kitchen, are just a small percentage of the actual colony. These guys are sent out to find food sources and bring them back to the colony. This colony can be inside or outside of your home. Cracks and holes in the foundation, windows and doors can be easy access points for ants to move inside. These nuisance pests seem to have the ability to get into just about anything and go almost anywhere. Although they are not directly hazardous to us, sugar ants can contaminate food and be a general nuisance to have around.

There are many “do-it-yourself” ant sprays and traps that are commonly sold to help rid you of your ant problem. While these solutions may kill the ants that you see, they will not get rid of the core of your ant problem - the ant colony. You see, killing only the foraging ants that are in your kitchen and expecting that to end your ant problem, is kinda like expecting the facial tissue used for cold symptoms to actually stop the cold! Sounds silly, but it’s a similar concept. The foraging ants you are dealing with in your kitchen are only a symptom of the existence of the colony. The only way to completely rid your home of an ant problem is to call a pest control professional. The certified professionals at All-American Pest Control will get to the core of the problem by eliminating the entire colony. We will also implement a year round prevention plan to stop ants from returning once the infestation has been dealt with.

Prevention is the best way to keep your Nashville, TN kitchen ant free. There are a few things that you can do to help minimize the occurrence of ants in your kitchen, in conjunction with professional ant control.

• Keep bushes and shrubbery trimmed back away from house as ants can use landscaping as a bridge to get inside.

• Seal all cracks and holes in basement walls, windows, doors and even pet doors. A small crack is plenty of space for a tiny ant to get into your home.

• Do not leave pet food sitting out because ants like this too.

• Keep food in kitchen, on the counter, in the refrigerator, in the pantry and in the cabinets sealed. Glass containers are a great way to store your food to ensure that ants cannot contaminate your next batch of muffins or cookies.

• Do not leave dirty dishes sitting out. Even if just a day or two, dirty dishes can be enough to attract a few foraging ants who leave a scent trail for the rest of their colony members to follow.

• Keep counters clean of crumbs and food residue. Just like dirty dishes, crumbs and build up food debris is a major cause of ants in the kitchen.

• Remove trash regularly from the home and keep it sealed in a bin with a tight closing lid. One mans trash is an ant colony’s treasure!

With a year round home pest control plan from All-American, you won’t ever have to deal with these pesky ants again. Keep your kitchen ant free and your home pest free by calling the professionals at All-American Pest Control today!