As a kid, you might have heard the story of an ant and grasshopper. Well, if you haven’t, that’s ok! The crux of the story is that as the summers arrive, ants march out in search of food and shelter whereas the grasshopper does nothing but enjoys his summers.
You might be wondering why am I talking fiction but there’s something true about this story and something I would be discussing further in this article. The truth I am talking about is, that ants really look out for ‘food’ and ‘shelter’ during the summers. That ‘shelter’ is our ‘home’ and that ‘food’ is the remains they find in our ‘kitchens’.
And besides everything, That is what attracts them in our home!
When ants go for a quest, they look in every single corner of the house and end up finding something. They find a variety of foods, but they have more preference for sugary substances. A small food crumb lying on the floor is enough for a colony of ants to feed on and even a little spill on the floor attracts the ants. They take some and come back with their troop to get more.
Do you wonder how these tiny creatures keep a track of the route they walked through and come back from the same path? This is because of ‘chemosense’. It helps them to detect the sugary food. The small bristles they have on their body works as olfactory receptors which helps them locate the food and detect the location of chemicals. Their antennal lobes give them the ability to smell different kinds of odours.
Here are the topmost things that attract ants into your house:
Standing water:
Ants also need water to survive. Not just they drink water and leave but they carry it back to their nest and store it. They leave scent trails when they go back to their shelter and bring their group back to fetch more water. Broken pipes, roof leaks, potted plants, spilled water anything can be an attractant for ants.
Open food:
If you do not store the food in the right manner in your kitchen, chances are it will be attacked by the ants. Unsealed containers, openly lying food, loosely capped boxes are primary reasons for ants to enjoy a feast in your kitchen. If you ate a cake or a biscuit anywhere in your house, make sure the crumbs that fall down are cleaned immediately to curb the risk of ants appearing in that area soon.
Plants:
Ants are attracted to flowers due to their sweet fragrance. Also, the plants and flowers are wet and damp sources, which gives them the chance to fulfil their moisture needs. Not only do they take water from it but also destroy them. They negatively affect the plant’s health and lifespan causing the beauty in your yard to fade.
Ants are a nuisance. They damage the structures, eat up the wood, destroy our food and damage our plants. If you are facing for ant infestation in your house, call Ontario Pest Control now and get rid of these tiny creatures real fast!