People have specific expectations regarding winter, including the presence of snow, ice, wind, and weather that is below freezing.
During the winter, ants are not as common.
Ants can be a problem inside of homes throughout the year, including during the colder months of the year. In the wintertime, the following four species of ants are most likely to be found inside a home in the province of Ontario: carpenter ants, pavement ants, Pharaoh ants, and acrobat ants, For Removal of ant at your home with Pest Control in Maple.
The carpenter ant is the species that causes the most damage and is the most common. Carpenter ants are able to do extensive and expensive damage to the structure of a home because they nest inside of wood. The Ant Library in our Pest Library is a great resource for learning more about ants, including some interesting facts about ants and additional methods for getting rid of ants.
Why do I have ants in my house while it’s freezing outside?
During the winter months, if you find that you have ants in your home, it is most likely because you have the following:
1. A colony of bedbugs that has awakened or partially awakened because of variations in temperature and is located somewhere within the structure of your home or place of business (such as inside a wall, window or door frame, ceiling, or sill plate, for example). When this occurs, the ants become confused and believe that spring has arrived. As a result, they emerge from a state similar to hibernation (but not genuine hibernation) and start searching for food or simply wandering around in a daze.
2. An ant colony that is located below a slab foundation and has never entered a state of dormancy since the colony is located somewhere below heated tile floors or other types of heated floor systems. Because of the favorable living conditions, the colony has maintained its activity and increased to a size that is discernible.
People are frequently taken aback when they find out that they have an ant infestation in their home. This is especially true if they immediately disturb a huge nest and see thousands of ants beginning to stream out of a wall gap (something that occurs frequently in the case of carpenter ant infestations). It is really difficult to think that so many ants were in their space and they were unaware of it; nonetheless, this occurs quite frequently.
The question “how did these ants get inside my home?” is the one that our clients ask us the most frequently when they find ants in their residence during the colder months. Ant colonies are often located outside, although during the spring, summer, and fall months, ants may be found searching for food and water inside of structures such as homes and businesses. Ants colony locations are typically found outside. In the process of searching for food, ants from a colony that was in your yard or in your driveway next to your house could make their way inside through cracks and fissures in the outside of your property. Ants typically construct their nests inside of homes in one of the following locations: wall voids, door frames, window frames, ceilings, insulation, beneath floors, behind cupboards, or baseboards.
Carpenter ants, which are drawn to damp areas, prefer to set up their nests in places where there is a likelihood of water leaking, such as around pipes, drains, kitchens, and bathrooms, as well as in and around the frames of windows and doors.
In the winter, pavement ants are a prevalent problem in homes, particularly those that have heated floors or geothermal heating and a slab on grade foundation. These homes are also more likely to have an infestation of pavement ants. They are able to find their way in under the slabs, where they will discover a warm and welcoming atmosphere (they also appreciate heated floors). Pavement ant colonies can remain active without the homeowner being aware of their presence throughout the entire year, until either they become too huge or they are disturbed.
The following is a typical and real-life example of how ants can enter a residence and how an infestation can be found: A house had a fissure on the exterior under the siding that was near a window. This fracture allowed water to gently leak into the wooden window frame, but there were no indications that there was a problem. Because of the persistent moisture, the wood behind the siding began to rot over the course of several years, which created an environment that was ideal for the colonization of carpenter ants. Carpenter ants were able to enter the house in their search for food since there was already a break in the facade, and once inside, they discovered the ideal environment in which to establish a colony. During the process of installing new windows, the window frame was removed, at which point it was discovered that the wood had completely rotted and that it was infected with hundreds of carpenter ants.
We must emphasize, however, that ants normally do not plan to establish their colony inside of a building, whether it be a house or a place of business. This does occur when ants have found a way inside a structure and the conditions are habitable; that is, it is warm and provides a sustained source of food and water. In other words, they have colonized the structure.
When winter arrives, do ants hibernate or remain active?
It’s possible that an ant colony in your house is just partially dormant or is still active during the winter. They can enter a state similar to dormancy if their nesting place is too cold and remain in this state until they are roused. If an ant colony is located in a warm area that also provides a sufficient amount of food and water, such as in the kitchen close to an appliance that is in use, the colony may continue to be active throughout the winter and may even increase in size.
What is the Most Effective Strategy for Eliminating Ants from the Home?
First, determine the species of ant involved.
Call a certified ant pest control company such as Pest Control if you see ants in your home during the winter months. Ants may be a troublesome nuisance. Why? Because the most crucial thing that professional ant exterminator will do is help you correctly identify the species of ants that are infesting your home, and after that is done, they will be able to give the appropriate medication within your home. Why should we care about this? Treatments for eliminating different kinds of ants must be tailored according to each species.
The next step is to search for the ants and find their nest.
Our ant control specialist will first identify the species of ant they are dealing with, and then they will trail one of the ants to investigate the possibility of finding the nest. There may be more than one nest depending on the species of ant and the length of time that it has been since the infestation was discovered. It can be difficult to find the nest, but doing so is absolutely necessary in order to get rid of the ants that are in the house.
The third step is to treat the ants inside.
After finding the location of the nest, they will be able to apply the appropriate treatment to the inside of the structure in order to assist get rid of the ants. Pest Control’s products do not harm the environment and are suitable for use around both people and animals.
The fourth step is to treat the outside of the building for prevention. Between Spring & Fall
When you have an ant problem in the winter, the only ants that the treatment for ants inside your home will help you get rid of are the ones that are already there. Ants were able to enter your home, and if the problem that allowed them to do so is not corrected or addressed, then it is likely that ants will be able to enter your home once more; that is, a reinfestation could take place. Ant treatments applied outside of your home are an effective approach of both preventing ants from entering your home in the first place and preventing them from returning. Because of the accumulation of snow and ice around residences during the winter, it is physically impossible to treat the exterior of a building. The best time to treat the outside of your home for ants is between the middle of spring and the end of October. The timing of the ant treatment for the exterior varies according on the species of ant that is there.
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