6 Things To Know If You Have Ants In Your Kitchen

​If you've ever swiped at what looked like a piece of dirt on your counter, only to have that piece of "dirt" scurry away, you know how maddening an ant infestation can be. Ants are one of the most common indoor pests and can make an appearance just about any time of the year. When they come, they often seem to come all at once, totally out of nowhere. To help you deal with your next ant infestation in your kitchen, there are some important things you should know about ants, their living habits, and how you can discourage them from turning your kitchen into a buffet.

1. There Are Different Kinds of Ants
When you notice ants in your kitchen, one of the biggest things that determines whether or not you need to call one of the many pest control companies in Polk County is the species of ant that you're dealing with. For the most part, you're likely to come across what are called odorous house ants. This species of ant is small, harmless, and simply looking for a morsel of food to take back to its nest. If the ants you're seeing are larger, though, you may be dealing with carpenter ants. In some cases, this species of ant can nest in rotting framing members in your home, leading to reduced structural integrity.

2. Most Ants Don't Live Indoors
While it certainly seems as though ants set-up their residence in your home, most ants prefer to make their home outside and only venture indoors for a quick snack. In every ant colony, certain ants, called scout ants, are sent out to find food for the rest of the colony. If an ant discovers a food source in your home, they will leave a pheromone trail that other ants can follow, leading to a quick infestation that requires various ant control techniques.

3. Ants Love Pet Food
Dogs and cats aren't the only animals that enjoy pet food. The qualities that make pet food great for your pets also makes it attractive to ants. Therefore, if you leave pet food sitting out in your kitchen so that your pets can enjoy the food whenever they please, you're creating an open invitation for hungry ants to make themselves at home. A big part of understanding how to get rid of ants is figuring out how to adapt your lifestyle to ensure that you don't leave extra food out unnecessarily so that ants aren't attracted to your kitchen.

4. Killing The Colony Is Vital
Many methods of ant control only involve killing the ants that appear in your kitchen. While this can provide temporary relief, it won't do much as a long-term solution. To truly get rid of your ant problem, you need to track the ants to their source so that you can kill the entire colony. Although it can be difficult to physically follow the path an ant follows, there are plenty of products available that provide poison that ants carry with them back to the colony, having the same effect. By using one or more of these products and making sure to leave it in place for a long time, you will quickly learn the secret of how to get rid of ants.

5. Your Dishwasher Can Be An Unexpected Hiding Place
Just like humans, ants need water to survive. Therefore, if they can find a reliable water source in your home, they will flock to that water source in droves, ultimately requiring you to choose from pest control companies in Polk County to take care of the problem. One of the most common sources of ant attraction is dishwashers. In addition to staying fairly moist, a dishwasher typically has small pieces of uneaten food that ants need for their survival.

The best way to prevent ants from infesting your dishwasher and the area around it is to ensure that your dishwasher doesn't have any leaks. If the moisture stays inside the closed system of your dishwasher, ants typically won't be able to detect or access it. Additionally, you'll need to make sure that you keep your drain filters free from food debris by cleaning them at least once a month.

6. Patience is Key
When working to remove ants from your kitchen, patience is key. After all, the average ant colony has at least thousands of ants in it, meaning you have a lot of work ahead of you. Therefore, if a method doesn't seem to be working right away, give it another day or two before switching to a different removal method. Otherwise, you could end up wasting a lot of money on different ant control methods even though the first method you used was, in fact, completely effective. Although it can be quite a nuisance having ants in your kitchen, if you keep after them, they will eventually go away.