Inspecting For Ants
Inspecting For Ants
[ Ant Identification | Inspecting For Ants | Treating For Ants | Preventing Ants ]Ants can be a major annoyance as they nest both inside and outside. Finding the ants entry point(s) can sometimes be difficult to find. If the ants are indoors, finding the entrance points will be the first thing you'd want to do. Ants are known to hide in bedrooms, basements (if applicable), or inside of a/c units. It would be a good idea to grab a flashlight as well to better locate the ants.
Inside
- Search kitchens and bathrooms first. These are the likely areas where an ants nest will be. Ants need food and water, so you should check around dripping faucets and inside kitchen cabinets.
- If there is an obvious ant trail, another thing you can do is just follow the trail to see where they are going. Most of the time you can just find their nest in this manner.
- Baiting the ants with food, maybe some peanut butter or some type of grease if you have it. This will attract the workers and you can attempt to see where they are headed to find the nest.
- If there is a significant amount of deceased ants in an specific area, there is most likely a nest nearby. Check the surrounding area to see if there might be a location where the rest of the ants are coming from.
- There might be some evidence of wood shavings in an attic or basement (if applicable) area. That could be a tell tale sign of carpenter ants. The shavings would typically be close to their nest. They tend to eat other insects, meat, and sweets, so it is a distinct possibility they would be attracted to the kitchen area.
- If you have crawlspace or noticeable cracks in your concrete. Some types of small ants like to gather in the cracks of the foundation or crawlspace. If you see a lot of ants crawling on or around the concrete, they are probably living inside of it.
- Sometimes tapping or the knocking on a wall will scare worker ants out of hiding. If it sound hollow when you knock, there could be an ant net present. If that does happen, you can see where they’re coming from and find out how they’re getting into their nest. If there are ants in your walls, they are most likely carpenter ants.
- It is a good idea to check window sills and doorways after a heavy rain. Some ant that normally live outside will try to move inside once it rains. If you happen to see a lot of ants in your house after it rains, look in window sills, doorways, or walls at the cracks. The ants are still trying to move inside, so you might be able to get to them before they nest indoors.
Outside
- Ants will make a nest just about anywhere depending on the species.
- Take a walk around your yard while carefully keeping an eye out on what would be inviting pests to make themselves at home
- Search for dome shaped mounds in the grass or dirt outside. If it is possible that you might have some ants in your garden, look for ant mounds of dirt next to objects on the ground, like pavers, bricks, or paths.
- Also check under old logs fallen dead trees, firewood stacks, and various yard waste or other wood debris. Small mounds usually indicate fire ants, which are the small red ants that bite.
- Check cracks in sidewalks, driveways, and other walkways. Some species, like the Pavement Ant, can nest there and even under the concrete foundation of your house.
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