Spring marks its arrival with warming temperatures, blooming flowers, and the arrival of bugs. Ants start marching around yards and into homes like clockwork every spring. Understanding why ants return can help you prevent and control an infestation. Check out a few reasons why ants appear every spring.
Warmth
Ants are ectothermic, which means they can’t regulate their body temperature. Instead, the weather determines their body temperature. In winter, cold temperatures cause ants to slow down and become dormant. Once it gets warmer, ants have more energy and become active again. This is why you start seeing these pests scurrying around in spring. They are warm and ready to start working.
Food
After waking up in spring, ants are hungry. During winter, ants survive on stored fats, proteins, and carbohydrates from the food they consumed in fall. As they become more active, they’re ready to find new food sources. Worker ants leave the nest and look for food. After finding a food source, they release pheromones alerting other colony members to their location. This causes ant trails in your home and yard.
Swarming Season
Spring is the season when ants swarm. Male ants and queens leave the nest to mate. The queens search for a location to build a new nest. They lay eggs, which starts the development of a new colony. As spring progresses, eggs hatch and colonies grow. The queen continues to lay eggs throughout her life, which results in a cycle of new ants and new colonies. Each spring the process begins again.
Tips to Keep Ants Out of Your Home
Knowing ants emerge in spring means you can be prepared for their arrival. Check out a few tips to help keep your home ant-free.
- Seal Entry Points: If ants can’t find a way into your home, they’ll move on to a new location. Examine your home for potential entry points and seal any cracks or gaps you find.
- Remove Food & Moisture: Ants enter houses looking for food and water. Cleaning up crumbs and minimizing moisture can help prevent an ant problem.
- Clean Your Yard: Removing potential hiding spots, including yard debris, can help to keep ants away. You’ll also want to trim vegetation so it doesn’t make contact with the side of your home.
- Identify the Ant: There are many ant species in the United States, and they have different behaviors. Identifying which ant has invaded your home can make it easier to eliminate an infestation.
- Create a Protective Barrier: Our plant-based Yard Bug Spray kills ants on contact and provides residual repellency. Spraying the perimeter of your yard can create a barrier that helps to keep ants out.
- Use a Bait: Ant baits are an effective way to eliminate an ant colony. Our No Spill Ant Kill and Ant Killer Bait attract and kill ants. They feed on the bait and carry it back to the nest to share with the colony.
As soon as temperatures warm, ants will make their return. Early preventative measures can help keep an infestation from occurring. If you’re dealing with a pest problem, we’re here to help! For a more environmentally and family-friendly solution, check out our Maggie’s Farm Simply Effective™ Pest Control products.