Why Do I Have Ants in My Kitchen?

Why Do I Have Ants in My Kitchen? Posted by: Cooper Pest What are the tiny black ants in my kitchen?

Tiny black ants tend to show up in kitchens and bathrooms, trailing around and seemingly out of nowhere. If you see small black ants in your kitchen, don’t panic! These are the common ants that you’ll find indoors, referred to as “nuisance ants” or “odorous house ants.”

The bad news is you have an ant infestation and need to eliminate it before populations increase. The good news is that nuisance ants don’t cause structural damage to your home or bore through wood. Like humans, they’re much more interested in food and beverages than anything else.

If you see large black ants in your kitchen, it’s likely that you are dealing with a carpenter ant infestation.

Where do ants live in my house?

Contrary to what you see, ants don’t usually live indoors. They create colonies around your property, sending what are called “scout ants” to find water and food to take back to the colony.

Have you ever wondered why sometimes you see one ant and other times you see hundreds? When you see a single ant, that’s the scout ant trying to find necessities and signal the colony to follow. They release a pheromone trail to alert the colony to follow them, which is why you sometimes see ants moving in a single line.

Small odorous house ants are typically found in bathrooms and kitchens but can appear just about anywhere. Their ability to scale walls and travel between the stories of your home allows them to forage in a wide radius. Do you see ants in another part of your home?

They are also drawn to basements due to increased moisture levels that inherently exist. In reality, you can see small black ants anywhere within your home. There is no true way to seal up your home with complete accuracy against small ant invasions.

What attracts ants to my kitchen?

Your kitchen is the most common place to find nuisance ants. They are attracted to resources such as food and water to keep the colony alive and growing. Inevitably, your family will end up dropping small crumbs after snacks and meals without knowing it.

Unless you are hyper vigilant about cleaning and sweeping your floors, crumbs are bound to exist. Even if you use extreme care, keeping your kitchen floor clean, ants are also attracted to other food sources that you may not realize.

Pet food bowls are a perfect way for small ants and other pests to thrive in your kitchen. Throw away uneaten pet food or lift it away from the floor into a sealed container at the end of each day to avoid this scenario. Ants and other pests can easily find pet food in poorly sealed containers such as the large paper bags that they come in.

Frequently dumping water from their bowl can deter ants even further. Be sure to also clean the area around the bowls since dogs and cats aren’t always the tidiest when it comes to eating and drinking, and they create crumbs and water droplets that attract ants.

Why can’t I get rid of ants on my own?

Ants can be challenging to remove if you aren’t targeting the source. Without targeting the nest, you’ll only be killing the ants that you can visibly see. Ant colonies mostly exist outdoors, not indoors. The ants you are seeing are actively going after food and water to bring back to the colony. By making your home less desirable to ants, the colony is less likely to invade.

Does vinegar kill ants?

If you’re looking for ways to prevent odorous house ants on your own, follow these short tips provided by the National Pest Management Association.

How does Cooper get rid of ants in my house?

One-Time Ant Control Plan

Our skilled service technicians will analyze the sources of your ant activity and treat the exterior of your home to create a protective barrier. Gel baiting may be applied indoors if the technician determines that additional treatments are necessary for effective ant control.