Why Am I Finding Ants in the Winter?
Ant activity during the winter months is not as uncommon as you may think. While pest activity does decrease during the colder months in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, overwintering pests such as stink bugs, and overwintering ant colonies can still be active. Keep reading to understand why ants may still be active in your home during the winter, and tips from the pest control experts at Viking Pest to reduce ant populations within your home.
Why Am I Seeing Ants Inside My House During the Winter?
If you are seeing ants active inside your home during the winter, it signifies the presence of an overwintering ant colony or colonies. Having ants in the winter is also a warning sign that there will be ants around the property during the warm weather months.
What is an Overwintering Pest?
An overwintering pest is an insect, rodent, or bird that seeks shelter during certain weather conditions. When conditions become too harsh outside and food sources become scarce, pests begin looking for a place to reside during the winter months giving them access to food, water, and shelter. Many pests in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland areas seek shelter inside homes and businesses beginning in late September or early October. These pests will invade your home looking for a place to nest and then will reemerge in the spring.
5 Tips to Prevent Ants in Your Home This Winter
1. Eliminate Food Sources such as crumbs and spills
2. Store food in airtight containers
3. Properly dispose of all trash
4. Inspect the perimeter of your home for possible entry points and seal cracks and holes
5. Have a year-round pest prevention plan with a pest control company
How Can Viking Pest Eliminate Ants?
If you are currently a Viking Pest Home Protection Plan customer, excellent news! Ants are covered under every Viking Home Protection Plan so please give us a call at 800-618-2847 to schedule one of your free, unlimited service requests. It is our goal to send a technician to your home as soon as possible to treat the areas you are noticing ant activity.
If we are providing a one-time ant treatment inside of your home for winter ants, our primary goal is to identify the ant colony inside the home and rectify your immediate pest problem. However, please know that winter ants mean large outside colonies that will become active once spring arrives. Pheromones left by the previous ant trails will direct ants right back to the infested areas inside of your home. Generally, we recommend a Year-Round service for over-wintering ants as there is a high likelihood that they will return. Year-Round protection services will help us to eliminate the entire colony or colonies of ants and keep your home ant-free, no matter what time of the year.
Our technicians can work with you to set a plan of action for your home and property to ensure that these small ants do not return. Keep in mind that a one-time winter ant service now is only putting a band-aid on a more serious problem. By not having year-round protection, the ants will most likely return next summer and fall. Treatments don’t last forever.
Checking your property each spring is imperative in preventing and controlling ant infestations!
