Why Do Ants Keep Coming Back to My Kitchen?

Do the ants showing up in your kitchen day-after-day ever feel like the ever-repeating movie Groundhog's Day? Just when you think you have eradicated the last ant scurrying across your countertop, you see more infiltrating your pantry, your stove, your cabinets, and pet food supply. The loop can repeat over and over again.As far as kitchens go, there is nothing more unappetizing than watching a colony of ants march across the floor carrying crumbs from your last eaten meal. Homeowners often spare no expense at buying traps and repellents to rid their homes of these pests that just keep coming back.

Kitchen Ants

Before we begin talking about treatment solutions and why you continually see these ants making themselves at home in your kitchen, let's take a moment to discuss the type of ant that is commonly found in this area of your home.The ants that you commonly find in your kitchen are black ants that may be carpenter ants, sugar ants, or possibly odorous house ants that can release an odor when crushed. Carpenter ants may be more of an issue in that they carve out nesting areas in the wood of homes. That kind of damage can be expensive and time consuming to fix.

What's Causing the Return Visits?

It really is infuriating when you think you have eliminated your ant problem only to see them return. There are a few things that may be making your kitchen attractive that is causing the return visits. There is also a root cause that may be to blame for the seemingly forever loop of ants marching through your home - a thriving colony!Homeowners can take some actions to help make their kitchen and home a little less attractive to these pests. Ants have many ways to get into a house and know exactly where to go to find the crumbs and moisture they need. Here's how you can help solve your ant problem.

• Clean up crumbs and spills around the kitchen as soon as they happen.
• Keep all pantry items in thick plastic or stainless steel containers.
• Seal openings in screens, windows, and foundations.
• Reduce moisture from dripping faucets both in the kitchen and in the bathrooms.
• Reduce the number of indoor plants that provide damp soil for burrowing and making a home.
• Store any pet food in sealed containers.
• Clean under the refrigerator, stove, and inside the pantry regularly.

Professional Pest Management teams like ours at Pest-End Exterminators can take steps through treatments and inspections to hunt down the colony and finally eliminate it from your home, if that is what's causing the repeat visits. Depending upon the species of ants we find in your home, we can determine the best course of treatment.