Why Do Ants Keep Coming Back Even After Treatment?

Have you been trying to deal with ants but you keep seeing them again after a few days or weeks? One obvious sign that these pests are returning in your home despite setting up ant baits or getting a treatment is new trails of ants. So why don’t they just go away?

You see, there are several reasons. Some of them can be any of the following:

1. You are not cleaning your home thoroughly to make it free from potential food sources of the ants.
2. You only killed the ones you see on the surface.
3. Depending on the ant species, you probably identified the wrong species and used the wrong treatment.
4. You didn’t destroy the ant colony and left the queen to continue spawning thousands of eggs.

If you are trying to get rid of ants, it is advisable that you maintain cleanliness and sanitation in your house. This is one way to keep them away and continuously monitor their activity, detect their presence, and prevent another infestation.

Tips to Keep Ants Out of Your House

There are a lot of things that you can do to prevent these ants from returning inside your home. Below are some that you should do in every part of your home:

Kitchen

• Place sweet staples such as honey, syrup, and sugar in sealable or airtight plastic containers. Wipe all residues and spills after use.
• Ward off ants from dry goods such as flour by putting a piece of bay leaf inside each canister. The pungent smell of the herb will repel these ants.
• Make sure to clean up all spills and crumbs from countertops as well as the floors immediately. Don’t wait for it to dry and stick to the surface as the residue may still lure ants.
• Before throwing or recycling cans or cartons, rinse out bits of food or residues.
• Take out the trash regularly and seal it properly.
• Make it a habit to check your fruit bowl for ripe fruits that may attract these ants.
• Look out for water build up and faucet leaks.
• Don’t forget to remove leftover food and clean up the area where you place your pet’s food dish.

Bathroom

• Damp areas attract carpenter ants the most. Thus, the need for frequent inspection of tubs, sinks, and toilets for drips and leaks.
• Schedule a day when you can thoroughly clean your bathroom from the walls to the floors and use disinfectant cleaners. Use warm soapy water in cleaning drawers.
• Wipe off spills from soap, shampoo, and lotion bottles.

Other Potential Hideouts

• Check inside the walls
• Inspect all bedrooms including the living room
• Don’t forget the basements
• Check the heating and air conditioning units

Ants are able to find their way into your home because of the scent trails that foraging ants leave to guide them to the source of food. You can kill the ants by using baits just near their nest instead of allowing them to get inside your home. Prevent any of these ants from invading your home by repairing windows and doors and caulking any cracks and crevices you see.

Make sure that you replace worn out weather stripping, fix loose mortar around windows and basement windows, and trim tree branches away from your house. These are additional ways of preventing ants from finding a way into your house when searching for food.

Pest-proofing Your Home from Outside

In addition to your pest control efforts indoors, it is important that you also make an effort in treating from the outside. Your goal in baiting is for the foraging ants to bring back the poison to their nest. If you have properly identified ants living in your wooded walls, it is recommended that you get a specialty bait along with suitable spray. This will prevent them from moving to other parts of your walls and eventually resolve your ant problems.