Are You Hosting Ants in the Winter?

Customers are always shocked when ants appear in their New Jersey homes during the wintertime. Ants like warm weather, right? Yes they do. Ants in the winter are prone to hibernate, especially when living outdoors. However sometimes that isn’t the case, making your home the perfect place for them to relax during those cold weather months.

Countless insects and other creepy crawlers emerge in the spring and die or hibernate with the chilly winds of winter. Many ant species can live up to fifteen years, so winter hibernation is one of their survival skills.

Ants are some of the best planners in the insect world. To prepare for winter, the colony gathers food during the warm months when food is abundant and weather is mild. Many species dig deeper tunnels in their nests and cover entrances to avoid the cold. They also eat plenty to sustain their body fat when food is scarce.

Unlike other creatures who hibernate, ants don’t go into a deep winter’s sleep. Instead, their metabolism declines, and they cut their activity to a minimum. A colony’s impressive size also helps conserve heat and keep them warm.

Most of the colonies will survive unless the winter is extremely cold. Those that infest buildings and homes are even more likely to thrive. It’s no wonder many folks see these tiny pests in the Garden State during winter.

1. It’s Unseasonably Warm

It’s no shock that the weather is out of whack these days. We have unseasonably warm temperatures this year, and it’s nearly November. Animals don’t go by a calendar as we do, but they have an internal system based on the temperature and seasons.

Ants living in winter aren’t alone. Have you seen a warm winter day with stink bugs and Asian turkey beetles swarming around your home? It’s because the unusually warm temperatures have brought them out of hibernation. They go back into the electrical outlets and hide in other places for warmth, and those warmer temperatures signal them to start moving around.

Ants are prompted to get to work looking for food when it’s warm. If you see them in your home during the winter months, you can be sure that it’s because they’ve been disturbed from their slumber—and to them it’s just another workday. Now, they will go right back into hibernation, or what’s actually diapause, if exposed to cool temperatures again.

2. There are Nests Inside Your Home

Another common reason you could encounter ants in the winter is if you have a nest in your attic or crawlspace. Manufactured structures are havens for ants against the elements, and the temperatures inside your home throw their system off balance. The ant is supposed to hibernate in the cooler temperatures, but inside your home is a warm 68-75 degrees.

There’s nothing to tell them that they need to hibernate, as the climate inside indicates they need to work. So not only do you have house-roaming ants, you have hundreds of them. The trick is to find where the colony is and eradicate it to get rid of the problem.

3. You’re Feeding Them

When you find housemates in the form of ants during cold months, it’s likely in the pantry area or your kitchen. Many people believe that an ant problem only comes in the spring and summer. While it’s undoubtedly warmer during that time of the year and many insects are swarming, the ant can be problematic year-round.

If you have food they can get into, they’re not going to leave anytime soon. They can conduct business as usual when you provide the necessary nourishment. Remember that your home is nice and toasty on those cold days, so they have no reason to go into a dormant state. They will continue to terrorize and destroy your food supply if you don’t use preventative measures.

Many species you see during the warmer months can claim squatter’s rights in your home during this season. Here are some ants in the winter that may be crawling across your counter.

Black Carpenter Ants

These oversized invaders don’t take a long winter’s nap like their cousins. Instead, they concentrate on boring holes into anything wooden they find. They can bore into your floors, walls, cabinets, and furniture.

You’ll notice their tell-tale calling card of bitsy mounds of sawdust where they’ve been chewing and nesting. They can be pretty destructive to your home and furniture. These are visitors that aren’t welcome for the winter holidays.

Odorous Ants

Dealing with an ant infestation in your home really stinks, especially if they belong to this species. They might have multiple colonies in each nest and can be a severe pest issue. Their nickname comes from the noxious odor they emit when crushed.

Odorous ants are attracted to warmth and will commonly infest homes when the temperature drops. You may see them in close areas, like between appliances and walls. The heat and availability of food allow them to thrive.

Fire Ants

A warm fire in the fireplace may be cozy on a chilly winter evening, but home-invading fire ants in the winter are anything but cozy. While these aggressive insects usually diapause during the cold season, they’ll stay active if they invade your home.

Not only can fire ants contaminate your food, but they are venomous. If you disturb their nest, they’ll attack you. Each ant can issue multiple painful stings that can be life-threatening if you have allergies.

Black Ants

You typically see black ants outside when winter breaks into spring. The warm weather coaxes them out of hibernation. These are usually the perennial unwelcome guests at your family picnics.

Black ants may appear in late winter if they have made a claim in your home. They have a voracious appetite for sugar and carbs. They may decide to start the summer picnics earlier than you planned.

Most of the ant species found in the Garden State are nocturnal, which means they do their best work in the dark. They stay busy boring new tunnels and pilfering your pantry during the night, and they are expert hiders during the day.

If a place is warm and close to a ready food supply, ants can live contentedly in your home all winter. The trick is knowing some of their usual hiding places. A flashlight and a bit of investigating can lead you to their hideouts.

For the most part, ants in the winter prefer to build their nests inside walls throughout the house. They often gather in the kitchen, pantry, laundry room, and basement. In worse cases, they can invade your appliances and HVAC unit.

Block Their Entrances

Seal holes or cracks in your foundation or walls to prevent ants from invading your home. Repair or replace screens in your doors and windows and seal any gaps around them. Cut back the brush from your foundation so they won’t have hiding places.

Use Protective Food Storage

Ants may be minuscule, but they have an unbelievable appetite. Just one can gobble a third of its body weight in daily food. That’s equivalent to a 150-pound person consuming 50 pounds in everyday meals. They see your pantry and cabinets as a perpetual feast.

Seal your supplies in heavy plastic or glass containers. Ants can chew through thin plastic and cardboard. Avoid leaving fruit or vegetables on the shelves or counters.

Be Careful with Pet Food

Unless you have a sealed ant farm, these insects are most likely not welcome in your home. Fill your pets’ dishes with just enough food for them to eat in one meal, and don’t leave anything sitting out. Pet food tempts ants and will keep them returning for more. Plus, it’s not just ants in the winter months that will see a food dish as you “rolling out the welcome mat”. You may bring all sorts of critters looking for food into your home during any season of the year.

Clean Kitchen and Pantry

Be assured that ants can invade the cleanest of homes. However, you can make your house less appealing to them by cleaning up spills or crumbs as soon as possible and vacuuming regularly.

Some of the best ant deterrents are right in your cabinets and pantry. Although they are generally non-toxic, not all are safe around children and pets. These are some of the most popular home remedies for problems with ants in the winter.

Peppermint

What says winter holidays more than the soothing scent of peppermint? The good news is that ants can’t stand it. Plus, the smell virtually blocks them from detecting other food sources.

Fill a small spray bottle with water and a few drops of essential peppermint oil. Spray it around places where you see any of these insects. Peppermint oil is toxic to pets, so spray in areas they can’t reach.

Cinnamon

Here’s a quintessential winter spice that ants try to avoid. Sprinkle small amounts of ground cinnamon on any ant infestations you see. You can also add a few drops of cinnamon essential oil to water and spray it.

Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth, or DE, is powdered remains of fossilized marine phytoplankton. It is non-toxic to humans and animals but can be a death sentence to invading insects and ants during winter but also works just as well the rest of the year too. The DE’s microscopic grains scratch the ants’ exoskeleton, and they dehydrate to death.

Fill a jar with food-grade DE and sprinkle it along the walls or anywhere that you see ants gathering. It’s also helpful if you spread it around the perimeters of your foundation. It will deter ants and any other creepy crawlies that want to winter in your home.

Cayenne Pepper

Multiple studies have suggested that cayenne pepper may have several health benefits. While it’s not toxic to your pets, they’ll probably avoid the spicy taste. Cayenne pepper can also effectively repel ants in the winter because it disrupts their chemical navigational system.

Sprinkle a bit wherever you see any ant activity. The scent will confuse them, and they will find another place to board for the winter. Some people add a bit of cayenne to water in a spray bottle.

Dish Soap and Baking Soda

If you enjoy DIY home cleaning recipes, you probably know the benefits of baking soda. Adding it to dish soap and water can create a powerful natural cleaner. It’s also an ideal way to eliminate ants in your home.

Add a teaspoon of dish soap and baking soda to a cup of water and stir well. Spread this mixture around places where ants may be coming into your home. If you mix it in a spray bottle, the spray will almost instantly kill swarming ants and even roaches.

White Vinegar

Another best friend in the natural kitchen is white vinegar. It’s inexpensive and has several anti-microbial properties. For generations, people have sworn by white vinegar for sparkling-clean windows and fresh laundry.

It’s also a quick and easy deterrent for invading insects, especially ants during winter who are living in your home instead of just visiting. Add water and a little white vinegar to a spray bottle and spray around your home’s baseboards. Wipe up the dead ants you find and repeat every day until they are gone.

Some infestations of ants in the winter don’t respond to DIY remedies or their nest is hard to find so you need our Kapture professional pest control to come to the rescue. Our knowledgeable and experienced technicians can effectively destroy ants during any season. Spend your winter holidays in peace and joy without worrying about invading ants.

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