Bugs get cold in the winter and may enter your home looking for warmth. Ants typically hibernate in winter, but if their colony is close to an entrance in your home, they might try searching for food. Below are a few tips to help with ant control, as well as prevent another colony in the future.

4 Tips for Ant Control

1. Seal Food

Since ants are expert climbers, they will always reach food that’s sitting out. For optimal ant control, place all fruit, bread, nuts, and seeds in drawers or the fridge where they can’t be accessed. If you spill anything sugary, wipe it up immediately, as even crumbs can feed multiple ants.

2. Fix Open Holes

It may be challenging to find the origin of the ants. Start by narrowing down where you see them the most and use caulk to plug small holes in nearby windows. Still, ants can squeeze themselves through tiny gaps. Even if you close one source, they may still use another.

3. Avoid Killing Them

Killing a single ant, or multiple ants, won’t deter the colony from entering your home. There are thousands of drones in an ant colony, and one or two dead ants won’t stop them from coming to a confirmed food source. It may make the problem worse, as ants send a signal when they die, notifying their colony. Instead, call an exterminator so they can destroy the nest and queen.

4. Keep Them Away

While you wait for an exterminator, use natural deterrents like dish soap in places where you don’t want them to reach. Rub the soap in a line, and the drones won’t cross that area unless they can visually see a food source.

Ant control is difficult, no matter the season, but you can trust the top exterminators at Leitchfield Exterminating in Grayson County, KY. Since 1975, this family-owned and -operated company has served their community by controlling bugs, mice, and other unwanted guests in their homes. Call today (270) 234-1295 to speak to one of their certified technicians about a free inspection, or visit their website to learn more about their services.