It appears I spoke too soon when I mentioned in my previous ants in the garden blog that I don’t have ants in my home! Murphy’s law isn’t it that I now have ants crawling on the carpet just inside of my front door and in my living room. So, I now have my first official home pest problem!
Ants to me are a real nuisance pest… mainly because of the sheer number of them. You never just see one lonely ant on its own, do you? There is usually a whole army of them (did you know there is actually an ant called Army Ant?). Although the most common species of ant, the Black Ant, is not thought to carry diseases, it still concerns me to find them in my home, you just never know where they have been before.
My house was built in the late 1940’s and annoyingly the pipes in the downstairs rooms run outside of the walls and where they meet a wall there is a gap to allow the pipes to fit through. This appears to be the ideal entry point for ants into my home! And so we think there is an ant nest in our wall cavity. How to identify ant infestations on your property?
When the temperatures dropped outside a few weeks ago (who would think we are supposed to be enjoying spring weather in May!) we put the heating back on, so we thought perhaps this was encouraging the ants to come in. Then I was told that other reasons are because ants like exploring (why can’t they explore in someone else’s house?) or because they are looking for food. Well, thankfully they have a very long way to go to get to our kitchen! Plus it is all a bit embarrassing, especially when I had friends over the other night and I had to mention about the ants. It made it sound as if my house was dirty, which I promise you it isn’t!!
It seems the best solution is to block the holes up. This isn’t a particularly easy thing to do but at least our current ant problem is finally motivating us to look into the cost of relocating the pipes entirely behind the wall. Alternatively, I was recommended to try an ant gel designed specifically for indoor use. Apart from this, just knowing the basics of how to get rid of ants is also useful, such as don’t leave any food lying about, including crumbs!
Let’s see how things develop! I have a feeling that our vacuum cleaner will get a lot of use!
Do you see any ants in the walls? You should contact a pest control expert as soon as possible to avoid a larger infestation on your property.
Don’t forget, they’re also disgusting! God knows where they’ve been crwaling before they went into your home.
I have ants (tiny ones) coming out of the wall sockets, light switches. They are in my walls. Coming out anywhere they can. I have vebnts in the eaves outside covered by screening. I believe this is how they got in. How do I get rid of them without paying an arm and a leg?
There are some amateur use bait station products on the UK market that were found to Stop Ants! rather well in laboratory testing.
I have ants in the cavity off my walls out side! They seem to be coming in from the window where there is a hole can anybody help!
Hi Gemma,
I have replied to your email with recommendations from Matt Green of steps to take to “combat” your ants.
If you need any further advice or information please do not hesitate to contact us.
Caroline
Head of Online
Rentokil Initial
Please help !! My daughter moved into a house last month with her 2 yr old and she has been killing ants inside. We don’t know how they are getting in. She finds them in her kitchen and on the walls of one bedroom that isn’t close to the kitchen. This morning she saw 3 run under her bar and disappear into a slit in the caulking. And then killed 3 at the top of the bedroom wall near the smoke detector. Could they be in the walls? She said they are big with black heads. This is so frustrating!!
Sounds like you have a problem with wood ants which could be in the walls. Using a bait will have the best results, especially with a child around. Several bait stations around the inside and outside of the house and a scrupulous cleaning/bagging/packing regime in the kitchen will get them under control.
Try commercially available bait stations or a visit from a professional pest controller should deal with them.
Hi,
I have just noticed that i have loads of ants in my living room, i think they are coming in a small crack at the skirting board.
Help… how do I get rid of these!!!!
My mum is freaking out she had ants in the kitchen in the living room and this morning in her bedroom we have used powder as well as bait traps but cant seem to find the point of entry her bedroom is nowhere near her kitchen can anyone please give me some advice on how to help her she cant afford a professional Thanks
James, Joan,
Remove the source of food and hopefully the ants will forage elsewhere. Clean out the kitchen cupboards and underneath them and beneath appliances. Bag as much open food as you can and vacuum thoroughly. With a bit of luck you might notice where they coming in whilst you are poking around.