Why Do I have Ants in My House in Winter?
In spring and summer, you are used to seeing ants scurrying around your patio or driveway. Ant hills protruding out of your grass, and even ants who’ve made their way into your home marching in a trail toward your pantry. Seeing ants in your home in Vancouver in the winter could signal a serious problem, though. Begging the question: Why do I have ants in my house in the winter?
What It Means if You See Ants in the Winter
If you see ants outdoors in the winter, it’s likely there’s been a warm spell that tricked them into coming out from their hibernation to seek food. Once the temperatures drop again to below 4–10°C (about 39–50°F), the ants will go back into hibernation.
If you are seeing ants inside your home in the winter, it likely means that they’ve formed a colony inside somewhere. While they won’t come indoors from outside in the winter, they will certainly remain active if they are already there.
What Happens to Ants in Winter
In the winter months, most ants go into hibernation mode. Their body temperatures drop and they become sluggish. They prepare their colony for winter, sealing up their ant holes and burrowing into the warmer ground or behind tree bark.
How Ants Survive the Winter
Unlike humans, ants can go for a long time without food. They eat a lot of food in the fall to fatten up and prepare for winter. They huddle in groups to stay warm and protect the queen in a dormant state.
Why You Should Call in the Professionals
Having ants appear in your home or office is always unpleasant, but finding them during the winter can be a sign of a much bigger issue. When ants build colonies inside your walls, attic, basement, or pantry, they can cause serious damage and create unhygienic conditions.
At the very least, they can contaminate your food supplies — and in severe cases, species like carpenter ants can even harm the structural integrity of your home, leading to costly repairs.
Our professional pest control technicians are experts in dealing with ants in homes. We will work with you on exclusion techniques to eradicate the colony and rid your home of these pesky ants. Call us as soon as possible if you suspect an infestation. Depending on where you are located, feel free to check out the reviews people say about our service in different cities:
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