How Do Ants Get into Tulsa Homes?

April 22, 2022

Both homes and businesses can fall prey to ant infestation. If you want to keep your property ant-free, it is crucial to know how ants get into homes and businesses and why they might show up in the first place. Regardless, you will want to protect your home and keep your property ant-free!

Ants are tricky little pests and often find resourceful ways to get inside. So the goal is to keep them out, right? While great in theory, it may be almost impossible to keep ants out entirely; however, they can be controlled if the appropriate steps are taken to avoid an infestation. These pests are experts at finding ways to achieve what they want by getting into homes and businesses.

Ants pest inside of home

Common Reasons Ants Come Indoors

Ants tend to invade spaces for two common reasons. Most ant species like to search for food sources within a space by first exploring various gaps, cracks, and holes along outside walls. You may have noticed that ants are very drawn to food. If they sense an opportunity to get food, they will become highly motivated and search for almost any way inside. You may have seen a long line of ants alongside an open trash bag or leading to left-out food, particularly in the summer months.

If, for example, you see a long line of ants entering your garage from a gap near the garage door right to your trashcan, sweep them up! Even though it may have been a tiny gap, the ants can use it as an entry point. While sealing that door is a good idea, the ants can still find another way inside. When it comes to food, they are determined little bugs! This makes it critical to invest in preventative pest control regularly.

Instead, the correct approach is to keep things tidy. Be sure to store your trash in bins that can be sealed, and make sure that you remove any garbage on a regular schedule. Proper storage, cleaning, and disposal are critical components to controlling nasty pest infestations on your property. Aside from food, ants also tend to invade when they see an opportunity to establish their nests. One type of ant, the carpenter ant, particularly causes problems when it comes to nest establishment.

Carpenter ants are known for destroying wood and creating galleries within the wood to build their nests. Significant damage can be caused when carpenter ants build their nests or create galleries within the wood of a structure. One important thing to note is that carpenter ants do not often target sound wood. Instead, they go after wood that is water-damaged, decaying, or soft for other reasons.

If the outside of your building doesn’t have soft exposed wood, they may try to find another entry into the space to look for softwood. The best way to keep carpenter ants out of your space is to seal entry points found in foundational walls or by repairing areas that may have rotting wood.

ants on a white wall

How Can You Prevent an Ant Infestation in Tulsa?

Instead of setting a goal to keep all ants out at all times, it is wise to point effort at targeting specific trouble spots that may help reduce the number of ants trying to get into your space. While working with a professional team like Emtec Pest Control is the best way to ensure an ant infestation doesn’t occur, there are many steps a homeowner can take to be proactive.

First, ensure that the seals found around your window and door frames are properly caulked. Second, be sure that any foundation cracks or broken mortar are repaired. Next, the gaps that can be found around

pipes are tempting for ants, and these gaps and those that could be found around wire conduits or other utilities should be filled in with an appropriate caulk or sealant.

ants on a white wall

Another area to fill in are holes that other pests might have created or occurred due to home shifting. These can often be found around window and door frames. Since most other pests are larger than ants, these are prime spots for the ants to take advantage of. Finally, door sweeps and weather stripping found around doors should be checked and filled in if necessary.

If you find an ant infestation at your property, reach out to a reputable pest control company to help eradicate the issue. Pest control companies can even help observe your property and identify any external vulnerabilities you may have missed. Exterminators can also provide additional protection and advice to keep ants from setting up permanent residence on your property.

At Emtec Pest Control, we are committed to safe and responsible pest control. We understand that your family’s safety is your number one priority, so we make it our priority, too.

If you have any other questions about any of these pests or pest control for your home or business, contact your Oklahoma pest control experts at Emtec Pest Control by calling us or by filling out our online contact form.

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