Many people notice an increase of ants in their homes following rainfall, as ants behaviour before rain often leads them to seek shelter indoors.
This blog explores the phenomenon of ants after rain and why these tiny intruders commonly invade our homes during wet weather.
Can Rain Eliminate Ants?
Interestingly, ants are adept at surviving in wet conditions. Rain alone usually won’t kill them directly.
In fact, many types of ants, especially rainforest ants really like moist places and damp dirt.
When ants are covered in water, they can stay alive by holding air bubbles close to their bodies.
What’s more, some ants can even survive underwater for up to a whole day.
However, just because ants can handle rain, it doesn’t mean they are completely comfortable with it. Big rainstorms can mess up their homes and make it hard for them to find food.
Why Ant Issues Worsen Following Rain
There are a few reasons why you might notice more ants after it rains:
- Forced to move: Heavy rain can flood ant nests, making them look for dry land. This often brings them into our homes and other buildings.
- Searching for food: Rain can also wash away the ants’ food, so they have to look harder to find something to eat. This search can bring them closer to our homes and other structures.
- Loving moisture: Ants like moist places, and the wet conditions after rain can attract them to your home. This is especially true if you have standing water or damp spots around your property.
Now that you understand why ants might be more of a problem after it rains, you can take steps to keep them away.
Preventing Ants from Entering Your Home after Rain
If you’re seeing ants in your home for the first time, you can usually get rid of them with homemade solutions or products from the store.
Keep in mind that ants during rain or flood might be displaced.
It’s not a good idea to just spray and kill the ants, because that won’t get rid of the queen. Instead, use bait that the worker ants will take back to the nest to also kill the queen.
If ants keep coming into your home after it rains, it could mean there’s a bigger problem, like your building not being taken care of properly or not having good protection against pests.
How to Prevent Ants from Coming into Your Home after Rain
Ants can become quite a nuisance, especially after rainfall.
But there are practical steps you can take to keep them out—or prevent their return.
Close up cracks and gaps
Ants, like many insects, exploit gaps around windows and doors, cracks in your home’s foundation, tears in screens, and openings around wires or pipes.
Regularly inspect these areas, especially in spring, and seal any new openings created by winter weather or wear and tear.
If you already have an ant trail inside, trace it to find and seal their entry point.
Look out for unwanted hitchhikers
Always inspect items brought from outside to prevent inadvertently bringing in hitchhiking insects.
This is especially important during spring cleaning and planting seasons, when items like boxes from the garage, freshly cut flowers, potted plants, and new purchases might harbor hidden ants or other pests.
Avoid feeding ants for free
Ants are on the lookout for food, shelter, and water. Make sure you’re not unknowingly providing for them:
- Regularly check your kitchen and bathroom for leaks or condensation.
- Keep your home tidy and free from clutter.
- Clean kitchen surfaces diligently, especially after meals.
- Wash dishes daily, as dirty dishes are a clear invitation to ants.
- Store food in airtight containers and never leave uncovered food out.
- Regularly vacuum, sweep, and mop your floors.
- Clean out your microwave, oven, and other appliances periodically.
- Keep trash and recycling in closed containers and remove them from your home daily.
Conclusion
In conclusion, tackling ant issues ants after rain can be a manageable task with the right preventive measures and solutions.
Please feel free to share your stories in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out more insightful blogs from Pestweek to guide you in maintaining a pest-free home.
Calina Mabel has over 15 years of experience in the field of journalism and communications. Currently, Calina Mabel is the Content Writer for categories such as Cockroach, Ants, Bed Bugs, Mosquito, Rodent, Termite, and Flies on Pestweek.com. She aims to build content for these categories with a focus on providing valuable and accessible information to readers, in order to create the world’s largest knowledge community about Pests.
All content written by Calina Mabel has been reviewed by Emily Carter.