The Ants Come Marching in SPRING!

Imagine pouring yourself a nice glass of lemonade from your fridge as you watch the heavy March or April showers and are surprised to see a thinly dashed trail roving across the kitchen countertop carrying away small crumbs. You would probably wonder where these pesky annoyances came from and why of all times of the year do they venture out now. Various people have realized that ants seem to invade indoor areas most at the very beginning of springtime. There are a few reasons as to why this occurs and we at Madison County Termite and Pest Control have brought it upon ourselves to explain those particular reasons.

Starvation Caused by Hibernation

Ants, like most insects, are not at all active during the winter months. To prepare for their dormant state, they gorge themselves on food during the autumn. During their hibernation they gather in the colonies to share body heat and their bodies slow down to a near death state to conserve energy. Even their larvae start something called diapause which literally hinders their growth until preferable conditions return. The ants wake up from hibernation as winter gives way to spring and since the ants were digesting their food during hibernation, they are quite famished. This means that they will search far and wide for food and this oftentimes brings them to indoor locations such as a person’s home.

When ants find a source of food, they release a chemical trail of pheromones to attract their comrades to help gather the newly located resources. This is why ants are seen moving in what seem to be perfectly straight lines with only the necessary of deviations.

Heavy Rain

Another reason we have seen ant activity skyrocket in the spring is due to rain. Ants also invade homes most in spring due to the seasonal heavy rainfall. Since most ant species form their nests in the ground, they can at times become flooded when it rains. Though many nests have various chambers that are built to have air bubbles for such an occasion, not all of the ants will be able to fit in them. This means that they need to evacuate and search for high and dry ground. The ants’ evacuation can make finding the nests a lot easier for ant pest control as they leave in droves for the safety of the colony.

Rain also makes the ground extremely soft which in turn makes it easier for ants to dig out new nests. Many times this can be an entirely new colony or merely a satellite nest to a larger parent nest. A little bit later on in the spring the ants will begin mating and this will also lead to the necessity for the colony to branch out.

Pest control companies are more than prepared to take care of ant infestations especially when they know that springtime is when ants become active again. Madison County Termite and Pest Control is no different and we are sure to do just as good of a job repelling the invasion (and for a cheaper price) than our competitors. We will do all we can to protect your investments as if they were our very own.