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 in warm months. Seeing ants in your home in New England in the winter could signal a serious problem, though.
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.
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 to seek food. Once the temperatures drop again, they 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.
Why You Should Call in the Professionals
While ants in your home at any time of the year become a nuisance that you don’t want to deal with, ants in your home in the winter are a much bigger problem. Having an ant colony infest your walls, attic, basement, or even pantry, can be damaging to your family and home. At a minimum, ants can invade your pantry and spoil your food. At worst, some ants, like carpenter ants, can cause structural damage.
Our professional technicians are experts in dealing with ants in New England 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 a winter ant infestation!