Ants
Ants are a normal part of nature and are an interesting and intriguing insect species. They have pheromonal links and their nesting methods are advanced, but what happens when these insects enter a human home? They become a destructive force causing issues with not just food and bacteria but in some cases destruction. Carpenter ants are socially problematic as they can destroy a house from top to bottom by chewing through its substructure. Ants are a danger to homes no matter their species.
Ants in the winter
The reason ants are more likely to come into your home during the winter is that they have trouble with the cold. They can handle low temperatures but when it goes sub zero their bodies start to slow down and they can even freeze. This is because ants do not have organs like mammals. They have a fluid inside them that contained free-floating organelles which are organic molecules that perform the same processes as organs but on a much more microscopic level. These organelles are not resistant to cold and there is no blood circulation to keep the insect warm so in the winter they must stay in their ant hills and only go out for short times to find food. For this reason, they go into hibernation mode.
Ants like your home
Ants can avoid this hibernation state by entering your home. They also can access your food which is much higher in sugar than the food they find outside. Not all ant species will do this the most common are carpenter ants who make nests in wood and pavement ants or sugar ants who desire sweet food. Pharoah ants are also common pests in the home and apartment buildings. These ants are problematic but non so much as the carpenter ant. While all ants will track in bacteria and delicate in your food only the carpenter ant can tear your house to the ground.
Carpenter ant dangers
This is why it is so important to treat them. You can try doing a domestic treatment first. This involves boric acid ant bait which you can buy or make at home. It involves making tiny dough balls out of flour, water, sugar and boric acid. The boric acid will wreak havoc on their fluidic centres and kill them. They will also take it and stockpile it in their nests where the queen will eat it too. You can also include insecticide dust and domestic pesticides like permethrin. However, be wary that if this treatment does not work within a month or two you will have to call a professional. Carpenter ants are destructive and after some time, your house will start getting too damaged to live in.
Carpenter ant treatment
Professional treatment includes commercial-grade ant bait not made from boric acid but from the commercial-grade poison that is made to attract the ants much better than anything you can buy in a store or make in your kitchen. They also use powerful pesticides you cannot buy that have the strength to kill the insects before they destroy your home.