Ant Habitats: More than just hills
September 24th, 2009 Posted in Ants & Roaches 
Ants are everywhere, and that is an undeniable fact.
They go through your cabinets and steal your picnic lunches, but where do they come from?
Naturally, ants habitats can be just about anywhere as well.
The places you may find them are:
Woods
Wooded areas are the most common place to find all types of ant nests. Nests in wood can be large; the closer the source of food and water, the bigger the colony.
Weaver ants will build their nests in the leaves of trees, using a silky substance from their larva to stick leaves together.
The carpenter ant will make its home in wood, including living or dead trees. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood, only move it to make room for nests.
Nests built in wood usually have no outward signs of damage. Even large nests will remain concealed.
Ants build nests in rotten wood as well, occasionally leading to a problem at home if the rotten wood is close by. Ants are vital to the decomposition of fallen trees in forests.
Underground
The most common nesting spot for ants is underground. These colonies, most often seen as a small mound of dirt, are the common ant hill.
Ant hills are made by worker ants digging out dirt into long, and sometimes complicated, tunnel systems.
Ant hills are “designed” to protect the queen, larva, and food from danger.
Ants also build nests under foundation or pavement, which can lead to cracks.
Nomadic
Species in Africa and South America have become nomadic, moving constantly to hunt for food.
These nomadic ants, called soldier ants or driver ants, are larger and hunt other insects to remain alive.
The ants will move in large groups, killing anything in their way. The groups, called swarms, can be several yards across.
During their stationary periods, they will build a colony out of the bodies of the workers.
Your home
Ants can make themselves at home almost anywhere in your home, including:
- In the walls and floors
- Behind baseboards
- Insulation
- Old newspaper
Entry points include:
- Cracks in walls or basement floors
- Electrical socket boxes in the wall
- Window sills
- Pipe entry points from the wall
To keep ants out of your home, make sure to check your home for cracks in walls and floors, and keep food sealed and put away.
Spring and fall are the most likely time ants will enter your home, either to find new nesting locations after mating, or to hide from the cold of winter.
If they do get in, try EcoSMART’s Ant and Roach Killer. EcoSMART products are the all-natural, family-safe way to protect your home from all sorts of pests.
5 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!
By lisa toler on Sep 30, 2009
help!! ants are invading my home, i have tried everything.
By jane on Oct 25, 2009
this product I really need to try.
By Mindy Goss on Oct 25, 2009
Come spring every year we see lots of ants. We have sugar maples beside our home and think that may have something to do with the reason we see so many. The past two years of being in our home we’ve had an exterminator come and spray to get rid of the ants. It has worked, but we would like a more inexpensive way that we can do ourselves. Help before spring comes again!
By kelly brown on Oct 26, 2009
Red ants moved into my flower containers on the deck, and my container vegetables. Made my life miserable when picking peppers and cukes. I did not want to spray because it was my..well, our if you include the ants..food! I finally gave up and gave in, after vinegar, red pepper and so on. Wish I had remembered this website then!
By Patricia Meinke on Oct 26, 2009
We have ants invade our 1895 Victorian home all through the year. There are millions outside the house in the flower beds and inevidibly they find their way into the house. We have 6 senior rescued dogs (2 Shih Tuzs, 2 Lhasa Apsos and 2 Peke mixes), so using pesticides is not an option for us. We need a non toxic way to kill these invaders. I need to get EcoSMART!