If you feel like getting rid of ants is tiresome and a never-ending cycle, you are not alone! Most homeowners experience infestations from these stubborn pests at some point or another in their home. The worst part? These bugs almost always infest your kitchen -- the one place where you prepare food your loved ones. If you can’t seem to keep ants out of your kitchen, the experts at Pied Piper Pest Control are here to help. Below, our expert ant exterminators discuss the top things you could be doing to attract ants, and how to fix it. 

• What you’re doing wrong: Ants leave their colony in search of food and water. After all, just like any other living organism, they need a food source to survive. Don’t let your kitchen give them what they’re looking for. Crumbs and spills you leave behind are an open invitation welcoming them into your home!
• How to fix it: Regularly seal food packages, wipe surfaces, and clean up any leftover crumbs or food particles on your counters and floors. You should also regularly clean hard-to-reach areas such as inside cabinets and beneath appliances. Remember, ants are very small creatures and can easily find leftover food in these areas. The extra cleaning measures you take can remove the temptation and deter ants bigtime!

2. Your Garbage is Attracting Them

• What you’re doing wrong: Aside from leftover crumbs and particles around your kitchen, ants are also drawn to your garbage. After all, it’s a haven of leftover food for them to feast on! They’re especially drawn to sugar, so used soda cans and food containers could be drawing them in.
• How to fix it: Rinse out food and drink containers before throwing them in your garbage or recycling bins -- especially ones that are sticky. Be sure to also regularly take out your garbage and clean out bins to get rid of food and drink residue!

• What you’re doing wrong: If all you’re seeing is a few ants, you might be missing the bigger picture. Because ants are social creatures, they travel in colonies -- which means there’s a herd of ants you need to get rid of to experience long-term relief. To get rid of the ones you do see in your kitchen, you first have to eliminate the ones you don’t see.
• How to fix it: You have to determine where the colony lies and destroy the source. If you aren’t sure where the colony is located, try using worker ants to your advantage. Rather than killing them and viewing them as the enemy, use worker ants to bring back bait to the nest in an attempt to diminish the whole population.

4. Your Home Isn’t Properly Sealed

• What you’re doing wrong: Ants are both intelligent and tiny. The crack in your window? They see it! The small opening beneath your door? Yup, they can fit through it! Ants are aware of the smallest openings and crevices and confidently invite themselves in.
• How to fix it: Block these entry points by sealing around doors, windows, cable, pipe, wire and other openings as best you can. While it’s tough to spot them all, take care of the most obvious openings.

5. You Don’t Take Preventative Measures

• What you’re doing wrong: Like most pests, ants can be stubborn. When ants make your home their home too, it may take time and patience to completely eliminate their presence. If you don’t take a preventative approach to keeping them away, you’ll likely continue to deal with infestations.
• How to fix it: Repetition is key to keeping ants away for the long haul. One treatment doesn’t ensure that ants won’t come back. You know what they say: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Employ regular, preventive pest control treatments before ant colonies have the chance to settle in your home once again.

If you feel discouraged or outnumbered by an ant army, it could be time to let the professionals help. At Pied Piper Pesto Control, we’ve been keeping homes on Long Island and the greater New York area ant-free for years. With same-day service and family-family treatments, we can keep your ant problem under control for the long haul while also protecting the ones you love.