Flying ants are incredibly annoying and you’re probably frustrated if you’ve seen some of them in your home. You might be wondering why they decided to enter your home in the first place.
Some people have suggested that the flying ants might be attracted to the lights in your house. Perhaps they are seeing the lights and decide to enter the house to follow them.
There are many insects that have been proven to be attracted to lights. Are flying ants also attracted to light or is this simply not true?
Read on to find out. You’ll also learn more about what else attracts as well as what you should do to get rid of them once they’re in your home.
Flying Ants Likely Aren’t Attracted to Light
There isn’t any scientific evidence to suggest that flying ants are attracted to light. Many insects are attracted to light, but flying ants simply don’t seem to care about light one way or another.
If flying ants are entering your home, then there is likely another reason that they’re doing so. The lights in your house shouldn’t be a factor that will compel them to enter.
However, there are some people who believe they have a mild attraction to light. The problem with this information is that it’s anecdotal at best.
There aren’t any verified studies showing that flying ants are attracted to light. Light isn’t something that has a big impact on them overall.
If the light isn’t attracting the flying ants to your home, then what is? Well, there are many possibilities that you should consider.
Sweet Things Can Attract Flying Ants
One of the most common situations involves flying ants being attracted to a home because of the presence of sweet things. You might find them in your kitchen because they can tell that there’s something sweet there.
Perhaps you spilled some honey and the ants are attracted to the sticky spot where the honey used to be. You might not have done a very good job of wiping the counters after you spilled some sugar.
There are many situations where your kitchen will have crumbs or other sweet things that ants find appealing. In fact, flying ants will also try to get into containers that contain sweet things if you don’t have them sealed tightly.
If you leave the sugar out and forget to tighten the lid, they might try to work their way in. This can definitely be a problem and you’ll need to remember to put things away if you don’t want to attract bugs.
When you suspect that the presence of sweet things is bringing them into your kitchen, it’s going to be important to clean. You should try to do a really good job wiping down your counters and mopping the floor.
Fallen Branches and Tree Stumps
Fallen branches and tree stumps can attract flying ants to your home as well. If you had tree branches fall after a recent storm, then you might have several branches near your house.
These fallen branches and tree stumps can actually attract many of these bugs. They often choose to settle in woody materials.
This means that your inaction can be problematic because it’ll give the flying ants convenient places to use as homes. If you want to avoid having to deal with them near your house, then you should clean things up.
Pull up any stumps and get rid of fallen branches as soon as you can. Some people choose to get the right permits and burn fallen branches in a pile, but you can dispose of them in whatever way is the most convenient in your situation.
If you get rid of these woodpiles, then you’ll see fewer flying ants on your property. You’ll be less likely to see them in your home if they aren’t hanging out in your yard.
Seal Cracks
Sealing cracks will be wise when you’re seeing flying ants in your home. Often, these bugs will get inside of your house through cracks in the foundation or holes in the siding.
If you take the time to go around and seal these cracks and holes, you’ll be able to keep them. It’ll take some effort and time, but it’s imperative to do this when you’re worried about bug issues.
Keep in mind that flying ants won’t be the only bugs that can get into your home using cracks like this. In fact, other pests such as mice could even potentially get inside the house through cracks and holes.
Another thing to consider is that the flying ants could be coming into the house through rips in your screen doors or windows. Many people love opening their windows during the summer months and screen windows allow you to feel the breeze without letting bugs in your home.
The problem is that older screen windows or screen doors might have rips or tears. Even small rips or tears will be enough to allow bugs to get inside.
You can repair rips and tears such as this using tape or you can install a new screen. It might be worthwhile to install a new screen if your current screen is particularly old and shoddy.
After things are fixed up, you won’t have to worry so much. If you keep your home clean and you do your best to repair spots where the flying ants are entering the house, then you’ll be able to breathe more easily.
Eliminate the Flying Ants by Finding Their Colonies
If you can find the flying ant colony outside, then you can kill them. There are a few methods that people use to get rid of them, but one of the most common involves using outdoor ant bait.
The ants will eat this bait and they’ll take it back to the colony. Eventually, this bait is going to kill all of the ants and you won’t have to worry about them any longer.
You could also use special chemical sprays that are designed to kill these bugs. If you don’t like dealing with problems such as this yourself, then you could hire an exterminator to do the job.
Professional exterminators will be able to spray and take care of ant issues promptly. It’ll cost you some money to go this route, but it’s the easiest way to take care of the issue.
Final Thoughts
Now you know that flying ants aren’t necessarily super attracted to light. Some people say that they are a bit attracted to light, but there isn’t any scientific evidence that supports those claims.
Flying ants are definitely attracted to sweet things such as honey and sugar, though. If you don’t clean your kitchen really well, then they might enter your house looking for a meal.
These flying ants also really like fallen branches and old stumps. If you don’t clean your yard up, then they’ll use fallen branches and stumps as homes.
You can get rid of them by sealing your house, repairing cracks, fixing broken screen windows, and spraying chemical sprays. If you can find the colony, then you’ll be able to take care of things for good.
Some people might prefer hiring experts to do the job, but that’ll cost more money. You can decide which way you’d like to handle things based on your budget and what you’re comfortable doing.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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