Ant Problems After Rainy Weather

In South Carolina, stormy weather can do more than just rain on your parade (or your day at the beach). Rainy weather can also cause ant problems in your home. Let’s take a closer look at how rain brings the ants marching in.

Ants Problems and Rain

In our humid subtropical climate, rain is not unusual. The soil is typically already fairly moist so heavy rains, particularly over the course of several days or even weeks, leave the ground completely saturated. Ants leave their colonies and set out in search of a dry and safe place to take shelter. Unfortunately, this shelter is often your home.

Ants can enter your home in a number of ways. If your weatherstripping has gaps or space around your doors, ants will accept the invitation to come on in. They can also come in through cracks around windows, holes in window screens, cracks or gaps in the foundation and tiny spaces between bricks or other materials your home was built with. The small dark ants that invade your home are commonly called sugar ants, though this general name actually includes several different species of ants.

Are a Few Tiny Ants Really That Big of a Problem?

In a word, yes! Once they infest your home, the longer you take to address the problem, the harder they are to get rid of. They can also spread illness, destroy your property and infest your stored dry food/pantry. Much like other bugs that infest homes, seeing only a few ants can be deceiving. In general, only about 10% of the ants in a colony will go out scouting for food while the other 90% stays behind. So, spotting only a small number of ants means you already have a big problem and it’s time to call your pest control specialist.

What About Fire Ants?

While fire ants rarely infest structures, it does happen from time to time. The more likely scenario is noticing fire ant mounds in your yard spring up where you didn’t realize you had fire ants. Existing fire ant mounds will grow larger very quickly as the colony works to increase the amount of earth to soak up rain water and keep their colony dry. Fire ants are common in the Myrtle Beach area but that doesn’t mean they are harmless. Fire ants can cause serious injury for pets and people. If you notice new fire ant mounds in your yard, especially near your home or other structures like sheds and garages, it’s best to call The Pest Force right away.

It has been a rainy few weeks in the Grand Strand, and ants are on the move. If you notice some uninvited pests have moved in, don’t wait to give us a call!