Has this ever happened to you? Spotting an ant somewhere around your home and not long after discovering that you have an ant infestation? This is pretty common, and that’s why you should know about the habits that attract ants.

These are things that you might be doing every day without even knowing that you are literally inviting the ants into your home. Today you will learn what you should stop doing in order to not make your home a magnet for these pesky pests.

Read on and find out if you have any of these ant-attracting habits and what you can do about them. Don’t let ants take over your home!

1. Wearing shoes inside

This is a big one, and many of us are guilty of it. Most of us wear our shoes inside our homes with no hesitation, and this is a habit that a lot of people have. Besides the fact that the sole of our shoes is dirty and we have no idea what we are bringing inside, this is also a transportation method for ants.

Imagine that your shoes are just like a chairlift, but for ants. They remain stuck to your shoe sole, and they get inside, where they will find food. Later on, they will bring their friends, and this is how you get an ant infestation.

This is easily one of the habits that attract ants—well, more like one of the habits that bring ants into your home—and what you should do is stop wearing your shoes inside.

Instead, you can leave your shoes in the mudroom or the foyer. But remember to make sure that everything is closed off, and ants will not be able to get into the rest of the house.

2. Habits that attract ants? Your pipes are leaking

It is general knowledge that ants are usually attracted to food. But if you want to keep ants at bay, you should also know that, just like any other creature that roams this earth, ants also need water.

This is why pest control experts say that keeping leaky pipes in your home is probably one of the habits that attract ants. This is why you should do your best to not turn your home into an oasis for thirsty ants.

Anytime you do your home maintenance routine, make sure to check all of the pipes, and if you find anything that is not right, quickly fix the plumbing issues. Don’t let any water stand around for too long.

Remember that a dry environment is less appealing for ants, and always eliminate ponds of water that are associated with leaking pipes.

3. Keeping your shrubs too close to your home

We get it! You love to have nature as close to you as possible. This is why your garden looks like a green and flowery paradise, but there are some things you should consider when you have such a lively garden.

Keeping lush greenery too close to your home is definitely one of the habits that attract ants. The plants you have, if they are close to the walls of your home, are real highways for ants. This is one of the easiest ways ants can infiltrate your home.

So, try to plant the shrubs somehow so that you can leave some space between the house and the plants. Keep the vegetation at least 3 inches away from home. Create this buffer zone and keep the ants outside of your house.

4. You are leaving pet food in the bowls

Besides managing your food, in order to avoid an ant infestation, you should also take care of the food of your pets. Yes, you should try not to let food into the bowls of your pets after they are done eating.

Doing this is clearly one of the habits that attract ants. These pests are more than happy to munch on that tasty dog or cat food that you have left behind. To avoid this, you might want to create a schedule to feed your pet.

Also, remember to always clean the dishes for your pet. Besides being healthier for your pets, it is also a way to keep the ants at a distance from your home.

5. You have a window AC unit

Nobody likes the heat waves that we have to endure in the summer, and this has led us to use various methods to cool down. One of them is the casual window AC unit. A lot of people use this kind of AC, and it is a good way to keep a tolerable temperature inside your home.

But what you should consider is that you need to have your AC installed properly. The AC should be set securely in the window, and there should be no space left. The proper installation helps you keep the air cool inside and also keeps the ants away.

Not installing the window AC unit properly is for sure one of the habits that attract ants, and because of this, you can always ask a handyman to help you if you are not sure that you can install it properly.

6. Not cleaning the electrical outlets

Maybe it might sound silly, but ants have a thing for outlets. But what makes them so drawn to your outlets? Maybe you believe that they like them because they are an easy way to get inside your house. Yes, this might be one answer, but what experts conclude is that ants are attracted by the electromagnetic field of the outlets.

Another thing that attracts them is anything that they might consider food. This is why not cleaning your electrical outlets is clearly one of the habits that attract ants. So, from time to time, wipe down your outlets and also remember to clean behind the appliances where there might be any sugary residue.

Next time you are cleaning your house, don’t forget to also clean the spots you usually forget to clean every time.

7. You have fragrant flowers

Maybe you love gardening, and you have an incredibly beautiful yard that is full of many colorful flowers. But if you like growing flowers this much, especially fragrant flowers, you need to be strategic about it.

Never keep strongly scented flowers such as peonies, roses, gardenias, lavender, or azaleas too close to your house. This is one of the habits that attract ants because the sweet scent of these flowers attracts them like a magnet.

Specialists say that these insects heavily rely on their sense of smell to find food, and if you keep fragrant flowers too close to your home, they might think that the flowers are food, and this is how you end up with an ant infestation.

8. Leaving dishes in the sink

Of all the habits that attract ants, this is probably the one most of us are guilty of. If you leave your dishes in the kitchen sink for more than a few hours, ants might become interested in what is going on, and they might decide to visit your home.

As we already said, these insects use their sense of smell, and they are drawn to humidity and food. So, it is easy to see why a sink full of dirty dishes might sound so good to them.

Next time you feel lazy and don’t want to clean the kitchen sink, remember that leaving it like that can transform your kitchen into an ant hotspot. You definitely don’t want that to happen!

If you have an ant infestation, a quick solution that might help is to use ant traps. They are odorless, pet-friendly, and you can use them inside your home: Ant Traps By ORTHO Home Defense 4+1

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