Ants, like most insects, aren’t active in cold weather. If your yard is home to ant colonies in the spring and summer, you’re probably wondering where all those crawling pests go in the winter. Find out how ants protect themselves during the cold months.

Work with Truly Nolen Canada to enjoy winter pest control services for year-round property protection. Don’t drop your guard as the temperatures drop, but find out why it pays to work with a pest control service any time of the year.

Dormant Colonies

Two of the most common types of ants that can remain a nuisance in the winter months are carpenter ants and pavement ants. While not as destructive as termites, these pests affect your home in different ways, but they both react to the cold in the same manner. The basic cold-weather strategy is to look for a warmer space, either underground or in a heated building. The most common cold-weather reaction is to go dormant.

A dormant colony isn’t necessarily hibernating, but the ants aren’t travelling freely around your property. Pavement ants look for hard surfaces, such as concrete or asphalt, to crawl under to wait out the cold temperatures. As long as the temperatures are cool enough, outdoor colonies of carpenter ants use the same strategy. Work with a pest control team to remove ants in the fall to prevent wintertime issues. Otherwise, the cold weather may encourage an outdoor colony to set up shop in your home.

A dormant outdoor community of ants isn’t a threat to your home or your health, but it does mean that you can’t rely on cold snaps to protect your home from an infestation. Both pavement and carpenter ants will survive the season and reappear in the spring. You’ll need to work with a local pest control team to remove a colony from your property.

Indoor Intruders

Unfortunately, not all colonies prefer to stay underground and out of the way in the winter months. Groups of both pavement and carpenter ants that are already in your house, or nearby your home, will find it a much more suitable winter abode. Indoor ants will skip the dormant period altogether and continue to work, eat and reproduce in your heated dwelling.

This means that pavement ants will continue to feed on your edible goods, garbage and pet food. These common ants can carry diseases that are harmful to humans and pets, so it’s important to have them removed at all times of the year.

Similarly, carpenter ants will continue to burrow into wood elements in your home. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood, but they dig holes in it to create colonies. These ants prefer damp, moist environments but will choose virtually any wood element in your home. Look for these pests in their usual spots, your basement or attic, but also remember that they may move closer to your living areas as temperatures drop.

Over time, carpenter ants can devastate your residence and cause costly structural issues. Work with Truly Nolen Canada to routinely inspect your home for signs of either pavement or carpenter ants.

How To Protect Your Home in the Winter

You can take several different measures on your own to prevent ant colonies from growing in your home. Take some time in the fall to remove any leaves, wood or other debris stacked near your house. Seal any gaps around your home or have a professional perform this task. Sealing small cracks not only reduces the risk of an ant invasion but will also increase your home’s energy efficiency.

For effective, full-service pavement and carpenter ant control, turn to Truly Nolen Canada. Schedule an inspection today to learn how you can remove any ants you spot or create a regular inspection schedule to halt any invasion before it begins.