Ants are invading Aussie homes more than ever before and if your pest control methods aren’t working there’s a simple reason why

Ants have always been a problem pest in our homes but many Aussies are reporting more frequent infestations and less success with traditional control methods.

There are two key reasons we’re seeing more ants than usual, according to Rentokil pest control expert Matthew Jones, and one of them means we’ll be seeing more for a little while to come.

The first is we’re more alert to the presence of ants in the environment due to the awareness around fire ants – which aren’t a concern in most areas – and the second is the weather.

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Jones tells 9honey warmer temperatures due to climate change can result in insect behaviour changing, leading some people to see them more often.

Ants are also cold blooded and seek shelter when it’s raining, including in our homes.

“Ants are used to moving when winter comes, they shift their nests from closer to their food source to under rocks and and cavities to get away from getting flooded and our houses are perfect for that,” he explains.

“Our houses provide nice voids for them, so they’re very secure locations for them; they’re away from predators, they’re in warmer environments, they’re away from getting flooded.”

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If you think you’ve seen a lot over summer, you might see even more over winter.

“We’re coming off in Australia a couple of really wet summers, you know, it’s not as wet this year, but that actually means that as the food over that four-year cycle has increased, the number of ants have increased,” Jones says.

“I think you can pretty safely say in Australia there’s more than 1 million ants for every person in Australia.”

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Jones and his colleagues usually get called out to help with ant infestations when the number of ants is too big to deal with alone.

They also get asked for help after people have tried store-bought ant control products and they haven’t produced results. This is a common problem but it doesn’t mean the product doesn’t work or that ants have become resistant – instead, it’s to do with ants’ behaviour.

“Ants are omnivores, so they eat different things at different times of the year. So if you’re using a particular type of bait that’s sugary, for example, but the nest has a large number of larvae in it they’re actually looking for protein. So they’ll actually be more attracted to another type of bait,” Jones explains.

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“That’s when you need an expert to come in and identify what the species is, what they’re likely to be feeding on, looking at giving them that control.”

As for ant deterrent home hacks like peppermint oil and cinnamon, Jones says they’re fine to try and potentially work.

“Some of those, it does modify their behavior, [ants] do shift away from particular compounds and surfaces and if that’s enough to give the control that you need [that’s great],” he says.

“The downside is it’s not well researched, so it’s a bit of a miss on whether your great auntie tells you to put peppermint oil this will happen. There’s no science to back that up, but if it works, nobody’s going to complain, except for the ants.”

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Before you reach for the peppermint oil, there are plenty of things you can do to make your home less likely to be infested by ants.

These include regular vacuuming and cleaning to remove other insects and substances that attract ants, keeping food in sealed containers and keeping indoor plants healthy, because any with an aphid infestation will attract ants.

“And lastly, just making sure that all your doors and your screens and, and everything around your house is sealed properly… if you can stop that first one coming in, they’re not going to bring all their friends,” Jones says.

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It’s worth keeping on top of ant deterrent measures and acting quickly when you see them in the home because of the potential damage they can do.

In addition to contaminating our food, some ant species can damage timber, while others impact wiring and some can even make holes in grout.

“Carpenter ants, for example, they don’t actually eat the timber, but they use it to make their nests, so they break down the timbers in the house,” Jones says.

“Many species are also, because they’re attracted to moisture and those sorts of things, they actually interact with plastic in a strange way, so there’s quite a few species that seem to have a preference for chewing through plastic and, of course, with electrical cables that can be a big issue in our houses.”

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But if you do see ants Jones urges calm with a reminder that they’re an important part of nature as they bring nutrients to the soil.

“Ants are part of a balanced environment, so don’t panic if you see some… if you want to try using the DIY [hacks] or something you can buy from Bunnings, that’s probably your first port of call. But you’d call us in when you’re feeling overwhelmed by that. If you’re not quite sure if you can get control or you have concerns about using the chemicals, that’s when you get a professional in,” he says.

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