The explorer scouts were out yesterday, climbing onto work surfaces in the kitchen. This wouldn’t have been strange if it was summer, but it was only February 20th and ants never venture into our house until April or May. For years, we’d been plagued with the daily invasion until I’d found the key to stop them. So if you are facing the annual “Battle of the Ants”, read on…
The first ants of the season aren’t there to feast, or to carry back provisions for the colony. No, these are explorer scouts. They always find a way in: a crack in the window frame or a gap under the door, and I bet when I’m not watching, they even climb through the keyhole! It’s an annual battle I always used to lose, for whatever defences I made, the ants magically appeared and started scouting around for food. And when you like bread and buns and biscuits like me, that’s a problem. I can just imagine the ant commander shouting: “Crumbs! Come on, lads!”
Last year, I tried an experiment. As soon as the first ant appeared, I super-cleaned every surface and made the kitchen a strictly “No Crumb Zone”. I did this for two days, obsessively picking up every speck; and on the third day, the ants had magically disappeared. I spotted some workers scurrying around the slabs on the patio, but not one ant ventured into the house all year — I’d won! I didn’t have to sweep them off the surfaces or brush any warriors into the dustpan and shake them free outside. They’d simply given up.
So that’s my hot tip. I hope it works for you, too, as it’s a simple and harmless method. I don’t like using pesticides, as ants have a right to live too — just not in my house! But why are the ants so early this year? Usually sunshine and warmer weather brings the troops out, however it’s still winter and we’ve had storms and flooding throughout the country. Are they waterlogged in their nest? Are there forces at work that we know nothing of? Is this some kind of global warming signal? Whatever the answer, I shall blitz my kitchen for the next few days and hopefully this will be like writing a “No Entry” sign for ants again this year!