Ants Under House Siding

Ants are attracted to moist wood.

Ants under house siding.

If you frequently see ants in the same area on the siding there s probably a nest in there. Unfortunately it also gave cover and safe harborage to many pests. Repair roof and plumbing leaks leaky chimney flashing overflowing gutters and all other water infiltration problems to avoid creating a tempting nesting area. The first thing you need to do is find out how the ants are entering to avoid another infestation.

To figure out which ant trails are headed back to a nest put a dab of honey or jam on a. Look for large cracks around the foundation and windows at ground level any tree limbs or bushes touching the roof or walls cracks or holes in wood siding or trim and any sources of moisture or water such as leaks in pipes. Ants tend to follow edges so look alongside baseboards countertops shelf boards and similar surfaces. Earwigs roaches ants wasps and bees just to name a few often find your homes siding a perfect place where they can feel protected too.

If small ants are eating your meat pet food nuts and dead insects you may be able to trace them to flooring cracks. If you have a serious carpenter ant problem you may find wood shavings underneath your siding. The holes are often located between bricks where mortar has fallen out under lap siding or in cracks in stucco. Ants tend to nest under rocks and in decomposed wood and can easily spread to your foundation if their nests are near the house.

The problem with treating pests that lodge behind this shielding is that it gives you very little access to inject anything meaningful. Unlike termites carpenter ants do not actually eat wood. Keep the area around your house free of debris and rotting wood. Some kinds of ants prefer to nest behind exterior siding or wood trim that has been damaged by moisture.

However ants in and around your home could be a sign of a nest close by. If winged ants come out of crevices around your home this is a strong sign that you have a serious ant problem. Step 2 repair cracks or holes in the foundation to prevent ants from entering your house.