Once again, tiny ants are marching into Wichita-area homes
An invasion of ants ruined Alyssa Munoz’ recent attempt at a morning cup of coffee.
Like other Wichitans, Munoz has been battling large numbers of ants inside her home near Central and Oliver, thanks to recent rains that have caused ants to seek higher ground.
Last Sunday, she found ants had set up camp in her Keurig coffeemaker.
“There was no cleaning it out. I just had to get a new one,” said Munoz, who had an exterminator spray outside her home earlier this month for the pests she’s found primarily in her kitchen.
She said she plans to have the company come back and this time spray inside her home. In the meantime, she’s using spray she purchased to do battle on her own.
Jake and Christina Senecal spent more than two months trying to get rid of ants in their southeast Wichita home before calling in a professional exterminator last week. In the past, he’s usually been able to fight off ants using ant traps and liquid ant bait, Jake Senecal said.
This year’s invasion, however, seemed more intense. “They had not taken over the yard in the past years like they did this year,” Christina Senecal said.
The Senecals ended up waving the white flag on their DIY efforts.
“It was like we were seeing more so at that point it was time to get professional help,” Jake Senecal said.
Rainy days and mild temperatures have created perfect conditions for the ongoing surge of ants into homes and other buildings, said Rod McBroom, the owner of Advanced Pest Control in Wichita.
“This time of year, especially with all the rain, they’re very active,” McBroom said.
Having been in the pest extermination business for 43 years, McBroom said he’s usually been able to predict when he’ll start getting calls about ants — usually around March 1. But this year, the calls started coming earlier, around the early part of February, he said.
The earlier-than-usual assault is likely why some people may think this year’s problem is worse, McBroom said.
“There are literally hundreds of thousands of ants that are active and when you’re overwhelmed, it may seem like it’s more,” McBroom said. He’s been treating about 30 to 40 homes a week recently, with a few of them each week being first-time customers frustrated by the ants.
With rain saturating the soil, ants have been marching upward to get out of the wet conditions and look for something to eat, McBroom said. They’ll make their way under siding and then look for cracks, holes or any other void that can lead them inside your home, he explained.
Some homeowners, like the Senecals, have reported finding large numbers clumped behind outdoor outlets, for example.
Many folks are sharing home remedies online — such as Borax and sugar water solutions to diatomaceous earth — or perusing shelves for chemical sprays or ant traps to do combat on their own.
During past ant invasions, entomologists at Kansas State University have recommended bait traps, such as Terro liquid ant bait, which uses boric acid, a natural material that isn’t harmful to children or pets. The worker ant carries the boric acid back to the colony where it acts as a toxin. Other tips include keeping mulch 6 inches away from the house foundation and sealing off all food sources so hungry ants look elsewhere.
Home options can provide some relief, but it’s a bit like over-the-counter medications, McBroom said.
“It’s like going to the doctor to get the good stuff to knock it out quick or buying over-the-counter stuff,” he said.
If you are using chemical sprays yourself, be sure to follow instructions.
“Don’t overkill,” McBroom advised. “Some people double up (on doses) but doubling up won’t work twice as good. It’s like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
Besides offering commercial sprays, McBroom said he also uses bait to attract and kill the ants.
“The beauty of the baits is they use attractants that will draw the scout ants. A few of the ants will go back and tell their buddies there’s some good stuff here.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 5:02 AM.