Ants, like most pests, will choose to infest a building or not based on the weather outside. There are fluctuations such as droughts, cold snaps, and rainstorms that will have a huge effect on the behavior of various insects and animals, forcing them to seek shelter in human settlements. Here’s how ants react to various types of weather:

Cold weather

Insects are cold-blooded, and they have no means of generating their own body heat. This means that most of them cannot survive in the cold and will need to find warmer temperatures or enter hibernation in order to survive over the winter. Ants are the same. When the temperature starts to drop too low, some species will look to move into the home or in buildings that have some form of self-heating or protection from the cold.

Warm weather

Warmer temperatures signal the beginning of a new life for most insect species. Their reproductive and metabolic rates increase, meaning that there will be more insects and insects that are hungrier. Ants are the same. During the summer, their efforts to sustain their population growth and higher caloric needs will eventually drive some foragers into your home, and if they find food sources there, they may even set up a new colony indoors.

Dry weather

When the weather gets too dry, insects will start looking for water sources and areas that are high in humidity. If you have such areas in your home, you will draw various pests inside, one of which will be ants. Ants will be very eager to set up a colony inside if there is a source of moisture during a dry spell.

Wet weather

On the flip side, extremely wet weather, such as during a flood or heavy rains, will force ants out of their colonies, and put them on the lookout for food and dry ground. Usually, these safer conditions will be found inside your home, so this is another scenario in which ants may set up a colony inside the building.

As you can see, any extreme change in the weather in any direction will force ants and other pests to look for conditions that are less harsh. Obviously, these conditions will be found in our home, since we enjoy moderate temperatures and moderate humidity in our living environments. This means that it’s important to keep an eye out after wild temperature swings and weather events. If you suspect that you have an ant infestation, contact us today and we will perform an inspection to make sure that your home is safe.