3 myths about keeping ants out of your house

What’s Happening

So basically The post 3 myths about keeping ants out of your house appeared first on Popular Science.

Denisa & Jason Moorehouse Get the Popular Science daily 💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. It’s that time again: soon our gardens will be full of flowers and our kitchens full of ants . (yes, really)

Only one of these developments is welcome.

The Details

Ants are, in some ways, the dominant creatures on the planet. There are, , 20 quadrillion ants on planet earth.

Thats 12 megatons of biomass, weighing more than every wild bird and mammal combined. So it probably shouldnt be surprising when ants show up in our homes—but that doesnt make it any more pleasant.

Why This Matters

And we have all kinds of weird ideas about ants in our home. Some people think an ant showing up means your house is dirty (not necessarily), while others think its a good idea to break out the bug spray (its not). Lets explore a few common ant myths, and see what research has to say about them.

Scientists and researchers are watching this development closely.

Key Takeaways

• Ants dont (necessarily) mean your house is dirty.
• The most common advice, when it comes to ants, is keeping things clean.
• And its true that leaving food out will attract ants, but even the cleanest houses get ants sometimes.
• Finding a few ants in your home doesn’t mean your house is dirty.

The Bottom Line

So yes, its a good idea to store food in airtight containers, regularly clean in hard-to-reach places like under the fridge and stove, and generally do everything you can to make sure theres not a lot of ant food available in your house, according to Latty. But even the slightest amount of food is going to attract ants: Ants have tiny stomachs, so even small crumbs or the residue from spilled sugary drinks can be enough to entice them back, Latty wrote.

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