An ant infestation is hard to control and especially horrible to have in your bedroom. Luckily, the insect does not do real damage and is not dangerous to have inside your home. However, ants are annoying and can sometimes spread unwanted bacteria.
Once you have an infestation, the pests begin their work; they chew through and hollow out the wooden areas of your home, which eventually disrupt its structural integrity. "When left untreated, that damage can be severe because their colonies can grow to over 10,000 workers," Fredericks says.
Causes For Ants Crawling On Your Bed
There are several reasons why your bed could be crawling with ants. Firstly, poor hygiene could invite these ants to wander into your bedroom. Spilling food on the mattress or not regularly washing the sheets are some of the reasons you may locate ants on your bed.
Dirty plates, dropped food, or even a few crumbs on the bedsheet can provide a feast for ants. The same applies to stained or dirty clothes. If you get food spills on your clothes and leave them in the bedroom, that can be attractive to ants.
They are most active at night. Workers emerge from the nest about 15 minutes after sundown.
Even though the colony may be indoors, most of the ants will go outdoors to feed. This also reduces the likelihood of detection. To make matters worse, the ants are more active at night than in the daytime and some colonies go dormant during the winter. (The colony is most active during the spring and summer.)
Unfortunately, it's very unlikely that ants will go away on their own. If ants have already established themselves in your home, it's because they find certain conditions favorable. If you've tried cleaning and sealing off food and you're still not seeing an improvement, you might need professional help.
Peppermint is a natural insect repellant. You can plant mint around your home or use the essential oil of peppermint as a natural remedy for control of ants. Ants hate the smell, and your home will smell minty fresh! Plant mint around entryways and the perimeter of your home.
Inside ants may be found near their food sources, moisture and in hidden, protected places like wall voids, under appliances, behind window frames and beneath floors. Ants are commensal pests, meaning they like to live close to people and eat some of the same things we do – sweets, meats, starches and liquids.
Clean up any spills or crumbs immediately, as the ants are drawn to these and will be more likely to infest your home if they're left uncleaned. Keep your house clean and free of clutter to make it difficult for the ants to find a place to nest.
Ants Love Light
Ants mostly swarm at dusk on warm nights, and they're attracted to heat and light, which is why you'll find them flying around your exteriors lights, and your inside lights if they can get into your home.
Sawdust Trails
Check for piles of sawdust near wooden beams, window ledges, skirting boards, and wood flooring. This is a telltale sign that you have an ant-type present that likes to burrow into wood, meaning you definitely need to call an expert.
Bites & Stings
While not considered typical diseases, ant bites and stings can nonetheless cause very serious symptoms and illness associated with allergic reactions and hypersensitivity to ant venom.
Most ants are not a threat to humans. During an ant bite, the ant will grab your skin with its pinchers and release a chemical called formic acid into your skin. Some people are allergic to formic acid and could experience an allergic reaction from the ant bite. Some ants will sting and inject venom into your skin.
If you know where ants are getting in, you can line these entryways with things that ants hate. Salt, baby powder, lemon juice, chalk, vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon, or peppermint oil are a few items that you have around your home that will stop ants from coming inside.
Try pouring a line of cream of tartar, red chili powder, paprika, or dried peppermint at the place where you think ants might be entering the house; they won't cross it.
An ant invasion is annoying, but it can also be dangerous to your health and your home, depending on the type of ant you're dealing with. And as with any pest problem, you definitely shouldn't ignore it and just hope it goes away.
Different Species Have Different Lifespans
For comparison, odorous house ant workers, a commonly seen ant inside homes, tend to live about two to three years, while a fire ant worker lives only about five weeks.
A sudden ant infestation in your kitchen means there is a food source somewhere. The food can be honey, sugar, syrup, meat, fats, breadcrumbs, etc. Once the ants determine these food sources, they form long trails to connect their colonies to the food source.
Google “ant season” and you find responses for most times of the year, including December, April, and July. Fact is, there is no single “ant season.” Ants may choose to enter buildings at any time of year seeking shelter from the elements, whether that means rain and cold or dry heat.
Each year, carpenter ants become active in the spring (March-April) and remain so through early fall (September-October). A mature carpenter ant colony usually releases reproductive individuals in springtime.
Where Do Ants Sleep? Ants don't sleep at specific times, but they may choose to sleep where they feel safe from danger. The best place for them to rest is in their nest, where many other ants protect them and are not exposed. However, they may choose to sleep outside the nest if they are in a hidden area.