Why ants invade Aussie homes in colder months

Made an unwelcome discovery in a rarely used cupboard lately? You’re probably not alone.

Noticed some uninvited house guests lately in the form of an ant colony? You’re not alone.

As the mercury drops and winter approaches, the tiny insects begin to slow down and look for a roof over their heads – sometimes literally.

One resident of Sydney’s eastern suburbs shared images of an ants’ nest inside a cupboard in their home, saying this unwelcome find “seems to happen this time every year”.

“The weather turns and they come in looking for any cupboard we don’t open regularly,” they said

“You’ll see a couple of lone rangers a few days in a row and then get suspicious and go looking for the mother-load and BOOM it’s a horror show.”

You might find a host of ants in unexpected places.

They are attracted to warmth. Pictures: Supplied

Ants are cold blooded and hibernate in the cooler months, mostly by burrowing deep into warmer parts of the ground.

However, people’s homes can also present as attractive options for the insects when rains set in – particularly bathrooms and kitchens with warmer environments.

Entomologist Tanya Latty said this could be by accident, and should not cause alarm.

“After rain often if their nests are flooded … tat can cause them to accidentally move in,” she said.

“Often those (situations) are temporary.

“They’re not going to cause any disease spread. They’re kind of like nature’s clean up crew.”

Ants can slip into cracks and crevasses that you might not even notice in day-to-day life and set up camp, bringing a host of friends with them.

Sam Yehia from Pest Control Sydney said it’s part of the normal cycle in his industry when the weather turns.

Major rain events are blamed for shifting the critters out of hiding holes in the ground and into dry, warm and higher parts of homes and buildings.

Ants nests are usually burrowed into the ground.

Looking at the photos supplied to him by news.com.au, Mr Yehia noted the ants appeared to have congregated near a hot water system.

A few members of the colony can also “signal to the rest of the family” when they have found a good refuge, Mr Yehia said.

Mr Yehia said most call outs for ant control came in the warmer months when the insects are more active, but it was not unusual for infestations to happen around this time of the year.

“If there’s been a heavy rainfall, it does bring them out,” he said. “Mainly because their nest got flooded.

“It’s a quite normal cycle.”

He said using a dab of honey would draw ants to one spot, allowing pest controllers or DIY exterminators to get rid of the insects more easily.

Originally published as Why ants invade Aussie homes in colder months