Clean up to prevent ants

John-Michael Kibrick

With as many as 100 trillion individuals globally, ants are the most numerous insects in the world. Not only will they look for ways to infiltrate every possible structure in search of food, but their small size means they’re almost certain to find one, leaving a chemical trail for their peers to follow.

Thanks to this efficient model of exploration, consumption and expansion, human environments will never be entirely ant-free. However, the No. 1 step your clients should take is to frequently clean up food scraps and crumbs and put into a closed trash container.

Ants that can’t find food won’t signal for any others to follow them, guaranteeing that you’ll only encounter the odd solitary scout rather than a hungry horde.