Finding a line of ants trailing across your kitchen counter or popping up in your bathroom sink can be a frustrating experience for any homeowner in Lacey, WA.
But before effectively solving the problem, you need to figure out where they’re coming from. Identifying the source of an ant infestation is the first step toward long-term ant control.
Whether you’re dealing with odorous house ants, pavement ants, or the dreaded carpenter ants, understanding their patterns and behaviors helps you cut the problem off at its roots.
Key Takeaways
- Small gaps, cracks, and utility openings around Lacey homes are often where ants first get inside unnoticed.
- Food spills and damp areas in kitchens, bathrooms, or crawl spaces attract ant colonies looking for easy access.
- When the source stays hidden, using bait, checking other rooms, or observing at night can help you find it.
- A local pest control company can inspect your home, treat the problem, and help stop future infestations.
Check Common Indoor Entry Points
Ants often use tiny cracks and crevices to get inside. Around Lacey, where older homes are common and weather shifts frequently, ants may sneak in through worn window seals, gaps in door frames, or areas where utility pipes enter your home.
Look closely at baseboards and trim, especially where walls meet floors. These spots are easy to miss but are often primary entry points for various types of ants.
Follow the Ant Trail
This may sound obvious, but the best way to find the source is to follow the ants. Early in the morning or late afternoon is when ant activity tends to peak.
In Lacey homes, trails often lead from food sources back to nest sites hidden in wall voids, under sinks, or inside crawl spaces.
Be patient and trace their path as far as you can.
It can lead you to ant colonies tucked away from sight.
Investigate Food and Moisture Sources
Ants don’t just show up randomly.
If you’ve got crumbs under appliances, pet food left out, or persistent moisture from a slow leak, you’ve made your home more attractive to ants. Kitchens and bathrooms are the usual suspects, but also check basements and laundry areas.
In the Pacific Northwest climate, excess moisture is common, which makes your home even more appealing to moisture ants.
Examine Exterior Walls and Foundation
Around Lacey, many homes have foundations with settling cracks or crawl spaces prone to dampness. Carpenter ants, in particular, often nest in wet or decaying wood.
So, take a walk around your house and look for soft or damaged wood, especially near gutters, siding, or areas with poor drainage. You might find fine sawdust (frass) nearby—a telltale sign of carpenter ant activity.
Don’t overlook the potential for other common pests, like termites or rodents, which can share some of the same access points.
Look At Landscaping and Yard Debris
Ants often start outside before making their way in. Check for colonies in mulch beds, under landscaping timbers, or beneath piles of firewood or leaves.
Pavement ants like nesting under concrete slabs and driveways, and from there they can easily slip into homes through cracks in the foundation or gaps under doors.
Lacey and the surrounding areas, including Puyallup and Tacoma, see similar pest infestations due to mild, damp weather.
Know What to Do When You Can’t Find the Source
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If you’ve checked the usual spots and still can’t figure out where the ants are coming from, don’t give up. There are a few more steps you can take to track down the source or get the right help.
Set Bait and Observe
If the trail seems to disappear or you just can’t locate the nest, placing ant bait stations in suspected areas can help. In Lacey’s humid climate, ants are quick to respond to accessible food sources.
Once they take the bait, you can watch where they carry it—and that may lead you back to their nest site. This method helps with not just ant problems but with broader pest management.
Inspect Your Crawl Space
Many homes in Lacey have crawl spaces, which can be a hotbed for pest issues. If you’re comfortable going under your home, check for signs of ant colonies or moisture problems.
If not, a professional ant control service can cover this for you.
Crawl spaces are often overlooked but can be the hidden source of recurring infestations or even future infestations from other pests like bed bugs or rodents.
Monitor at Different Times of Day
Ant behavior can change throughout the day.
If you searched in the morning and found nothing, try again in the evening. Odorous house ants, which are common in the Olympia-Lacey-Tacoma area, tend to forage more during low-light conditions.
Catching them in action can give you new clues and improve the effectiveness of any exclusion or ant exterminator strategies.
Check Less Obvious Rooms
Don’t just focus on your kitchen.
Ants may enter through the garage, attic, or even upstairs bathrooms. We’ve seen infestations in Lacey homes that started from a forgotten snack left in a home office or an overlooked leak in a utility closet.
The source of the pest issue may not be where you’re seeing the ants most frequently.
Call In a Pest Control Professional
If you’ve exhausted all your options and different species of ants are still showing up, it may be time to call in help. At PCI Pest Control, we specialize in helping Washington State homeowners tackle ant problems, rodent control issues, and other common pests.
Our WSDA-licensed pest control professionals offer thorough inspections, eco-friendly treatment plans, and preventative measures designed to keep your home pest-free, without locking you into a contract.
As a trusted pest control company serving Thurston County and the surrounding areas, we’re here to bring you real solutions that last.
Whether you’re looking for help with hornets, a wasp nest, termites, or an ongoing pest problem, reach out now to restore comfort and control to your home.
to walk you through your pest control plan.
