Advice
Ants in the Kitchen: Causes and What Helps
Ants in the kitchen are usually following food and warmth, and a few careful habits can reduce them, though a persistent trail often needs professional treatment.
Read the guide →We cover Maidencombe and the surrounding TQ1 area. Because many properties here are lived in only part of the year, we are happy to arrange visits around arrivals and departures, and to talk through what to do before you leave.
Big gardens and sunny walls
Properties around Maidencombe often have generous gardens, long drives, stone walls and terraces facing the sun. That suits ants well. A south-facing wall or a gravel path warms quickly, and a colony can live comfortably beneath it. Open fields close by also mean there is always a supply of neighbouring colonies ready to send out scouts to your doors, windows and terrace edges whenever the weather turns warm.
Holiday lets and second homes can see a sudden burst of activity when the weather warms up, because a spill or open food packet left from the last stay is all it takes to start a trail by the following morning. Larger kitchens, utility rooms and conservatories give ants many routes in, so the first job is to work out which one they are really using in your particular house.
What a visit involves
We ask where and when you have seen them, which rooms are affected, check the likely entry points and follow trails outdoors to find the nest. Treatment is targeted to the nest or the route, so the colony is reached through the foraging workers. We avoid heavy use indoors and explain exactly what we have done, so owners and guests know what to expect and what to avoid wiping away.
We also look at the building itself: gaps beneath doors, cracks in terraces, hollow edges of decking and the ground around outside taps. Small fixes there help in Maidencombe, where wind and weather can open up gaps over time. If ants return after treatment, tell us, and we will come back to look again rather than leave you waiting around for it to fade by itself.
Tips for owners and guests
Leave a short note for guests in Maidencombe about sealing food, wiping crumbs and using the bins provided. Keep a tub of sealed treats for children rather than a bowl on the table. Before closing up for a spell, empty bins and clean worktops. We also cover Torquay, Shaldon and Teignmouth, so if you own property in a couple of those places, we can look at both on the same trip.
Frequently asked questions
Can you arrange an ant treatment around a holiday let booking in Maidencombe?
Usually, yes. Ant treatment is targeted and fairly quick, as a rule, so it can often fit between guests. Tell us your changeover dates and exactly where the ants were seen, and we will plan the visit so the property is ready on time.
Why do ants come inside from the garden in warm weather?
Foraging workers from the garden look for water and sweet food, and a warm kitchen offers both. Hot, dry spells in particular push them indoors. The nest is normally outside, so treating it, and closing the gaps, reduces the number that arrive.
Will ants damage the decking or terrace at my coastal home?
Garden ants in the village rarely cause structural damage, but they can undermine the sand under paving and loosen it over time. If you see lots of fine soil by the edges of slabs or decking, it is worth having the nest looked at.