Spotted hundreds of ants crawling under your chopping board in the kitchen or by the back door to your house?

The first thing you will want to do is work out where they are coming from to try and stop any more from moving in and infesting your lovely home.

James Higgins, eCommerce manager at Online Carpets has shared five ways Brits can suss out where on earth ants may be creating their nest.

He explained: “If you feel like you’re seeing more ants in your home than normal during the summer months, then you’re probably not wrong.

“Ants are more active with breeding in the warmer weather and lay more eggs which results in a population hike within the nest, which causes some ants to leave and forage for food elsewhere.

“Ants search for food using pheromones, and during the summer, many Brits are more likely to eat sweet treats or have fruit sitting out in a bowl, attracting them in.”

Why do ants suddenly appear?

James from Online Carpets added: “However, unluckily for us, they rarely show up in small numbers, and you’ll usually find the entire colony has decided to move in.

“Though ants rarely damage our homes, they can be tricky to evict and are particularly fond of areas where food or moisture are present - like our bathrooms or kitchens.

“To make sure ants don’t have any new opportunities to come into your home once you’ve eliminated the problem, you’ll want to try to figure out where they’re coming from in the first place.”

Ants tend to appear more in summerAnts tend to appear more in summer (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Just some of the ways you can do this are:

Look behind furniture in bathrooms and kitchens

As mentioned, ants are fond of areas where food and moisture reside, meaning the problem can commonly be sourced to our kitchens and bathrooms.

Use a torch to check behind or under your fridge, freezers, cookers, dishwashers, cabinets, sinks, and any other appliances you can get behind to see if you can spot any ant nests.

Ants are also fond of setting up their nests in or around floor and wall drains, so you’ll want to inspect there too.

Leave out something sweet

While it’s recommended to properly store away all food and pet food to deter ants from coming into your home in the first place, you can play them at their own game a little and leave out something sweet to try and entice them to the food source.

@purdyandfigg Also try not to leave open food out in your kitchen as this attracts them even more! #antproblem #antsinhome #ants #antsoftiktok #antprevention #homehack #bugtok #lifehack ♬ original sound - Purdy & Figg | Cleaning Hacks

Doing this will help attract the ant colony to one spot so you can see the trail of where they’re coming from.

You can do this by simply putting a jar lid or small plate near the area where you’ve noticed the most activity and placing a half teaspoon of honey or peanut butter on top.

You’re probably better to do this at night, as ants tend to be more nocturnal.

Check walls for cracks

Ants can live inside the walls of our homes, setting up their nests in there to seek protection from the harsh elements of the outdoors.

As such, it’s important to check both your internal and external walls for any cracks or other damage.

If you have any gaps in the mortar of your bricks outdoors, especially low to the ground, ants will easily be able to make their way in.

Have you found ants living in your walls?Have you found ants living in your walls? (Image: Getty)

Similarly, once they’re in and spot any gaps in skirting boards or internal wall cracks, they’ll be able to come and go into your home and back into the wall once they’ve found what they’re looking for (food).

If you find any gaps, you’ll want to either sort them yourself or source a professional to fix them and close up any routes ants have of getting in.  

Check seals around doors and windows

If you’re still struggling to find the source of ants in your home, check the seals around your windows and doors.

Unlike giving our homes a fresh lick of paint, we often forget that the seals around doors and windows also need some maintenance.

Over time, the silicone will wear, leaving cracks and gaps big enough for ants to get through.

How to Get Rid of These Common Garden Pests 

It’s worth resealing all your windows and doors using silicone caulk every couple of years - and certainly no longer than five.

By putting fresh caulk around all your home’s entryways, you can ensure that no more ants will get in once you’ve tackled the problem indoors.

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Consider if you’ve carried them in

Ants are tiny, meaning they can often get away with going unnoticed while they’re in their hiding places.

If you can’t find any obvious signs of other places ants might have set up camp in your home, consider if you’ve carried them in with a new house plant, second hand toys, second hand furniture, or even storage containers you’ve moved from the loft or the garage.

Many of us tuck away our summer clothes into boxes to save wardrobe space during the colder months, storing them in lofts or garages.

Because these areas aren’t quite as secure as the rest of our homes, it’s easier for ants and other pests to live there.