{"id":3263,"date":"2026-06-26T05:05:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T05:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3263"},"modified":"2026-06-26T05:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T05:05:04","slug":"ants-often-come-indoors-after-nc-summer-rain-but-also-during-droughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3263","title":{"rendered":"Ants often come indoors after NC summer rain \u2014 but also during droughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Ants try to enter homes during heavy rain, but North Carolina is in a drought. Unfortunately, ants are just as likely to try to come inside when it is too dry out.<\/p>\n

Read more NCSU\u2019s Quadir Copeland signs two-way deal with the Rockets after going undrafted<\/a><\/p>\n

NC State Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Christopher Hayes<\/a> said insects, like people, struggle with weather events.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always worry about these severe weather events like drought, flood, hurricanes, all those things, we think about us, and we think about our home,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cThen we pause and realize, \u2018oh my gosh, there\u2019s also all these other animals trying to survive through this.\u2019 And our home kind of becomes a safe haven for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ants may be tiny, and individually, need very little water. But ants add up.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Ants) need a lot of water for their colony, both to feed and provide hydration, but also to keep humidity up, so that the eggs and larva don\u2019t dry out,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

Other insects, like roaches, are also drawn inside when the weather is inhospitable.<\/p>\n

Hayes said the most common ant found in North Carolina are odorous house ants.<\/b> House ants trail scents across the home to alert their colony. They are small and black, and don\u2019t sting.<\/p>\n

If you squish an odorous house ant, it will smell \u2014 to Hayes, like toasted coconut.<\/b> To some, sort of like a house cleaner.<\/p>\n

Carpenter ants<\/b> are also common. Like odorous house ants, Carpenter ants are black.<\/p>\n

\u201cOdorous house ants trail when they find a resource, and they\u2019re moving through your home. Carpenter ants don\u2019t \u2014 they oftentimes are kind of individual ants that are wandering around on your floor,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

Read more North Carolina wants to ban homeless camps statewide. Here\u2019s what\u2019s in the bill<\/a><\/p>\n

Other ants found in North Carolina include fire ants, Argentine ants, pavement ants and acrobat ants, according to Triangle Pest Control.<\/a><\/p>\n

Hayes said the best way to prevent ants is to spy them as soon as they arrive.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI would say the best way to prevent them is to identify them early, so if you can notice the ants when you have one, two, three ants in your home that are kind of scouting out, then you can really get a jump on it,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t catch the ants early there are other options.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaits are really the gold standard, because what happens is those ants will consume that bait, they\u2019ll take it back to the colony, and they\u2019ll disperse it among the rest of the colony until it gets back to the queen or queens, and it will wipe everything out,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

Depending on the ant you are dealing with, baits use sweet substances or protein <\/b>to attract the insects.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to be very careful when you\u2019re doing ant management, and just be aware that you don\u2019t want to contaminate food, you don\u2019t want to contaminate surfaces, and you don\u2019t want to put baits and things in a place where you could risk harming other things,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

It is harder to seal a house against ants than larger insects like cockroaches, but it is still best practice to seal any cracks<\/b>, the Charlotte Observer previously reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a><\/b>. <\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 6:00 AM<\/span> with the headline “Ants often come indoors after NC summer rain \u2014 but also during droughts.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more NC\u2019s Sen. Budd to block Trump\u2019s funding requests until Helene relief is included<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ants move indoors during heavy rain or drought. 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