A pest alone is not a problem inside buildings. It only becomes problematic when several of the pests make themselves comfortable in their own four walls instead of in the forest. After all, pests attack food. Some species, including the wooden ant, like to make themselves comfortable in wood. For example, they hollow out windows, beams or stairs in order to build their nests there and thus destroy the wood.

Why do ants and pests come into the church?

As a rule, native species of ants make their way into buildings, especially in spring or summer. During these months, the ant does not always find enough food in its natural environment. In spring, the food sources necessary for the ants for example aphid excretions are not yet sufficiently developed. In summer, the ant likes to look for already established food sources.

The ants will find a plentiful supply of food in houses and churches. They will have a particular eye on foods that contain sugar or protein, such as animal feed or food that is left open. Since the ants only enter buildings for the purpose of foraging, their nests remain in nature.

Nevertheless, it can happen that native species of ants nest in the church. Sometimes queens end up inside the building after their wedding flight, where they then make themselves comfortable in wood.

How does the ant get into the church?

Ants usually get into churches through leaks in doors and windows or cracks in the brickwork. The most important keyword in relation to ant trails is fragrances. The ant uses these to mark its way to the food and thus ensures that other ants are also made aware of the food source. The more ants make their way to food, the more fragrances are excreted, the more ants come and so on – a cycle that ultimately develops into a street of ants.

Fighting ants in church buildings

How you drive ants away depends to a large extent on whether the insect’s nest is inside or outside churches. Ants that are permanently resident outside are easy to repel with home remedies. The case is much more difficult with animals whose nests are in the church.