We’ve all been there — a tiny ant crawling across the kitchen counter. A little panic, followed by an attempt to remove it unharmed, often ends with a frustrated squish! You think the problem has been solved, but then the masses descend. The common mistake we all make is squashing them. There’s a scientific reason why that’s a bad idea. When you squash an ant, it releases pheromones that signal to members of its colony that they should retrieve its body or mount an attack on a threat. Ants are fastidious, so they keep their nest and trails very clean. Because of this, they don’t let a dead member of the colony remain near one of their pheromone trails. When they get the distress signal via pheromones, worker ants quickly assemble and remove the body. So, what starts as a tangle with a single ant can quickly turn into a full-blown invasion. If you see a single ant in your home and are inclined to save a life, it’s worth removing it from the home and setting it a safe distance away so it can’t immediately re-enter. Humans can’t actually see pheromone trails, but if you see ants in a particular area, wipe down the area with lemon juice or vinegar. That will throw ants off their own trails.
