Are There Ants on Your Walls and Ceilings?

All of God’s creatures are incredible, fearfully and wonderfully made, and insects are no exception. Consider the bumble bee. Science as we know it tells us there’s no way it can fly – but there it is right in front of us. Bombardier beetles somehow shoot flames out of their rear ends when they need to defend themselves. Spiders and ants can climb up walls.

Wait, go back.

Yes, we’ve all see spiders hanging sideways – the itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout... But, yes, if Peter Parker had been bitten by a radioactive ant, he’d be able to scale walls with ease too.

Chances are you’ve seen ants since hurricane Ian came through, making their way up your exterior walls.

Six Feet Clawed and Scaling the Roof

If you examine an ant’s foot under the microscope, you discover some truly amazing things. Each leg has five jointed segments ending with a segment sporting a pair of claws very much like a cat’s. Each of those five segments bears a variety of spines and hairs. They vary between thick and thin but they fit like pitons in the microscopic pores on textured surfaces.

The hairs and claws also serve to raise the ants off hot pavement so their feet don’t get burned. On smooth surfaces, the hairs don’t help them climb as much as stopping them from falling. If the ant starts to slip, the friction between the surface and the hairs on the legs going the wrong direction can help them catch their breath and then continue on up.

Between the claws at the end of each foot ants have arolia. These specialized adhesive pads are sticky and inflatable. When an ant is attempting to defy gravity, the arolia fill with the ant’s blood – a fluid called hemolymph, ballooning up so they stick to the surface.

The pads are porous so some of the blood seeps out and helps keep the ants “glued” to the wall or ceiling.

Oh What a Feeling

Looking up and seeing ants crawling across your ceiling probably isn’t something you’re looking forward to. But it is always interesting to see how God’s creatures were created and have adapted to the environment.

As the waters recede and our temperatures finally dip into the 70s, we’ll see fewer ants trying to make it into our homes and more burrowing deep – fire ant colonies are typically about 80% under the surface year round. But if ants have nested in your home – or in your walls – we can help.

Along with cockroaches, silverfish, and  spiders, our Go Green Perimeter Plus solution is designed to eliminate and prevent ants from invading your home. We check and treat the inside and the outside of your home, making it all but impossible for crawling insects to get in. And we use 100% all natural, eco-friendly products that keep your family and pets safe.

For more details, or to schedule your first appointment with one of our highly trained technicians, just give us a call!