Why ants enter Melbourne homes in winter

Winter ant trails usually mean the colony is chasing dry shelter, warmth or food after rain shifts soil moisture. Older Melbourne homes with cracked paving, weep holes, timber sub-floors and garden beds against walls are especially prone.

Wiping the bench kills the trail you can see, not the colony. Spraying the entry point often causes budding, where the colony splits and opens another trail nearby.

The fix is trail mapping, non-repellent transfer treatment and exterior nest pressure. For Argentine ants, one-house treatment can reduce activity but coordinated perimeter work across neighbours is much stronger.