California's El Niño Storms Driving Ants From Their Soggy Homes, Into Bay Area Homes

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- Pest control companies are getting flooded with calls for service as California's El Nino weather system drives the insects into people's homes.

"They don't like to be out in the wet and the cold, so they'll go inside to live with Mrs. Jones because her house provides them with warmth, and everything that they need for their survival," SOS Pest Control Owner Carol Williams told KPIX 5.

The ant invasion is a seasonal affair.  The insects try to escape the heat of summer, and the cold of winter.

With four years of drought and mild winters coming to an end, exterminators say the insect problems may just be the beginning.

"Underneath, the ground has been depleted. As all of the rain seeps deep into the ground, things will get better. But, in the meantime, the ants are being driven inside," Williams said.

Not surprisingly, pest control experts say the problems are best left to the professionals, and that most store bought sprays are at best, a stopgap measure.

"When we go to a house, we're going to investigate where the ants are coming from. Often, the nests are under the house, under the foundation." That's where we want to eradicate the problem, not just kill the ants we see crawling on your counter," Williams said.