With the warmer weather, the increasing presence of insects in your home and garden is becoming a problem.

Although ants are usually completely harmless, no one likes to see them in the house – so we have some tips on how to get rid of them.

Why do ants like to enter your home?

Ants may enter your home to find a food source.

A scout ant will leave the nest in search of food, leaving a trail of pheromones.

Once it finds food, it will follow the trail back, leaving more pheromones, which other ants will follow in their search for food.

If this happens, there can be an army of ants running around the house looking for everything from sugar cubes to dirty dishes.

How to get rid of ants?

As always, prevention is the best cure.

The best solution is to simply remove anything that attracts them to your home.

Ants can be attracted to anything from a drop of honey on the kitchen counter, to a jar of jam, or even a dirty spoon left in the kitchen sink.

By removing the attraction, the ants may simply pile up and leave you alone.

But if you're worried about ants landing in your home, here's what you should do:

• Store all food away, ideally in airtight containers, in cupboards or in the fridge.

• Do not leave food out in the open, always cover and store if possible.

• Clean up any food and drink spills as soon as they occur.

• Keep the house clean, don't forget to keep the cupboards clean too.

• Wash pet bowls regularly, remember ants are partial to cat and dog food!

• Take out your trash regularly.

• Clean your entire kitchen with a natural, homemade ant spray made with one part water and one part vinegar to destroy their pheromones and introduce infestations.

How to keep ants away?

Ants hate the smell of peppermint and lavender oil, so mixing the two together and spraying it on entry points like windows and doors can create an ant barricade.

There are some other ant deterrents such as salt, chalk and cinnamon, but they may not be ideal if you have pets and/or small children.

Since black garden ants are more likely to invade the home, you should keep food – especially honey and sugar – in airtight containers.

Another way to keep ants out of the house is to follow the ants back to their nest to find out how they are getting in.

Then simply seal each hole with sealant, taking particular care around doors and windows.