Ants in your plants—and home? Here’s why, and how to avoid common perimeter ants.

This presentation explores how certain landscaping choices around a home can attract and support ants. It highlights how features like mulch, moisture, and dense vegetation create ideal nesting conditions and offer easy access to indoor spaces. Attendees will learn practical tips to manage landscapes in ways that help keep ants outside where they belong. 

About the Speaker

Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann is the Associate Director for Community and Urban IPM and specializes in the management of bed bugs, ticks, stinging insects and ants. She is currently involved in efforts to improve IPM in schools and to increase tick safety awareness through live and online presentations. She recently developed a new guide for cooperative extension educators and volunteers on answering questions about bed bugs.

About the Cornell IPM Annual Conference

This session is part of the Cornell IPM Annual Conference: Pests at the Perimeter – How Landscape Design Influences Indoor Pest Intrusion. The 2025 conference focuses on how landscape composition and management around buildings influence the intrusion of pests. Experts will share science-based strategies to manage environments around buildings, reducing pest intrusion. This event offers practical insights for landscape and pest management, ideal for Master Gardener Volunteers, educators, pest management professionals, and community members.

Learn more about the full conference lineup on the Cornell IPM Annual Conference page.