El Niño is unleashing ants all over Bay Area homes

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(Mandibles of an oversized ant reach out to grab young visitors at the San Francisco Zoo.) Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close El Niño is unleashing ants all over Bay Area homes 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

As more days of rain gather on the horizon, you may want to arm yourself with more than an umbrella.

Pest control companies around the Bay Area are reporting a sizable increase in ant infestations as El Niño rains drive ants indoors seeking shelter. Might want to load up on ant killer, if you aren't already stocked.

Ants invading the dry safety of your kitchen is nothing new, but exterminators say this year's crop of ants are especially persistent. And numerous.

"Usually you get a huge wave when the rains first start, and then they stop," Eric Schmitz of Clear Skies Pest Elimination of San Francisco told The Chronicle. "But this year it's going on and on. There's just more ants, and they keep coming and coming."

Well, that sounds like a nightmare.

Video: Ants El Nino video

Schmitz said his company has fielded 30 percent more ant-related calls this year and, with rain in the forecast for the next week, that number may only go up.

Here's what to do if you've gained a few thousand new tenants lately: