All the stuff that falls into cracks, sneaks behind the fridge, wanders under the counters and otherwise hides from your best efforts at cleaning. That means that houses with ants are cleaner than houses without ants. That is the simple truth. That means that houses with ants are cleaner than houses without ants. That is the simple truth.
Ants are nature's janitorial staff.
They clean up the leftovers and recycle them into the soil. Poisoning ants is like poisoning a janitor. The companies that sell poison don't remind you that those little creatures scurrying along the baseboard carrying pieces of dead flies and pizza crumbs have histories. Their lives extend far beyond this springtime day when you happen to notice them. Later in the year, they will find work in the garden cleaning up nature's leftovers, and come autumn they will be enjoying windfall apples and wild grapes.