Ants have been colonizing and living in highly organized societies for over 50 million years. So, what if their next town hall meeting takes place in your kitchen?
It may start as one or two ants having a look around, but they can multiply very quickly if left unintended.
There are many products and remedies to try, but most will kill the first wave of ants without stopping the next one. You’ll be pulling your hair out wondering how to get rid of ants for good.
Keep reading to learn how to eliminate your ant infestation and prevent others in the future.
How to Get Rid of Ants
Start with meticulous housekeeping. Then, use a prevention method to keep pests from coming back.
No matter which treatment method you use, it will fail if you skip this step. Eliminate everything that attracts ants and prevent future infestations by implementing a few of the practices below.
Close Any Entry Points
As your cleaning, search for potential hiding and nesting spots, then eliminate them. This will make your home less favorable to any ant colony. If you don’t seal the entry points, any elimination will be pointless. New colonies will simply re-infest your home.
Common entry points include crevices around window frames, door frames, and baseboards. Also, be wary of the holes around cable and wires.
Seal off these areas with a material such as caulk or copper mesh.
Make Sure Your Space is Dry
Most people forget that ants are attracted to water almost as much as food. The next step is to get rid of any wet or damp areas.
Common water sources include leaky or sweating pipes, wet tubs and showers, wet sponges and dishrags, pet water bowls, and refrigerator drip trays.
Try to get into the habit of storing wet washcloths, sponges, and dish towels in plastic storage bags as they dry. Always empty your pets’ water dishes at night and refill them in the morning.
Remove Indoor Food Sources
The most vital thing you can do to prevent an ant infestation is to eliminate food sources. This will require dedication, but it’s important not to slack here.
Sugar is a common culprit. Ants have a sweet tooth as humans do, so they’re especially drawn to foods containing sugar.
Take care to clean grease and food spills in, under, and behind appliances.
Completely empty and then clean your cabinets – crumbs and food spills like to hide in these areas and create a haven for ants.
Keep all perishable food in sealed containers. Original cardboard packaging often contains cracks large enough for ants to slide through. Opt for metal, glass, or hard plastic containers.
You should also restrict yourself and your family to eating meals only in the kitchen. It’s easier to contain crumbs and spills and will help target the infestation. Ants like to feed at night, so you should clean this room every night before bed.
Finally, make sure your garbage cans are clean! Spend the extra money for a trash can that seals completely. You will thank yourself later.
Use Ant Prevention Products
After you have sanitized your home, use a spray or bait to get rid of ants completely.
Granular and liquid insecticides eliminate ants quickly, but they often don’t eliminate the nest. Ant baits are more effective at disrupting the population but require patience.
To bait ants, place the bait in areas that ants gather often. Don’t put it in the middle of their trail. Doing this will make the ants actively avoid the bait. Put the bait close to the activity but not on top of it.
Good places for bait include counter tops, by the stove, near drains, around pipes or cables that extend out of the wall, by bathroom fixtures, and around vanities.
Make sure any bait is fresh and replace once a week if needed.
In addition to bait, you can use an ant spray. Ants cannot detect non-repellent sprays, so it is deposited on their bodies and carried back to their nests. It will take several days to start eliminating the population, but it will spread through the colony and kill more ants in the long run.
Try Natural Remedies
There are several chemical-free solutions to keep pests at bay.
If you’re hesitant to use products created to combat ant infestations, you can try these natural remedies.
Vinegar
Ants can’t stand the smell of vinegar. Convince them to leave your house by using equal parts of water and vinegar. Pour the concoction into a spray bottle and spray it in areas with high ant activity.
Salt
Salt is an easy way to prevent ants from entering your home. They won’t cross a salt barrier, so sprinkle it across window and door frames to stop them in their tracks.
Pepper
Ants who are looking for sugar are deterred by pepper.
More specifically, ants won’t want to stick around if they run into cayenne pepper. If they’re in your kitchen, sprinkle a bit of the pepper onto your counter tops or baseboards. You can also pour pepper directly onto anthills.
Bay Leaves
If ants are infesting your flour, sugar, or paprika, place a bay leaf inside of the canisters. Bury it in the middle of the container or tape it to the lid. You can also place sachets of bay leaves into your cabinets.
Use Insecticide Spray Outside
Start preventing ants before they enter your home.
If the inside of your home is free and clean of ants, start preventing the next infestation by spraying insecticide around the perimeter of your house. Quarterly pest control and extermination services are recommended to all homeowners
Choose Pest Control Prevention Services
Don’t try to tackle an ant problem alone. You might know how to get rid of ants, but leave major infestations to the professionals.
By utilizing pest management, we will identify problem pests, eliminate them, and keep them outside. Check out our residential pest services to select a plan that best fits your needs.
Please visit the following links for additional information on ant control and prevention:
External
https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/six-steps-to-an-ant-free-home/
https://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/ants.htm
https://www.familyhandyman.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-ants/
https://www.consumerreports.org/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-ants-in-the-house/
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Get-Rid-of-Tiny-Black-Ants-in-the-House/
Internal
https://synergy2ms.com/the-ants-go-marching-how-to-get-rid-of-an-ant-infestation/
https://synergy2ms.com/carpenter-ants-best-outdoor-ant-killer-jackson/
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