How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Home
There’s nothing worse than ants at a picnic – except for ants inside your house. While one ant may not seem like much of a problem, where there is one, there are usually more.
These colony creatures can be a nuisance both inside and outside your home but wait! You don’t have to run off to the exterminator after seeing a lone ant skittering across your kitchen.
While it is recommended that you contact a pest control expert for overwhelming invasions, we can help stop them before they overstay their welcome. If you want to put a stop to your pest problem before it starts, here are nine easy tips to get rid of ants.
1. Close off Entry
The best way to stop an ant invasion is by keeping them out of your home at the start. Perform regular maintenance on your home by checking for any possible entryways for any manner of pest.
Windows, foundation, doors, and vents are all easy to access points ants can easily sneak through. Seal any cracks or holes with screen or caulking. If you’ve already found ants inside your home, play detective.
Follow them to their point of entry; see where they are getting in so you can repair it and keep them out.
2. Close the Buffet
Ants usually stick around when they’ve discovered a good food source. Of course, that could mean your pantry. Don’t give them a reason to stick around. Keep your food sealed in containers and put away.
When you serve meals, keep them to one area of the house and clean thoroughly after meals. Simply don’t leave food out; this includes pet food and waste bins.
While you don’t need to take the garbage out every night, you should have it in a sealed container. If the ants can’t find food, they won’t return.
3. Tidy Up
In addition to keeping food put away, if you want ants gone, it’s a good idea to keep the house as tidy as possible. Even at our best, it’s still possible to leave some crumbs behind after meals.
Get into the habit of cleaning regularly and vacuuming to keep residue at a minimum. Appliances can often have leftover bits hiding on or under them, and sometimes those open snack bags can leave a little behind.
Clean under and around these spots frequently as the tiniest bit of food could serve as a treat for a colony.
4. Watch the Water
Much like food, ants need a water source, and leaking pipes are perfect for ants. Of course, your pipes aren’t the only place these pests are searching.
Any wet towels, rags, or sponges left out can be prime sources of water. Pet dishes and appliance drip trays are also unexpected water sources.
If you want to keep ants out, make sure to dry these areas and clear up any possible watering holes for these unwanted guests.
5. Tidy up the Yard
If you want to keep ants out of your home, make sure they aren’t lurking around on the outside either. Make sure your trash is covered and try to eliminate any stagnant water, especially near the house or in gutters.
Maintain your yard by keeping the overgrowth under control and the grass cut. If you have wood, keep it stored at least 20 feet away from the house. A clean yard is less enticing for ant invaders.
6. Set Ant Baits
If ants have made their way inside, don’t worry just yet. You can stop this invasion at the source using ant bait. Ant baits are an effective way to get rid of your ant problem while keeping your house clean and spray-free.
With ant baits, the exploring ants will enter the trap, take the food and bring it back to the colony. Little do these pests know, the food is a poison meant to wipe out the entire colony.
All you need to do is place it where the ants will find it and you don’t have to worry about handling any chemicals at all.
7. Natural Remedies
If you want to avoid traps altogether, you can try a more natural approach with diatomaceous earth. This effective powder can be sprinkled on by your window or any other entryway ants may lurk.
This will dry out the insect’s exoskeleton, and it will die. While this may take care of any ants trying to enter your home, it won’t kill the colony.
8. Make the Trail Vanish
Once an ant has entered, it will leave a trail of pheromones so that it may return easily to raid your pantry. Unfortunately, this trail isn’t something that you can see easily; regardless, you need to get rid of the trail to keep these little pests from coming back.
Use strong-smelling products like vinegar to clean your home, especially in areas where you see ants congregating. While the vinegar won’t kill ants, the smell will deter them.
9. Take the Fight Outdoors
If you’ve spotted quite a few ant nests around your property, you may want to take precautions to stop them from getting into your home. An easy way to get rid of them is by boiling water and pouring it on the anthill.
This will not only kill ants, but it will also collapse the colony. The bigger the anthill, the more water you need to use. Just be careful when doing so.
Calling in Reinforcements
Spotting one or two ants should warrant a visit from the exterminator, especially when these simple tips can help stop the problem before it starts. However, your ant problem is much larger than you anticipated.
Depending on the type of ant, your home could experience significant damage, especially with carpenter ants. You don’t have to go it alone. A trusted pest control expert can help you put an end to your pest problem.
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