Any pest infestation, ants included can be very frustrating and a headache. This especially applies when it comes to getting rid of ants, as it seems unending to completely erase them off. The ultimate guide to control ants is a comprehensive procedure that will help you keep away the pests for good and prevent their re-infestation.
How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally
When ants invade homes, they are like little devils always surrounding areas where there’s a food source. This is especially around the kitchen table or the dining floor where food grains might have fallen down which ants are attracted to. As they say, your best friend is also your best enemy. You can use that same food against them as bait using the following steps;
Natural Way to Get Rid of Ants
- First things first, eliminate the path trail the ants use to get into your home, which is also their exit trail.
- Create a barrier at the entry point using petroleum jelly or duct tape.
- Then wash away the ants trail using soapy water and sponge collecting all the ants from the trail.
- Using an all-purpose cleaner or a bleach solution, spray the trail and wipe it off using a clean paper towel. However, this may only wipe out half the colony so might not be that effective.
- Alternatively, use boric acid or diatomaceous earth food grade and mix it with water and sugar and apply it on the food bait.
- Apply this along the ant trail and wait for the ants to show up and fall into the bait.
You could also add some oily substances such as peanut butter to the bait since some ant species are looking for more than a sugary meal and have different cravings. - Similarly, spray the foods with some natural oils such as lemon or peppermint that deter the ants which has been mixed with water.
If you want to know about "Home remedies for ant bites", Please check this article.
How to Get Rid of Flying Ants
Flying ants are a family of the ant species. Like the name suggests they do fly but they’re seasonal which means they only appear for a while which is during the winter season. This insects are commonly confused for with termites as they resemble each other in several ways. It may not be necessary to get rid of flying ants as they will leave on their own. However, if they’re too many and a nuisance, you need to take action against them.
If flying ants in the house, you can do the process by;
- Inspecting the area around your home as well as within the house for signs that they’re present. Use an aerosol spray or a home remedy spray to kill of the ants.
- Once you have established where they lark, you can go ahead to find their nests. This will enable you solve the problem from the root.
- Using a gel bait, you can discover the nests as the ants bring them back to their nests. Once the ants have consumed the gel bait, they will die including the queen hence the whole colony.
- Seal off any entry points the flying ants use to get into your home to avoid more of them invading your house. Use silicone caulk to seal off the entry points and spray soapy water to discourage their further entry.
- Alternatively, you can locate the anthill where the flying ants are from and attack them from there. Apply some hot water, commercial pesticides or baking soda onto the anthill. This substances act as a threat to the colony and may tend to run away for their lives. To ensure it works effectively, seal off the exit point and await the applied remedy to work.
How to Get Rid of The Big Black Ants (Carpenter Ants)
The carpenter ants are commonly known as the big black ants. They are among the most difficult to get rid of and are very destructive as they tunnel through wood so once you notice their presence or signs of sawdust, you should take action real quick. There are several surefire methods that can help you get rid of this annoying creatures.
- Use of boric acid is an ant control method that is sure to work. Mix a tablespoon of Boric Acid with water and sweeteners e.g. honey, sugar. Thoroughly stir the mixture and then apply on areas you suspect the ant to be hiding.
- On the other hand, you can apply vinegar to deter the ants. Vinegar has acidic properties and will work accordingly especially with stubborn insects like the black ants. Mix the vinegar with water and add a table spoon of peppermint oil as well as pepper or cinnamon to make the concoction effective. Once it is ready for use, spray it around the infested areas and await results.
If you want to know more useful information, you can also read "How to get rid of Carpenter Ants"
How to Get Rid of Little Black Ants
To keep off this little annoying creatures which you’ll always find them in the kitchen table, cabinet and surprisingly even in your meals if you leave them uncovered, you can apply some preventive measures.
Use of pesticides is one of the many methods you can use to get rid of ants. However there are other alternative methods which you could implement to get the same results. This include;
- Keep clean your kitchen area to avoid attracting the ants into the house. In case food particles pour on your kitchen surfaces, make sure you clean them up as soon as possible before you find a crowd of ants on them.
- This ant species specifically love sweetened food, oily foods, basically they can feed on any type of food. You can use this fact to your advantage and use the foods as bait. There are a variety of products you can use on the food baits which include; Gourmet Ant Bait Gel, Advance 360A Dual Choice Ant Bait Stations, to mention but a few.
- Apply the bait on the foods and wait for the ant to come searching for food which they’ll transport back to the nest hence affecting the rest of the colony.
- NB: this method is effective as it doesn’t affect the ants immediately allowing the transfer to the nests. For getting more information about this ants, you can also read "How to Get Rid of Black Ants"
How to Get Rid of Anthills in Your Yard & Lawn
You will always find anthills on your yard and lawn and their sight is not pleasing. You can get rid of anthills by implementing the following procedures;
- First identify the ant species that created the anthill and this will help you know the nesting habits and give you an idea of how to get rid of them.
- You can use coffee ground to exterminate the anthills. It is among the safest natural ways to apply when getting rid of ants. Spray the coffee grounds around the anthill and inside it to kill the hatched ants alongside the colony members and the ant queen. It may take a while to work but once it does, there won't be a single ant left to survive.
- Alternatively, you can use bleach and ammonia to get rid of the anthills and the results are immediate. Mix the two ingredients in equal amounts and pour the mixture into the ant hill.Since the mixture is dangerous to your skin and health, use protective clothes and once you are done, clean off the mound.
Why Do Ants Bite?
Ants often bite and sting when their anthill is endangered and they’re running away to save their lives. This is their defense mechanism against danger and it’s only natural that they defend themselves and their territory.
Ant Bites & How to Treat Them
The ant bites are very itchy and cause redness on the bitten area and swellings due to histamines and are quite painful. It might not be easy to get rid of an ant bite in a day but there are some helpful procedures you can follow up to eventually get rid of the ant bites.
For more information about this topic, you can also read this article "How to Treat Ant Bites!"
Ant Control Methods
Ant treatment involves killing the whole colony and there are several methods you can apply from natural home remedies to using cover the counter pesticides or poison. The various methods can apply to a specific or all ant species. It is important to note that food remains left lying around aimlessly highly attract ants into your house. To control ant infestation at home, ensure that you clean the kitchen tables well, collect any poured food remains as well as washing the utensils before sleeping.
The first thing to do if you suspect an ant infestation is to do a thorough inspection to determine where the ants are hiding as well as where they’re coming from. One you have identified the ants nest, use the various ant treatment methods directly on the nests. Depending with the infestation, apply the control methods accordingly and efficiently to ensure that they work effectively.
Some commonly used ant colony control methods:
- Use of commercial pesticides
- Use of food grade Diatomaceous Earth
- Squishing them
- Use of hot boiling water
- Using borax/ boric acid
- Keeping your home clean
- Using natural oils which ants detest
- Use of bait traps
- Home remedies such as using dish soap
- Killing the queen
What are Ants?
Ants are flightless insects which belong to the class formicidae and most don’t have wings except for the queens and males. They live in colonies and are led by ant queens. Ants are very hardworking and can carry more weight than that of their small bodies.
With over 12,000 species of ants, they’re definitely to cause more trouble than they should especially if they invade our home privacy.
As much as this small-sized insects can cause havoc, they actually can’t hear instead, they use their feet to feel ground vibrations, hence detecting danger or actions happening around them. Ant queens are the main contributors to the ant population and if she dies, the ant colony doesn’t live long enough after that as the ant workers can barely reproduce.
The Life Cycle of Ants
Ants undergo complete metamorphosis when it comes to their growth and development from one stage to the next. With four distinctive stages i.e. egg, larvae, pupa and adults, that’s how ants come to life. Ant queens or future ant queens are the ones which take upon the role of reproducing.
They mate with the ant males and lay eggs thereafter. It takes several weeks or months for the ants to complete the four stages and this is dependent on the ant species and the environmental conditions they’re living under.
For more information you can also read Amusing Life Cycle of Ants.