Here are some ways you can get rid of ants, including natural ant repellents, ant baits prevention tips and killer spray recommendations.
Identify the ants first
Before trying to wipe off the ants in your house, it is essential to identify their types so that you can get rid of them, and their nesting habits and have a better idea of where their nests are (probably outdoors).
If you struggle to know what type of ant it is, you can take a close-up photo of it and send it to your local university extension service (enter your state’s name and “university extension service” into any online search engine).
Then, the extension service will tell you the type of ants that are troubling your house and where their nests might be. Luckily, they may also provide you with fact sheets about the ant species and some advice on how to get rid of them.
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How to find ant nests
Sometimes the best solution to an ant problem is destroying the nest. If you’re struggling with carpenter ants that can do structural damage to your house then it is very necessary to get rid of them ASAP.
Locating their nests may not be easy and takes some detective level of work. These creatures generally prefer damp areas, like framing or flooring that are soft and spongy from a plumbing or roof leak. Your first task will start by looking for areas that have water damage. Bathrooms, attics, and exterior walls are obvious places.
Cut small holes in water-damaged walls to find out the ant nest. Once you find the nest, spray it with an insecticide that has bifenthrin, permethrin, or deltamethrin (look on the label). After that, be sure to fix the water leak and replace the damaged wood. If you’re not able to track down the nest, hire a pest control service.
Ant Removal
Determine the best ant bait
If you’re troubled by ants, your first impulse when you see it is to probably step on it. But do not do it. You can not go on stomping every ant you see because there may be thousands more hiding in the house. You can use these scouts to clean off their whole colony. Prebait ants in areas where you’ve seen them before. Their tastes change during the year. They usually love protein in the spring and sweets and fats in the summer.
You can set out sugar or honey, fries or peanut butter, and jams to attract these tiny creatures. You can also use whatever food they prefer for bait and a DIY way to get rid of them. Once you know what they like, buy and set out toxic ant baits. Look on the bait package for words like “controls both sweet and grease-eating ants.”
Erase ant trails
If you see one ant, you’re likely to see more because ants leave a scented trail that their mates follow. Just sweeping or cleaning won’t do much to eliminate their scent. What you can do is mix 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water in a spray bottle for a safe and natural way to get rid of ants in the home, then spray wherever you’ve seen ants in the past.
This will only stop the outdoor nesting ants that enter the house to forage for food. A mix of vinegar and water won’t stop ants that are already nesting indoors. You will need to eliminate them with ant bait.
Wipe out ant colonies
Once you’ve set out toxic ant bait, expect to see many ants initially which is a good thing. That means more and more ants are taking the toxic bait back to their colony where they will share it with lots of the ants, including the queen, and kill them.
There might be thousands of ants back in the nest. Liquid bait is the best way to kill sweet-loving ants. Some people also prefer solid bait.
If you have ants in the house even after two weeks, replace the bait containers. If that also doesn’t work, finding the nest is the only solution.
How to kill ants in your yard
Ants outdoors can be as equally damaging as indoors. If you are troubled with these creatures in certain areas like long your sidewalk, spot-treat the area with an outdoor insecticide. Liquid or granules both are fine as a way to get rid of these ants. If the ants are in large quantities, use a lawn or garden insect killer that has bifenthrin as the active ingredient.
The spray will also destroy other insects so read the label first. Mow the grass first and then spray the insecticide on the entire lawn. You can also spray them on shrubs and trees.
The best time to do it is in the early morning or late afternoon when ants are most active. You can spray on a calm day to prevent drifting.
If ants are still building mounds after six weeks, spray the insecticide on the lawn again since it only works for six weeks. While this won’t kill all the ants, spraying will get rid of most of them and stop the annoying mounds.
Destroy exterior nests
If you continuously see ants in the same area on the siding, there’s probably an ant nest in there. Getting rid of ants starts with looking for holes in the siding where they are crawling in and out. The holes are usually between bricks where mortar has fallen out, under lap siding, or in cracks in stucco. Once you find the nest, spray the area with an insecticide containing bifenthrin.
How to kill fire ants?
Fire ants are native to the Southeastern United States and Southern California. Standard insecticides are less effective at killing fire ants. You need to have a special product that is basically designed to wipe out these biting critters.
Apply the granules with a broadcast spreader so when these ants carry them thinking they are food back to their mounds, they share the bait and die. Some of these insecticides are so powerful that they keep fire ants for up to a year. With other baits, it might take a few weeks to see the best results.
How to kill ghost ants?
Ghost ants are tiny, highly mobile, warmth-seeking insects that do not carry any harmful health risks but they are very difficult to eradicate. While they do not bite or cause big damage, seeing them bugging around in the kitchen, bathroom, or living spaces can be very frustrating.
To kill these buggers, you can trim the unwanted vegetation in your yard, do not leave sweet leftovers inside the house, and be careful when bringing potted flowers inside as they may carry these ghost ants. If you want to kill them, you have to use bait and not spray. Gel baits that are sweet work wonders.
How to prevent ants?
Keep your house clean
A clean house is the first step to prevent these unwanted guests. You always have to sweep up food crumbs, wipe up spills, take out the garbage, and not let the dirty dishes sit around for a long time. This will help take away the ants’ food source. For a more natural and safe way to get rid of ants, spray vinegar mixed with water around the bowls of pet food to keep ants from having lunch there.
Spray ant entry points
After keeping the house clean, make sure that you do every bit to ensure they don’t come back. Caulk and seal holes and then spray insecticide around the doors and windows. Insecticide containing bifenthrin, permethrin, or deltamethrin is one way how to get rid of ants.
Spray a 4-inch wide band along the entry points, just as much as needed to wet the surface. Once dry, the spray leaves an invisible film that repels the ants so that they won’t enter the house. You can spray each spring to prevent these ants from coming to your house.
However, it is necessary to understand that these are only used to keep ants out and not kill the ones that are already inside.
Spray on an ant barrier
If you’re still getting ants in your house after spraying interior entry points, spray a 12-inch wide band of ant insecticide on the foundation and under the first course of lap siding to prevent ants from coming inside the house. An outdoor insecticide that reads barrier treatment on the label is one way to get rid of ants.
Eliminate safe havens for ants
Once you kill the ants in your house and yard, you have to make sure that they don’t come back.
All you have to do is apply the following tips:
- Trim back bushes, shrubs, or trees that collide with your siding or roof that can be a bridge for ants to reach your house.
- Avoid stacking firewood next to the house.
- Maintaining a healthy lawn is a great way to get rid of ants.
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FAQs
Q: What will keep ants away naturally?
A: Salt, baby powder, lemon juice, chalk, vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon, or peppermint oil are a few items that you have around your home that will stop ants from coming inside. Lay these out in areas where you see ants, and they’ll stop using that area as an entrance into your house.
Q: How do I stop ants in the bedroom?
A: Mix 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle and apply it generously on areas where ants may enter, such as windowsills and door frames. Vinegar disrupts the ant’s pheromone trails and makes it challenging for them to communicate with each other.