Buzz
Ants outnumber humans on Earth by 140,000 times. However, this doesn’t mean they should be uninvited guests in your home. You can stop them from invading by destroying their nests, eliminating their food sources, creating barriers, and using bait to deter scout ants. Keep reading to learn how to keep these unwelcome visitors at bay.
Steps
Keeping Ants Out of Your Home
Seal all entry points. Due to their tiny size, ants can find countless ways to infiltrate your living space. Some entry points are obvious, while others may only become apparent when you notice a trail of ants marching through. Start by identifying where the ants are entering: follow their trail to determine their access points. Seal any gaps or cracks you find using silicone caulk, putty, glue, or wall plaster. Temporary solutions include petroleum-based wax or sticky clay.
- If using temporary sealants like sticky clay, remember to replace them with more durable materials later. Non-durable materials can degrade over time, reopening the gaps.
Kevin Carrillo
Pest Control Expert
Pest Control Expert
Clear away bushes and tree branches around your home. Ants are particularly fond of nesting in foliage or under trees, so if you notice branches touching your house, trim them back. Similarly, if there are vines growing near your home or any plants making contact with the structure, prune them. Otherwise, they can serve as a bridge for ants to enter.
Seal cracks with caulk. Close gaps around windows, doors, and walls. Block any openings that could become pathways for ant colonies. Your efforts to seal these gaps will be most effective if done meticulously and thoroughly.
- An added benefit of sealing your home: you can better regulate indoor temperatures, potentially lowering your energy bills. Additionally, this is one of the safest methods if you’re concerned about having small children or pets at home.
Kevin Carrillo
Pest Control Expert
Pest Control Expert
You may need to re-seal areas previously filled with putty, mortar, or silicone. Ants are skilled at tunneling, making it challenging to keep them out. They can quickly burrow through softer materials like silicone, which is often used to seal small gaps, such as those around sinks, pipes, windows, or baseboards. I’ve even seen ants tunnel through tile grout.
Apply ant repellent to suspected entry points. This is a more aggressive approach than simply sealing cracks. You can create a barrier using chemical repellents or ant-deterrent powders, which can even kill ants that come into contact with them. Consider using diatomaceous earth, salt, or commercial ant poisons. These substances act as a form of ant bait.
- Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder that can kill ants by dehydrating them. It works best in dry environments and should be used cautiously to avoid inhalation, especially by children and pets.
- Try using salt. Salt has a similar drying effect on ants, particularly when they carry it back to their nests. Sprinkle it near doorways, windows, and along walls.
Kevin Carrillo
Pest Control Expert
Pest Control Expert
Expert Tip: To keep ants out, choose a repellent substance and use it to create a barrier around your home.
Create a barrier using adhesive tape. Apply tape to surfaces with the sticky side facing up. No additional toxins or powders are needed. Ants will get stuck when they attempt to cross, effectively blocking their path. Ensure the tape is firmly pressed to the floor, walls, or shelves, leaving no gaps for ants to crawl underneath.
Try using talcum powder as a barrier. Talc is believed to have ant-repellent properties, though its exact mechanism is unclear. Baby powder and tailor's chalk often contain talc, making them potential options for ant barriers. However, be aware that talc has been flagged as a potential carcinogen.
- Many recommend using regular chalk, but it’s made from gypsum, not talc. This misconception can lead to confusion with "ant chalk," a pesticide that resembles regular chalk. Ant chalk was banned in the U.S. in the 1990s but may still be found on the black market.
- Some baby powders are made with cornstarch, which is ineffective against ants. Always check the ingredients before using it as a barrier.
Experiment with non-toxic ant repellents. Safeguard your home using scents and substances that ants dislike. Try combinations of vinegar, peppermint oil, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, and bay leaves.
- Exercise caution when using ant repellents: keep pepper and chili out of reach of children and curious pets.
Eliminate ants manually
Eliminate scout ants. Ant colonies often send out solitary ants to search for food. If you spot an ant wandering across your dining table, ensure it doesn’t survive to report back to its colony. It will alert the entire colony about where you spilled apple juice. If the scout returns with reinforcements, they will march in a line. Unless you’re prepared to bait and wait, swiftly eliminate these ants.
- Spray the ant trail with a multipurpose cleaner or bleach solution, then wipe it clean with a damp paper towel. Spraying the nest can also be effective, but ensure the entire colony is eradicated. Partial elimination might encourage certain species to establish new colonies, meaning your ant problem could persist.
- A less convenient solution is to vacuum up the ants. Follow up by vacuuming talcum powder or diatomaceous earth to ensure the ants inside the vacuum are eliminated. This second step is crucial: make sure no ants survive to escape the vacuum!
- In urgent situations, simply use your hand or a damp cloth. Squash the ants or wipe them away. No complex methods are needed to deal with scout ants.
Use water. If ants are crawling across the floor, splash them with water and wipe them up with a paper towel. If ants are on your bed, grab a handful of paper towels and a cup of water. Dip the paper towel in water, wring it out—unless you want a soggy bed—and then wipe away the ants.
- Repeat the process as needed. You may need to do this multiple times to clear your home of ants.
Destroy the ant nest. If ants are invading your home, it’s time to attack their home. If you locate the nest, pour several liters of boiling water into it to quickly kill most of the ants. If you’re unsure of their origin, using ant bait is the best alternative.
Eliminate the queen ant. The most effective long-term solution to eradicate ants is to destroy their source: the queen ant. The queen produces ants in large numbers and guides them back to the nest. Eliminate the queen, and the ant colony will collapse. You can typically find the queen deep within the nest. If possible, trace the ants' trail back to their nest.
- Consider hiring a pest control service. If the worker ants' trail disappears into your kitchen walls, it can be challenging to locate the nest. Professional pest control services can handle this for you.
Remove food sources
Don’t leave food exposed. Ants enter your home because they’re attracted to food or a warm environment. A dirty home encourages ant infestations, so maintaining daily cleanliness is essential. The cleaner your home, the less food ants will find, increasing the likelihood they’ll seek sustenance elsewhere.
- Wipe down all surfaces. Use a vinegar solution or mild bleach spray on tables and shelves. Stick to a regular cleaning routine: sweep, mop, and vacuum at least a few times a week.
- If you accidentally leave food out, use the opportunity to trace the ants back to their source. While it’s tempting to wipe them away immediately, think long-term and track their trail.
Remember, it all starts with one ant. If you spot a lone ant wandering on your table, it’s likely a scout. It’s exploring your kitchen for food scents and sources. If it discovers even a tiny crumb or sticky residue, it will report back to the colony, and your home could soon be overrun with ants.
Store food in airtight containers. Even if you keep food in cabinets, ants can squeeze through the tiniest gaps. If they detect food and reach it, they’ll swarm. Storing food in sealed containers also helps keep it fresher.
- Consider purchasing airtight food storage containers like Tupperware or similar brands. Keeping the lids and bases together as a set makes organization easier.
- Repurpose reusable containers for food storage. Yogurt tubs, plastic containers, or even resealable plastic bags can work well.
Keep the sink clean. This means no dirty dishes, no standing water for ants to drink, and no food residue in the drain. If you wash your hands, food, or dishes in the sink, ensure it remains a safe and hygienic space.
- Place pet food bowls inside a slightly larger bowl and add a little water to the outer bowl. This creates a ‘moat’ around the pet’s food that ants cannot cross.
Use ant bait
Choose the right poison. Boric acid or borax mixed with maple syrup is the most common ant bait; many commercial ant killers also use this mixture. Boric acid affects ants both externally (as a powder, similar to diatomaceous earth) and internally (when ingested). Ants will carry the poison (borax or boric acid) back to their nest and spread it around. With the correct dosage and timing, you can eliminate an entire ant colony, though this process may take weeks or months.
Mix the solution carefully. Bait that’s too strong will kill ants before they return to the nest, while bait that’s too weak will only temporarily weaken the colony. Carefully measure the ingredients when mixing. The goal is to ensure the poison spreads throughout the nest before it kills the ants. Boric acid kills the ants, water dilutes it, and sugar attracts them. Try these recipes:
- Mix 1 cup (240 ml) of water, 2 cups of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of boric acid.
- Combine 3 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar, and 4 teaspoons of boric acid.
Place the bait. Use overturned lids or shallow dishes to make the bait easily accessible to ants. If you have children or pets, place the bait in containers that ants can enter but are too small for larger creatures. Carefully shake the container to settle the poison at the bottom. Crush one side of a tin can but leave enough space for ants to crawl inside.
Wait for the ants to appear. Remove any other ant repellents if you are using them; the goal is to make your ant bait as attractive as possible so the ants will harm themselves. Do not use bait to lure new ants, as this might attract entire new colonies.
Gradually move the bait closer to the ant nest. Once a busy trail of worker ants appears, place the bait near their path. The ants will swarm around the bait. Slowly move the bait away from the kitchen and closer to the entry point they use to invade your home.
- Be careful not to place the bait directly on their trail. This could confuse the ants and block their path back to the nest, reducing the effectiveness of the ant bait.
Advice
- To stop fire ants, use insect spray exclusively.
- If the ant population is too large for you to handle alone, consider asking friends or a pest control service for assistance.
- Most room freshener sprays can kill ants on contact. They act as insecticides and also leave your kitchen smelling fresh!
- You can repel ants using common household items like vinegar, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, Windex cleaner, and chalk.
- If dealing with fire ants, you might need to step aside and call a pest control service. Fire ants are aggressive, and you wouldn’t want to risk getting stung.
- If you can’t locate the ant nest, place some food on the table. An ant will spot it and alert its colony. Follow the ant, but don’t kill it before it shows you the way.
- Windex cleaner kills ants on contact.
- Use borax laundry detergent, the kind typically used for washing diapers. Scoop about a third of a teaspoon using a plastic spoon. Tilt the spoon and sprinkle the borax into cracks or gaps between the carpet and baseboard. Sprinkle around the room’s perimeter and windowsills. Borax will prevent ants from entering until it’s vacuumed away, so sprinkle under the carpet if needed. Close windows to keep children from touching it and handle it on the floor when kids aren’t watching and curious about what you’re doing; the same goes for pets. This method is highly effective for carpeted rooms; it not only stops ants but also prevents other pests from crawling across the floor and windows.
Warning
- When young children are present in the home, it’s advisable to avoid using ant traps, as most contain toxic substances and harmful chemicals.
- Sticky traps are a non-toxic alternative.
- Diatomaceous earth can trigger allergic reactions or respiratory issues, so thorough research is essential before application.
- Exercise caution when dealing with sizable fire ant infestations.
