How to Eliminate Ants
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Ants can be one of the most annoying insects. They are unsightly, persistent, and can be difficult to get rid of. To make things worse, a few ants can turn into a full-blown infestation almost overnight!
While ants are a terrible nuisance, there is good news: it is possible to get rid of ants! There are a few simple steps that can be taken to eliminate the ants in your house completely.
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Keep Food and Water Away From Ants
This is the biggest and best step to take. Ants are constantly looking for new sources of food and water. If you’re keeping food out on the counter, or in pet food bowls, you just made it easy for ants to find their next meal!
Eliminating food sources can help reduce the number of ants in your house. If you stop supplying food, they won’t be as interested in your home!
Here are four great ways to lock down your food sources to get rid of ants:
- Keep food in hard plastic containers.
- Keep pet food in sealed containers as well.
- Remove your pet’s food bowl after they’re done eating.
- Seal garbage cans and any other source of food.
But how do you stop ants from finding water in your home?
This one’s a little easier. If ants are finding water in your home, it’s either a leaky fixture or pipe, or a pool of water caused by the leak. Call a plumber, fix the leak–and you’re on your way toward getting rid of your ants!
Stop Ants From Entering Your Home
Ants live in highly organized societies. They can communicate food sources and indicate danger, and each nest acts as a single unit. Their one goal is to find food and water, and take it back to the nest. But how does this knowledge help you?
Workers serve as scouts for sources of food, water, and shelter for the colony. If you stop the scouts, you can stop the ants from coming in!
Ants are small–that’s obvious. Their methods for getting inside your home may be a little less obvious, but Antworks recommends looking in these places for holes, cracks, damage, or signs of ants:
- Foundation
- Windowsills
- Door frames
- Rotting or soft wood
Repairing cracks in foundations, replacing rotting wood and keeping grass cut near your home’s foundation will help keep ants out, reducing your ant population inside as well.
Take Advantage of Ant Trails to Get Rid of Ants
Scouting ants leave a chemical trail that is easily tracked and followed by other members of the ant colony. This is how the ants know exactly how to enter your home, and where the food is!
There are two methods to take advantage of ant trails:
- Use the trails against ants by deploying an over-the-counter pesticide.
- There are over-the-counter ant pesticides specifically designed to make use of the ant trails.
- These products contain chemicals such as boric acid that can stick to the legs of the ants, causing the ants to carry the poison back to the colony, where it will kill the entire nest.
- It is important to read the directions carefully and follow all instructions to help ensure the safety of everyone in the household, including children and pets.
- If you’re not a fan of using chemical pesticides, try eliminating the trails themselves!
- You can use soapy water or vinegar to erase the ant trails.
- Spray counters, walls, and any other area that the ants have walked on to eliminate trails. By getting rid of the trails, you’re preventing new ants from coming in, and getting rid of the ants you currently have in the house.
Calling a Professional Ant Exterminator
As you struggle with how to get rid of ants, and when all other methods have been exhausted for eliminating the ants in your house, you may decide that it’s time to call in a professional exterminator for help. Professional exterminators are trained in how to get rid of ants in your house. While professional ant extermination does have an upfront cost, it is often very reasonable. An exterminator can help you get rid of ants in the easiest way possible! If you’re struggling to eliminate ants, call Antworks Pest Control today!
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