How To Get Rid Of Ants In A Restaurant? The 80 Top Answers

We also don’t want ants in our homes. But if you try to kill house ants the wrong way, you can actually divide the colony — and make the problem worse. With Terro T300 Liquid Ant Baits, a favorite among homeowners, that won’t happen because they’re easy to use, widely available, and packed with an effective, slow-acting poison that targets and eliminates the entire colony.

With the right traps, ants will pick up the poison and carry it back to the nest, where they will do the work for you.

The active ingredient in Terro T300 Liquid Ant Baits is borax, a relatively safe compound that can even be used as a detergent. Borax has a long history of success against carpenter ants, and when mixed with a sweet, syrupy liquid, makes an attractive meal for an ant. Unlike many competitors, Terro uses a clear bait station that is easy to monitor. Terro has a great reputation, with tons of positive reviews and excellent feedback on a variety of retail sites. In our own small tests, Terro was hands down the most effective ant bait we’ve tried.

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If the Terro T300 baits are not available, or if you are looking for a more aesthetically pleasing ant kill station, we recommend Terro T334 Multi-Surface Liquid Ant Baits. The size and shape of a perfect jumping stone, these small cartridges are designed to blend in with their surroundings, with one side white and the other brown. They come with small adhesive strips to attach them to a vertical surface or even under a wall cabinet. This feature offers more placement options and can help keep the bait station away from little prying hands or paws. The T334 baits contain the same sweet syrup as our main selection, so their overall action should be identical. The Cons: The opaque bait station is almost impossible to monitor, and the T334 baits typically cost more than double the T300 baits per unit. These baits are easy to use and we appreciate how they fit in, but in most cases we prefer to get as many bait stations as possible at the lowest cost, which makes it easier to stockpile baits so you can use them have them when you need them.

If you have fire ants (we are so sorry), we recommend Syngenta’s Advion Fire Ant Bait. This granular bait contains Indoxacarb, which several experts have told us is the fastest acting and most effective ingredient for fire ant control. You can treat individual mounds with just a few tablespoons of Advion, or spread it all over your garden – there’s enough for an acre in the container.

Vinegar

The Spruce / Taylor Nebrija

Wipe down your countertops, cabinets, and any other spot you’ve spotted ants with a 50/50 white vinegar/water mixture. Repeat throughout the day to maintain effectiveness. Aside from repelling ants, vinegar has many surprising uses, including as an all-purpose cleaner.

Why this works: Ants hate the smell of vinegar, and vinegar can remove the scent trails they use to move. Watch the ants for a while and you will see that they all go in and out of your house the same way. Eliminating the scent trails of the ants will give you a serious advantage in battle.

When the ants march into your house one by one, you want them to march right back out. This could lead you to try any number of ant “home remedies” you’ve heard about from friends or from online articles. But do any of them work?

Don’t waste your time with pointless home remedies. Today we will talk about which means really get rid of ants, and which are completely ineffective (even dangerous). Read on to find out!

Home remedies for ants

#1 Using Household Chemicals to Kill Ants

Many homeowners have googled “which household cleaners kill ants?” in an attempt to find budget-friendly pest control.

This home remedy is pretty effective: Take a spray bottle of Lysol and douse some ants to kill them. Still, using household cleaners to control ants is not an effective long-term solution. That’s because ants live in colonies: where there is one ant, there are hundreds or even thousands of others. Once an ant has entered your home in search of food, other ants will use their scent trails (invisible pheromones left behind) to follow.

A good, long-term ant control solution doesn’t just kill the ants you see; It will also locate and destroy the ants’ nest. So make sure you don’t get caught up in an endless battle against thousands of ants!

#2 Get rid of ants with borax

We’ve talked about borax in previous blog posts: it’s been touted online as a solution not just for ants, but for cockroaches and other pests as well.

Like household cleaners, borax is a “cure” that comes with a few problems.

First, borax is difficult to use properly. Ants don’t just walk over a pile of borax; They’ll bypass it when they see it. This means you need to apply the borax in a very fine mist. (To get around this hurdle, many online articles advise you to mix the borax with sugar to attract the ants. Don’t do that! You’ll end up attracting even more ants, along with all the insects that ants might eat , like cockroaches.)

Second – and most importantly – using borax can be dangerous. Borax fans will point out that it is a naturally occurring mineral, but natural doesn’t always mean safe. Borax can be toxic to humans and animals in high doses and cause skin and eye irritation in low doses. Although borax poisoning is rare, it’s important to be aware of the danger — especially if you have children or pets. Of course, adults know not to eat borax; Children and pets, on the other hand, have a knack for finding and picking up things they shouldn’t.

#3 Use coffee grounds to get rid of ants

The use of coffee grounds as an ant repellent has some anecdotal support from casual homeowners, but the majority believe this home remedy is a myth.

Ants are not so repelled by coffee grounds that they avoid or leave your home altogether. Instead, they are more likely to ignore, walk around, or even move the lots scattered around your home. (That’s right – they can pick up and move the coffee grounds!)

Worst of all, this remedy could end up doing more harm than good. We do not recommend scattering food, crumbs or anything edible around your home as this may attract cockroaches (which will eat anything) or other pests.

#4 Kill ants with vinegar

Vinegar — whether white vinegar or apple cider vinegar — is a common ingredient in many kitchens. That’s probably why many homeowners hope that vinegar, or a mixture of apple cider vinegar and dish soap, will kill ants.

Unfortunately it does not work. Vinegar doesn’t kill ants in the traditional sense: you spray it and the ant dies. This remedy is only effective if the ant is drowning in vinegar (although water will do the same).

If vinegar doesn’t kill ants, does it at least drive them away? Some online articles recommend using vinegar as a repellent, but again, it’s not really effective. Ants can simply walk around the smelly areas or find another entrance into your home. With such limited effectiveness, it’s not worth making your house smell like an Easter egg.

How to get rid of ants effectively

Getting rid of ants quickly and permanently requires a multi-pronged approach that includes both killing the ants you see and destroying the nest you don’t see. Keeping your kitchen free of ants is a process that often requires the knowledge and equipment of an exterminator.

If your home is plagued by more than a few ants, Scherzinger’s pest control professionals will be happy to help.

Turn to Scherzinger Pest Control, a trusted pest control company in the greater Cincinnati area and northern Kentucky, including Dayton, OH and now Columbus, OH. We were pioneers and have developed new standards to eliminate and control insects and pests. Contact us by phone at 1-877-748-9888 or through our website, Facebook or Twitter.

Why do I suddenly have ants in my house?

It’s always a shocking situation when you wake up in the morning and find that your kitchen or your whole house is overrun with ants. Especially if you’ve lived in the same house for decades and have never had a problem in the past. Ants are a very annoying nuisance in Australia. Just a handful can be enough to completely infest your kitchen, and getting rid of them is no easy task. But why is this happening at all? Below we look at some common reasons why this might happen.

food source

Ants primarily explore to find food sources. Whenever there is a sudden ant infestation, the most likely cause is that there is food for them somewhere in your home. Most ants feed opportunistically; You’ll eat pretty much anything. But they usually prefer sweets. Ants are attracted to a variety of food sources you may have, including:

sugar

syrup

Treasure

fruit juice

meat

fats

breadcrumbs

Any waste, container or packaging that has come into contact with these items

Once they figure out where these food sources are, colonies can form long trails of thousands of ants to connect the colony to these food sources. They create a chemical trail with their pheromones to leave an olfactory signature for other ants. Until that trail is broken, they will keep coming.

water source

Access to water is a crucial part of any colony’s survival. Even a small pool of water can quench an ant’s thirst for a long time. The more reliable the water source, the closer the colony will want to stay to your kitchen.

Make sure you clean up any water splashes quickly and completely. You should also regularly check high-humidity areas like under sinks, refrigerators, windows, and doors to make sure you’re not creating an oasis waiting for those pesky intruders.

weather

Several studies suggest that there is a link between ant infestations and the weather. Infestation appears to be more likely during periods of heavy rain or dry, hot, drought-like conditions. Why this is so is not well understood. The most likely explanation is that they either avoid cold, wet conditions or have found a source of water in your home during drier, hotter times.

Ants are generally relatively dormant in winter and colder conditions, while becoming more active during the warmer months of October through March. In cooler parts of Australia, such as B. Victoria, ant infestations are more common in the colder months as ants choose to concentrate their nests indoors.

Pest Control Services in Queensland

If you have an ant infestation or other pest problem on your property in Brisbane, Redland Bay, Ipswich or Logan, give the Critters Pest Management team a call. We use the latest tools and treatments to quickly remove ants and other pests from your home or business. Our range of pest control services includes ant removal as well as termite inspections, termite treatments and termite barriers.

Call our friendly professionals today on 1300 186 255 to make a booking or contact us online.

This article may contain affiliate links. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Privacy Policy.

In nature, ants can be very fascinating to watch. After all, a small ant can carry up to 50 times its body weight! But when they’re in your kitchen, they’re nothing but a nuisance.

Whether you have an immaculate home or tend to be a bit messy, it’s easy for ants to find their way around the house. But getting rid of them is just as easy—and you don’t even have to use harsh chemicals or pesticides to do it.

You can get rid of your ant problem once and for all with one simple household ingredient you probably already have in your pantry: baking soda.

Ready to learn how? Here’s how to use baking soda to kill ants.

Does Baking Soda Kill Ants?

While baking soda alone can kill ants, you have to mix it with powdered sugar for it to work.

Why? Because the whole concept of killing them with baking soda relies on the ants being attracted to it. Baking soda alone will not attract them. But if you mix it with some sugar, you have a surefire way to lure those ants to exactly where you want them.

The science behind killing ants with baking soda

Not convinced that something as simple as baking soda can cure your ant problem? There is some scientific evidence to support this theory.

Baking soda changes the pH balance of the body. While it’s fine for humans, it’s deadly for ants.

This is how it works:

When the ants eat the baking soda, it reacts with the ant’s digestive chemicals and produces carbon dioxide. Some internet theories state that baking soda makes ants explode. While we don’t know for sure, we do know that it dehydrates their bodies in order to kill them.

To understand how the baking soda method can be effective, just think about how ants live and behave. Ants live in colonies and different ants have different roles to play. Some ants tend to the eggs after the queen ant lays them, while others are tasked with going out and gathering food.

The worker ants that go out to find food bring that food back to the colony to feed the other ants. So when they pick up your baking soda mix and bring it back to their nest, they are actually helping kill all of the other ants in their colony.

If you’re lucky, they kill the queen. Once the queen ant is dead, you won’t have to deal with another infestation (at least not from that colony).

‍You may also be interested in: Dealing with a mouse infestation

How to use baking soda to kill ants

Are you ready to put an end to those pesky little ants once and for all? To mix the baking powder preparation:

Take equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar.

Mix it up.

Pour into a shallow container (like the lid of a jar).

Place this container near where you see (or have seen) those pesky little ants.

If you don’t have a shallow container, you can sprinkle the mixture directly onto the floor, counter, or window sill. It’s safe to place it where you saw those unwanted intruders.

You can also add some water to make it into a paste. If you know the ants are coming through a specific crack in the wall, add the paste at the base of that crack to keep more ants from entering.

Benefits of using baking soda to kill ants

So what makes baking soda a better alternative to pesticides and insect repellents? For one, it’s non-toxic.

Baking soda is natural and completely safe for human use and consumption. It is a common ingredient in baking recipes and is also used in toothpaste. It is safe for humans to touch and ingest.

Do you have babies or small children at home? They will not take any damage if they touch Baking Soda. Pesticides and toxic bug sprays, on the other hand, can be extremely harmful to little ones.

Another reason we love this method is that it’s super easy to make. Chances are you already have the ingredients you need right in your kitchen pantry. If you don’t, you can buy a small box of baking soda at any grocery store for as little as $1.

When it comes to sugar, be sure to use powdered sugar (powdered sugar). Don’t swap that out for granulated sugar.

Why? Because powdered sugar and baking soda have the same look and texture. The ants won’t be able to tell the difference between the two, so they’re probably getting a little sugar and a little baking soda with each bite.

The ants are gone… now what?

Once you’ve gotten rid of your ants, try to determine where they got in. If you can spot a crack in the wall or a hole in a window, seal it up so they can’t come back!

Ants can get into any home, but the cleaner you are, the less likely they are to want to invade your space. Keep your kitchen counters, windows and floors free of food and crumbs. The fewer food sources you provide, the less desirable your home will become for future ants!

If you have a constant ant problem outside, there is one more thing you can do to keep this infestation at bay. Pour some of your baking soda and sugar mixture into an empty soda can and set it outside. The ants crawl into the can to reach it and immediately crawl out again to carry it to their nest.

The can method is a way to protect small pets or other animals outdoors. The small opening in the can makes it impossible for animals to reach or be harmed by your poisonous ant killer.

How to kill ants with baking soda

For a Safe, Non-Toxic Way to Kill Ants:

Mix equal parts baking powder and powdered sugar.

Pour the mixture into a shallow container or sprinkle directly onto your counter, floor or windowsill.

The ants are attracted to the sugar and carry it back to their nest, killing the ants that eat it.

Next time you see ants in your home, resist the urge to use those smelly chemicals and spray cans full of pesticides. Instead, head to your pantry, quickly mix up a mixture of baking soda and powdered sugar, and let nature take its course!

You May Also Like: How to Get Rid of Mold [And Identify It]

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Salt doesn’t kill ants, but it does help repel them and keep them out of your home.

Ants are attracted to the salt in their environment when it comes to food, but are repelled when there is too much salt. This means if you sprinkle salt in front of your home’s entrance, they will be less likely to get inside.

In this article, we’ll go into detail on how salt affects ants and how you can use it to keep the little bugs out of your home.

How Salt Affects Ants

Salt does not kill ants, but it does affect them [1].

Salt is a type of alkaline poison that affects the exoskeleton of certain insect pests. Ants have an exoskeleton, so they are very susceptible to this type of poisoning, and salt can be used as a treatment to repel these types of insects.

Does salt kill ants? (Epsom & table salt)

Unfortunately, it takes a lot of it to actually kill an ant. So much that it’s not worth the effort. However, a high concentration of salt causes water loss in the ant’s body, which eventually kills it through dehydration.

The best way to use salt is to create a barrier around your home. Ants will avoid exceeding this due to its potency.

You should normally reapply after rains when there has been moisture to keep the treatment from washing away.

Does Salt Spray Kill Ants?

Using a salt spray can be a more effective way to get rid of ants. While using salt doesn’t always kill most species of ants, it usually deters them and gives you some relief from their presence in your home or garden.

Although this varies from species to species, many ant species avoid crossing areas that have been treated with a high concentration of salt (about 50%); They usually try to circumnavigate these zones instead.

If no other route is available, the ant colony may abandon all plans to invade that part of your property.

This method works especially well if you can apply large amounts—about two inches deep—but even small amounts can help repel the bugs.

How long does it take to kill ants with salt?

The type of salt plays a role in how quickly the ants die. Some salts contain chemicals that can damage an ant’s exoskeleton. This means it will dry out the ants and it may not be very long before the ant dies in the first place.

Other types of salt don’t have the same properties, so they don’t work as well on insects. The more salt you use, combined with its ability to damage the outer shells, means your chances greatly increase if you use large amounts.

However, it can still be up to several days before death occurs due to dehydration. And it can’t even kill the ants.

How does salt kill ants?

To understand how salt kills ants, it’s important to know a little about ant biology.

Ants are not like humans in that they have no lungs and cannot breathe air directly from the atmosphere. Instead, they breathe in oxygen through holes in their body called spiracles.

Salt does its damage by attacking these holes and causing them to close up, preventing the ant from breathing properly (this will kill an ant). The salt also causes some degree of dehydration, which can eventually lead to serious damage.

Drives away salt ants (drive them away)

Using salt to kill ants doesn’t always work. Salt’s primary role is to repel them, but there are certain types of ants that it can kill if large amounts are used.

To keep an ant away from your home, you should build a barrier around the entry points of your home. This deters various species of ants from getting onto your property as they don’t like walking or nesting on salty surfaces.

You can also use salt in smaller amounts around your home if needed. Remember to clean it up afterwards, especially if you have pets or small children.

Also read: How to get rid of ants in the house and garden

How does salt repel ants?

Salt does not kill ants. Salt will repel them, but that means they’ll only go away for a short time.

It’s important to use large amounts of salt when trying to get rid of an ant infestation, and even then it’s slow to work. You can also make your own salt protectant by mixing boiling water with table or rock salt.

Salt treatment for ants

There are several ways to carry out a salt treatment against ants. Depending on your problem, you may want to use different ones.

If you want to prevent ants from entering your home, the first thing you should do is place salt as a barrier at the entrances to your home (or anywhere the ants enter – check for cracks or holes). This method requires a lot of salt, enough to make the barrier 1 to 2 inches high.

Second, if you want to kill ants with salt, you’ll need even more. This method works best if you pour it directly into the ant nest. Just killing any foraging/spying ants will get you stuck on the overall problem. Depending on the size of the ant colony, you need different amounts of salt.

Third, if you are dealing with a current ant infestation, using salt will only make a mess of your home. Because of this, we recommend checking out some other ways on how to get rid of ants.

Conclusion

No! Salt doesn’t usually work to kill the ant. However, it appears to be able to repel them and prevent more from entering your home.

This is due to their small size and sensitivity to water loss, as well as a few other factors.

But how long does that take? It depends on how much time you invest in creating a treatment and how much salt you use.

It’s important to remember that if you drive ants away, there’s a chance they’ll come back after a while. If you want to get rid of ants permanently, you have to use other methods.

If you are under siege by ants, you may know that the best way to deal with them is to track the entire colony. It’s a great strategy, but finding the colony can be a lot harder than you’d expect. Finally, ants can disappear into places where they can’t be followed – be it behind a baseboard or deep in the ground.

Regardless, knowing where an ant colony is hiding is helpful when you start eradicating it.

Can you follow ants back to their nest?

It is possible to drag ants back to their nest, but it can be very difficult. Ants are often difficult to track down due to their size and ability to sneak into spaces that humans can’t get into. However, if you have patience and determination, you can try to follow the ants that you see. With any luck they will bring you back to their nesting site.

However, you should be aware that ants rarely walk in a straight line from a food source to their colony. Instead, many ants run in a zigzag pattern – the result of previous ant researchers looking for something to feed the colony. These scouts laid down a pheromone trail for other ants to follow. Because these paths often meander, it can take an ant a long time to traverse even a short distance.

Of course, pheromone traces “level out” over time. As a particular route becomes more common, shortcuts emerge and the pheromone path becomes more refined. If you’re lucky, follow the ants along this path!

Short tip: Don’t follow one ant, watch several ants! Following a single ant back to its nest can be tedious. Try observing a larger area to see if you can spot multiple ants making their way back to the nest.

How to find an ant nest in the house

It is very important to track ants to a nest in your home. You should address these house ants as soon as possible to eliminate the colony that could be damaging your structure and contaminating your food and water.

Look for wood shavings – This could be a sign of carpenter ants. These chips often appear under joists in your basement or attic.

– This could be a sign of carpenter ants. These chips often appear under joists in your basement or attic. Look for Swarmers – First, determine if the “ants” are really ants and not termites. Assuming they are ants, be aware that they nest outside and can enter through a crack beyond your foundation. Carpenter ants can be a sign of pharaoh ants or carpenter ants.

First, determine if the “ants” are really ants and not termites. Assuming they are ants, be aware that they nest outside and can enter through a crack beyond your foundation. Carpenter ants can be a sign of pharaoh ants or carpenter ants. Look for dead ants – Clusters of dead ants, especially around a window, are another sign of a nearby infestation. Double check to see if these bugs are ants or termites, and then take the appropriate steps to further locate the nest site.

Piles of dead ants, especially around a window, are another sign of a nearby infestation. Double check to see if these bugs are ants or termites, and then take the appropriate steps to further locate the nest site. Look for Moisture – Aside from food, ants need moisture. In your home, wet wood can lead to an ant invasion, so check these areas for signs of these insects. Leaking pipes or pipes covered in condensation can also be a lure for a variety of ant species, including smelly house ants. Since a path to the water should be well established, it should be easy to follow these ants back to their nest site.

Three great ways to fight ants in the house

If you have ants in your home, TERRO® has several great options for controlling these bugs.

Method 1 – Bait – TERRO ® Liquid Ant Baits contain a sugary borax mixture that is mixed to kill an entire ant colony.

TERRO Liquid Ant Baits contain a sugary borax mixture blended to kill an entire ant colony. Method 2 – Dust – Sprinkle TERRO ® Ant Dust in cracks and crevices where ants crawl and hide. Our ant dust keeps killing for up to 8 months.

Spread TERRO Ant Dust in cracks and crevices where ants crawl and hide. Our ant dust keeps killing for up to 8 months. Method 3 – Aerosol – blasting ants and other insects with TERRO® Carpenter Ant & Termite Killer which provides a contact lethal solution that remains active for up to 4 months. It is a helpful treatment to control insects that infest the wood in your home.

How to find an ant nest outdoors

Finding ant nests outside is not difficult. They are practically everywhere! Finding the specific nest that is the base of operations for the ants invading your home is difficult. However, if you work hard to eliminate all ant nests in your garden, you should eventually meet your invaders.

Look for Mounds of Dirt – Many ants, including street ants, will dig dirt out of their nests, leaving highly visible mounds of fine soil.

Many ants, including street ants, dig dirt out of their nests, leaving highly visible mounds of fine soil. Keep an eye out for aphids — Some ants, including carpenter ants, have learned that aphids excrete a sweet, nectar-like substance called honeydew, which they harvest when the aphid feeds on a plant. If you have a plant that is suffering from an aphid infestation, then there is likely a colony of ants taking advantage of the aphids. It’s best to treat the ants before the aphids, as removing the aphids first may result in the ants starting to invade your home!

Some ants, including carpenter ants, have learned that aphids secrete a sweet, nectar-like substance called honeydew, which they harvest when the aphid feeds on a plant. If you have a plant that is suffering from an aphid infestation, then there is likely a colony of ants taking advantage of the aphids. It’s best to treat the ants before the aphids, as removing the aphids first may result in the ants starting to invade your home! Look for Rotten Wood – For fire ants and carpenter ants, nothing feels more comfortable than a rotten stump in which to establish their colony. If you have untreated wood that has been left undisturbed for a long time, then there’s a good chance it’s the home base for your local carpenter ant community, and mad ants particularly prefer this spot for their nests. Similarly, fire ants can have hollowed-out spaces beneath your foundation or other cast cement features, including sidewalks, driveways, and porches.

Three great ways to fight ants in the garden

It is always preferable to address your ant colony problem before it enters your home. TERRO® has numerous outdoor pest control products including:

Method 1 – Granules – Shake TERRO ® Perimeter Ant Bait Plus granules around the foundation of your home to entice feeding ants to carry these slow-killing particles back into their nest.

– Shake TERRO Perimeter Ant Bait Plus granules around the foundation of your home to entice feeding ants to carry these slow-killing particles back into their nest. Method 2 – Spray – Keep unwanted intruders out of your home by spraying them directly with TERRO ® Outdoor Ant Killer Spray, which can hit targets up to 15 feet away and continues to kill as it dries.

– Keep unwanted intruders out of your home by spraying them directly with TERRO Outdoor Ant Killer Spray, which can hit targets up to 15ft away and continue killing as it dries. Method 3 – Outdoor Baits – TERRO® Outdoor Liquid Ant Baits offer the same ant-killing power as our indoor baits while remaining weatherproof. Place these baits on your deck or around your home where ant activity is observed.

your solutions

Where did you find the ant nest for the ants invading your house? We’d love to see your description below in the comments. You are also welcome to send us pictures on your next visit to TERRO® on Facebook. For more ant control ideas in your home and garden, subscribe to the TERRO® eNewsletter for great deals on TERRO® products and informative articles to help tackle your household pest problems.

Why do ants keep coming back?

You have done everything. You’ve tried almost every type of ant repellent on the market, but somehow these tiny pests always find their way back into your home. When it comes to those unwanted guests, nothing is less appetizing than watching a colony of army ants marching across your kitchen floor, and no one wants to fall asleep while carpenter ants are nesting nearby in your home. Whatever the situation, Carolina Pest Management is here to help you rid your home of ants for good.

types of ants

One of the first steps in eliminating recurring ant invasions is to identify the species of ants that keep returning to your home. While you can use some general pest control tricks to keep your home ant-free, certain types of ants may require specialized pest control techniques. Although there are thousands of species of ants, here are some of the most common species found in homes:

Carpenter Ants: Carpenter ants are attracted to wood – not as a source of food, but to dig up to build nests. Carpenter ants prefer moist areas near the woodwork of a home. Carpenter ants vary in size and color but are usually larger than most other ant species and are dark in coloration.

Carpenter ants are attracted to wood – not as a food source, but to dig up to build nests. Carpenter ants prefer moist areas near the woodwork of a home. Carpenter ants vary in size and color but are usually larger than most other ant species and are dark in coloration. Dark Army Ants: Dark army ants have very large colonies and can build nests in kitchens and bathrooms. They are particularly attracted to sweet liquids. To identify a dark brown army ant, look for a knot and a dark brown body color.

Dark army ants have very large colonies and can build nests in kitchens and bathrooms. They are particularly attracted to sweet liquids. To identify a dark brown army ant, look for a knot and a dark brown body color. European Fire Ant: These ant species prefer warm areas with lots of moisture and tend to build indoor nests around tubs and water heaters. Fire ants are reddish in color and have two nodes.

These ant species prefer warm areas with lots of moisture and tend to build nests indoors around tubs and water heaters. Fire ants are reddish in color and have two nodes. Crazy Ants: These ants prefer neither wet nor dry nesting conditions. When they go indoors, they go under carpets, in houseplants, and between walls. Crazy ants are very dark in color with very long legs.

Common things that attract ants

Any of the above ants can invade your property, and an important part of ant control is being aware of what keeps ants coming back to your home. Even if you get rid of ants through pest control methods, you still need to take precautions to keep them from returning to your home. Food is one of the biggest elements that attracts ants, but there are other things they might bring into your home as well. Here are some of the main things that ants can attract:

food sources

A common misconception is that ants are only attracted to food that is left outdoors – i.e. crumbs on your kitchen countertops. However, any type of food in opened packages can attract ants into a home. Items such as flour, sugar, chips and cookies should only be stored in tightly sealable containers. Sometimes dry good canisters can still attract ants into the house. A bay leaf added to these containers can repel ants as it gives off a pungent odor. Overripe fruit left on counters can also attract ants and other insects.

Thoroughly clean all areas of the home where food is consumed. Pull out appliances like refrigerators and stoves to remove food debris that has built up underneath. Empty kitchen cabinets to clean even the deepest niches. Scrub the baseboards and keep all floors clean.

Remember to keep track of all cleaning chores to prevent ants from returning to your home. Clean up spilled grease and beverages immediately. Empty beverage cans or glass bottles completely before sending them for recycling. Never leave uneaten pet food in bowls and wash bowls regularly. Cleaning with vinegar is also helpful as it may remove odor trails left by previous ants.

See Related: Are Pests Invading Your Charlotte Home’s Pantry?

humidity

Excessive humidity is another reason why ants keep coming back to the same home. All bugs, including ants, are attracted to damp areas of a home. Ants need a water source to survive and can even store water in their colonies for later use.

Fix any leaks in the house as part of your ant control process. In addition to the kitchen, ants like to find their way into the bathroom. Check toilets, sinks, showers and bathtubs for leaks. You should also check your laundry room or kitchen sink for leaks that may be around the faucet. Waterproof your basement if you tend to get a lot of moisture or standing water.

indoor plants

Although you like the idea of ​​fresh plants in your home, ants like them too. Ants seek out the fresh and moist soil you have provided them by keeping plants in it. If you have an ant problem, switch to artificial plants to prevent reinfestation.

holes and starting points

Ants prefer dark and damp areas to be in a house. Nests are not always outdoors and underground. Ant nests can also be found behind your baseboard or in your walls. Make any necessary home repairs to prevent ants from getting in. This may include patching holes in the wall or sealing windows and doors.

Perform some general chores to keep ants out of your home. Seal any cracks or openings around doors and windows. Look around based on problem areas. Torn or damaged fly screens on windows or doors could also offer ants a way inside. Also think about your landscaping. If trees and shrubs are in contact with your house, the ants can easily get on the house from the branches.

What to do if you find ants in your house

While it’s annoying to have ants in your home, they don’t usually pose a serious health risk. A stray ant or two on your patio doors is nothing to worry about, but you should get rid of them immediately if you see multiple ants invading your kitchen mugged. Before doing anything, remove all potential sources of food and water from the area. This includes leftover food from meals or leftover food in your pet bowls.

You should also thoroughly clean and disinfect the area the ants have traveled over. The reason you see so many ants at once is because ants leave a scent trail. Vinegar mixed with water works as a good cleaner and erases the ant’s scent trail.

You should also note any characteristics of the ants seen in the house. This helps pest controllers with identification. Also, note where the ants are coming from to help ant control technicians locate nests.

Ants in the house can be difficult to get rid of without outside help. Once ants have found a viable source of food or water, they may not want to leave the site anytime soon. Contact Carolina Pest Management for help with any type of ant problem. Our ant control methods are environmentally friendly and do not use harsh chemicals. We provide resources to help you get rid of ants and get rid of them for good.

Things to avoid when dealing with ants

Here are common pitfalls to avoid when trying to stop ants from coming back:

Don’t crush any ants you encounter. Although your first instinct is to stomp on the tiny invaders, avoid the urge. The scent trail left by crushing ants might lure more into the house.

Although your first instinct is to stomp on the tiny invaders, avoid the urge. The scent trail left by crushing ants might lure more into the house. Don’t ignore ants and hope the problem goes away. Once the queens begin to reproduce, the ant populations expand by the thousands.

Once the queens begin to reproduce, the ant populations expand by the thousands. Don’t spray the entire house with ant repellent to get rid of the bugs forever. You may be contaminating the home with harsh chemicals, and many sprays are just short-acting solutions.

You may be contaminating the home with harsh chemicals, and many sprays are just short-acting solutions. Don’t think that ants are just a springtime problem. Ants are more active during the warmer months, but some species tend to head indoors once the weather turns colder.

Ants are more active during the warmer months, but some species tend to head indoors once the weather turns colder. Don’t go it alone. Ants are not always easy to get rid of. Despite all your best intentions, they can always come back. Pest control experts can not only help remove current ant invaders, but also take preventive measures to keep them out of your home forever.

Carolina Pest Management has decades of experience providing exceptional pest control services throughout the Carolinas. Contact us today to see how we can help you solve any pest problem, including ant control.

It doesn’t take much. A piece of cake that fell unnoticed. An open lemonade left on someone’s desk. It’s easy to get an ant infestation. Especially in a place where people gather, eat, and produce garbage, ants sure aren’t far behind. So how do you get rid of the little pests? In this situation, the old adage applies: prevention is a pound of cure.

Eliminate exterior cracks

The key to keeping pests like ants out of your space is to eliminate the way they get in. You should inspect and repair your property frequently.

Ants are tiny, so they can get into buildings like your office through the tiniest cracks. So the first step is to figure out how to get in. Explore the perimeter of your office building. If you see cracks, be sure to seal them with caulk. Check screens on windows and doors as you look. Replace them immediately if you see any holes or cracks in the screen. You may also want to invest in weather protection.

clean the kitchen

It’s possible that ants are attracted to your office because of the food it contains. Many offices have kitchens or at least a place to prepare coffee and other beverages. Also, employees bring food and snacks that attract pests. Kitchens and cluttered desks are the best places for pests, especially ants. Even if your employees diligently clean up after themselves, mistakes happen. Pieces of food fall to the floor and are forgotten, and most foods are not stored in airtight containers. If this sounds like your office, it’s time to take action. Even if it means hiring someone to come in and clean daily, this preventive measure will go a long way toward avoiding an ant infestation. If you happen to have ants, make sure you place traps where they have been seen, make sure the office is swept, mopped and vacuumed regularly and make sure all trash is placed in tight bins and removed from the office every night indoors.

Employ a monthly pest control service

You and your employees deserve to work in a pest-free environment. The best way to ensure this is with a monthly pest control service. There are many reasons why this is a good idea, e.g. B. Ensuring a pest-free environment, upholding your good name (no one can run an office full of ants and be considered a good employer), and protecting your office from harm.

When it comes to ants, it’s far too easy to have a recurring problem on your hands. The way to avoid this and costly repairs is to prevent it with regular pest control.

In the spring, sugar ants begin to enter homes in search of food and water. Although these ants are not dangerous to humans, they are quite a nuisance pest that can be difficult to control. Here’s everything you need to know to get rid of sugar ants, from the natural remedies and chemical solutions to prevention methods that will keep those ants from coming back.

What are sugar ants?

Sugar ants, or banded sugar ants, are small black ants native to Australia and found only in that part of the world. When we think of the term sugar ant, we probably think of street ants or pharaoh ants—both common house ants. Paver ants are black or reddish brown with pale legs, while pharaoh ants are yellow or tan.

These ants are attracted to candy and all kinds of sugary foods and leftovers. They also eat fats, proteins (from eating other insects), and plant pollen. Once they find a food source, they haul food back to their nest for the rest of the colony.

Types of Sugar Ants

There are different types of sugar ants, including those that live outdoors and come indoors to feed, as well as others that prefer to live and feed inside your home. Outdoor sugar ants include acrobat ants, false honey ants, or army ants. Some common carpenter ants are carpenter ants, pavement ants, and pharaoh ants.

answers

Some herbs that keep ants away are catnip, pennyroyal, peppermint, sage, and spearmint. Scattering the leaves of these plants in areas of your home where you have seen ants can keep them away. Tansy acts on sugar ants – the ones you see in your kitchen.

The problem of ants and electronics has been around for a long time. Ants tend to settle in warm, compact spaces, which is why they love laptops and desktop computers so much.

With an estimated 10 billion ants on the planet, the problem is a lot more common than you might think.

Prevention is the best strategy

Ants will scout your home in search of two things: food and water. Since your computer is hopefully not a source of moisture, food is likely the main cause of an ant problem.

Crumbs can get caught between the keys, especially on laptops and keyboards. Spilling a sugary or alcoholic drink near or on a keyboard can also be a problem, as you’re unlikely to clean up all of the liquid without a complete disassembly (you could also try putting the keyboard in a dishwasher).

One simple step you can take is to avoid eating food over or near your laptop or keyboard. For peace of mind, don’t even keep groceries in the same room as your computer hardware. Ants looking for food or water don’t stay long in an environment that doesn’t interest them.

Deal with infestations indoors first

If you’ve noticed ants hanging around your laptop ports, computer tower, or gaming console, it may indicate a much bigger problem. Dealing with any pre-existing ant problems in your home or apartment is an important first step.

You can buy ant repellents and other small attack products, but be aware that you may need to call in professionals for well-established colonies.

Ants leave scent trails that other ants can follow, a phenomenon you can observe by watching them move across a surface like a wall or desk. Using a 1:3 mixture of white vinegar and water (or a cleaning spray) to remove these scent trails can make it harder for them to find their way back to your desk or computer.

If you fail to address the main source of ants in your area, you are setting yourself up for failure. Any effort you put into fixing problems with your electronics is probably in vain as the ants will keep coming back.

Get ants out of your laptop

If your ant problem is relatively small, there are a few things you can try to help advance it before things get out of control. This is worth trying if you’ve noticed a few ants in and out of ports or hanging around your laptop.

You can try picking up your laptop and giving it a good shake from all angles, which should disturb any ants inside. The idea here is that the ants want to get out of the environment as quickly as possible and can find their way out based on the scent trails they left when they arrived. You may want to try this a few times and observe the results.

Another good option is to use the heat in your laptop to make the ants uncomfortable enough to want to leave. This means you are putting a lot of stress on your computer to generate heat.

On a Windows laptop, you can start a game and increase the graphics settings, download Blender and try rendering some demo files, or use a PowerShell script to consume 100% available CPU.

On Mac and Linux, this can be done with the UNIX yes command. Just launch a terminal window, run yes and wait. You can launch a few instances to really warm things up, which should get the fans spinning, assuming your MacBook has fans (newer MacBook Airs don’t). Exit the terminal window to complete the process.

Some users recommend going even further and blocking vents and ports on well-ventilated laptops. We urge you to think twice before intentionally overheating your machine in this way. It could void your warranty and damage the internal hardware.

While it’s true that ants like warm spaces, they can’t regulate their internal body heat, which means they don’t thrive in very hot conditions. This should help convince them that a hot laptop isn’t a good place to set up at home.

Dealing with larger infestations

If you have a much larger infestation, you will likely notice many more ants coming and going through vents and openings. The ants that come and go are usually scouts looking for food and water to bring back to the colony. If you see ants carrying things into your laptop, there might be a queen or eggs inside.

At this stage, you need to manually remove the infestation from your laptop. The longer you leave it, the worse it gets. The only way is to open your computer and see the damage for yourself. You should use guides like the ones on iFixit if you have a laptop and take precautions like: B. Using an anti-static wrist strap during cleaning.

It’s probably best to do this outside on a nice dry day so any fleeing ants stay outside and not in your house. Some guides recommend vacuuming the computer to get rid of ants, but we caution against this, as dust particles that get into the vacuum can cause a build-up (and discharge) of static electricity.

Instead, carefully disconnect or remove the battery (or unplug the cord to your power adapter on a desk) and use a soft plastic tool to remove any eggs you find. The ants should start fleeing as soon as you open the case, but you can also use a few squirts of computer duster (from a safe distance) to help them out.

Compressed air can be dangerous when used near sensitive objects (like fan blades and blowers), so use caution. Once you disturb the colony, the ants may decide to leave anyway. If they’re protecting a queen, they might need a little more convincing.

Keep your computer error-free

A moth is widely credited with helping coin the term “computer bug” after being discovered in a computer at Harvard University in 1947. Because modern computers are much smaller, ants pose a greater risk to your hardware around the home and office.

But ants aren’t the only reason you might want to open up your computer for a clean. Removing dust in a laptop and cleaning your rough keyboard can even help you squeeze more life out of your hardware.