How to Deal with Ants at Home

There are 3000 different species of Ants in Australia alone! However, you need to only worry about the 1200 that want to take the next step and move in.  The little critters invade your home in the hundreds, and are not easy to get rid of. Their nests are terrifically hard to find and destroying is hugely time consuming. Additionally when you do find them the mess and smells you have to endure to just get rid of them are ridiculous. So, the team has put together an “Ethical Guide” to keeping the ants away. 

 

Step 1.  Destroy the Scouts & Food Source

The first signs of a moving party are the scouts. The colony will send through a few scouts to find signs of food. This is your warning, if you start seeing single ants in your kitchen it means that they think they’ve found a food source. So, you need to wipe down your counters, take the trash out, and make sure that there isn’t any food or sugar sitting out. Additionally, seal your containers and wash your dishes. Finally, you should also sweep and vacuum the kitchen/eating area so there are no crumbs left. If you do this for 3-7 days the ants will have no food and be forced to leave. 

 

Step 2. Close the Gates

If you can locate where the scouts/food party are entering from you can also just seal the entrance. Use silicone caulk to seal gaps or cracks in the floorboards or walls, by doing this you will be preventing access to the ants.  You can go up a notch and use soapy water to destroy the ants. Not only does it kill the little guys, it also destroys their chemical tracks – thusly removing any hints of a path for the colony to follow. Simply add a drop of liquid dishwashing soap in a water -filled spray bottle and go to town.

 

Step 3 Set Up Barriers

You can set up “walls” for the ants; these barriers are made up of scents and tastes that the ants can’t stand. All you need to do is leave out an unbroken line (about 6.35mm) of the substance in their paths, and they won’t be able to pass it. You can use: Powder charcoal, chalk, cinnamon, citrus oil, black or cayenne pepper (the spicier the better), Vaseline, baby powder, and white vinegar.  

 

Step 4 Bait Them 

You can create your own bait to get rid of your invasion. By using foods that expand in their stomachs you can rid your house of ants, they will stop coming to the kitchen if there is no food that they can eat. By using corn meal, the ants can’t digest it properly, and will the numbers will drop. They’re also very sensitive to caffeine, so you can put out coffee beans where the ants are entering the house. This process takes a few weeks, but you should see a drop in population within a month. 

 

If these methods aren’t working, give us a call. We’re the ant experts and have been removing them for 46 years. Plus, we would be happy to help!