Ant infestation in your property is more than a nuisance. If we are talking about specific species, such as fire ants, biting red ants, and carpenter ants, these creatures can threaten your peace of mind (as well as threaten wood structures). If you find ant trails and worker ants and scout ants moving about, these may be telltale signs of ant colonies nearby. Once this happens, you shouldn’t waste time eliminating ants before they can cause further damage. To kill ants or to deter ants from threatening your home and household, there are seven cheap and natural solutions for your home.
How to Get Rid of Ants the Natural Way
There are over 12,000 ant species in the country. Among these species are common ants, such as carpenter ants, Argentine ants, Ghost ants, Sugar ants, Pharaoh Ants, Food ants, Odorous house ants, and certain aggressive varieties of fire ants.
Though there are a wide variety of ants to worry about, these natural repellents can attract ants from the species mentioned above, as well as species of other ants, and cause considerable damage to an ant colony.
Clean Up Food Mess
Keeping your indoors clean and sanitized is the key to eliminating substantial populations of ants. Start by removing food mess to deny ants their primary food source. Why is this effective? Once you deny an area of food sources from ants, ants will move on and look for other areas to find food. Note that it will take a few crumbs to attract ants. Keeping indoors free of these can prevent ants and other pests from persisting in your home.
Keep Your Plants Clean and Trimmed
Outdoor ants are beneficial to your garden ecosystem. However, they become a threat when you noticed ants are already invading your home. Plants within 12 inches of your house can pose a threat. Excess branches and limbs may serve as a bridge between the soil and your property. Ant nests may exist outdoors. The primary goal is to keep ants outdoors where they belong. Moreover, once your plants grow unabated, you may run the risk of breeding more household pests. To minimize the threat of ants, and other pests, from entering your home, trim your plants and shrubbery regularly. Ensure that no branches or limbs touch the walls of your home as much as possible.
Prevent Damaged or Wet Wood
Carpenter ants, as well as termites, love damp wood. By ensuring leaks and water damage doesn’t affect your wooden floors and furniture, you will minimize the chance of these insects proliferating indoors. Moisture-damaged wood can result in many problems in your home, such as ant nests indoors. Repair leaks immediately. You also need to replace moisture-damaged wood, whether flooring or furniture, as soon as possible.
Keep Pet Food Away
Ants, as well as other household pests, love pet food. Certain species, such as pavement ants feed on pet food voraciously. If your pets leave leftovers, put the excess food away and never leave them on their trays.
Seal Entry Points
Aside from keeping your indoors clean, sealing entry points into your home can help prevent ant infestation. There are a few ways to do this. Start by looking for where ants might enter your home. Check your baseboards and caulk these possible entry points. Seal possible entry points by doing the following:
- Ensure that window screens are hole-free and in perfect working order.
- Seal cracks around windows, doorframes, and tiles.
- Check the space between entry pipes and gutters, and seal them with putty.
Use Natural Repellents to Eliminate Ants
If ants persist, it is time to use natural agents that work well in repelling ants. Examples of natural repellents and ant killers to address ant infestation in-house are:
Diatomaceous earth: An effective ant infestation in-house remedy is diatomaceous earth. Ants die when they breathe this fine powder. Applying these in suspected ant colonies and passageways can kill many of them.
Tea Tree Oil: Ants hate the scent of most essential oils, such as peppermint essential oil, and especially tea tree oil. Putting a few drops on cotton balls and wiping ant trails will repel ants effectively for a few days.
Boric Acid: Boric acid is an effective ant poison. Mixing 3/4 tsp of boric acid with confectionary sugar attracts ants from an entire colony to eat them. Leave mixtures near suspected nesting sites, such as ant holes and ant trails, and let worker ants bring them back to the colony.
Baking Soda: Mixing equal parts of baking soda with sugar is another enticing food mixture that kills ants. Boric acid and baking soda are one of the cheapest and most effective homemade ant baits you can make.
Borax: When mixed with syrup or sugar, it is an effective ant bait. Though borax kills ants by ingestion and baking soda, you may also consider them effective ant traps. A mixture of 3/4 teaspoon of borax with 1/4 cup of sugar is an enticing mix of ant poison that acts slow enough to kill an entire colony in a few days.
If Nothing Else Works: Call a Pest Control Service
If, despite our best efforts, you still fail to remove ants indoors, you need to call a dependable pest control service specializing in ant infestations, such as Arizona Pest Solutions. If you need to get rid of ants permanently, you may need help to eliminate them from their nesting areas. Along with the steps discussed in this article, permanent solutions may require drastic measures, such as specific chemical pesticides, will require professionals. For any questions on how to get rid of ants in Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, and Phoenix Metro, call (480) 359-9600, or fill out the contact form on our quote page for a free quote.
