Anyone who’s had their homes invaded by ants en masse will tell you that it’s a deeply unpleasant experience.
But beyond this, ants may establish a colony in a hole right inside your house, unnoticed by you, from where they can proceed to wreak mayhem, guerilla style.
Ants have no productive value whatsoever, and to make matters worse, they can make you uncomfortable in your own house, with their vicious stings. Fortunately, here are pest control expert tips on how to get rid of ants in your home for good.
How To Get Rid Of Ants Completely
1) Be Meticulous With Housecleaning
This is sort of a cliche, but the only reason these pesky bugs are in your house in the first place is because they spotted food lying around. A single individual scout ant can rapidly metamorphose into a thriving colony once that ant gets word out.
Therefore, ensure that there are no crumbs of food anywhere on the floor of your home, wash dishes promptly and take out the trash regularly.
2) Disrupt Their Trail
When ants move, they spread pheromones around, which enable other members of the colony to locate them. That’s why killing individual ants does not prevent them from congregating. The smart thing to do is to cut off the scent by spraying their trail with a mixture of vinegar or lemon juice and water.
This is only effective if the ants have not established a nest in your home.
3) Set Baits
If ants have set up their nest in your home, it’s time to stop taking out individuals and look for ways to wipe out the whole colony. Although ants’ taste change several times in a year, they are partial to sugar. However, for maximum effect, study the ants, their foraging habits and their feeding preferences.
When you’ve established these, purchase a toxic ant bait that’s suited to them and set these baits as close to their nests as possible, so the ants don’t miss them. The idea is for them to carry the bait back to the colony and wipe out every single ant that takes a bite of it.
4) Use Insecticides
If the above steps do not wipe out the vermin completely, it may be time to introduce chemical warfare. Look for spray insecticides that contain boric acid and spray directly into their nests when you locate them. Insecticides are pretty effective, and can kill ants off pretty quickly.
It can also convince any remnants of the wisdom of abandoning that particular hideout. There are also insecticides designed in gel form that you can squeeze into their nest.
5) Seal Off Entry Points
This is a very effective way to prevent ants from entering and setting up camp in your home. Look out for crack in walls, especially close to floors, and seal them up. You should also be sure to cover up holes in windows and underneath doors. If there are no spaces, ants will be unable to make their way into your home.
If you’re experiencing problems with ants, Contact us to see how we can help you remove them.