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Having ants in your house can be a pesky, frustrating problem. As long as you're diligent about keeping a clean house and making sure there's no food lying around, your ant problem will disappear as quickly as it came! However, if you find any damaged or wet wood, it could be a sign of a carpenter ant infestation, and you should call an exterminator.
How to get rid of ants in the house
Your first step is to ensure surfaces – including floors –are wiped down, vacuumed, swept or mopped regularly. Whether you’ve just treated an infestation or you want to avoid one in the first place, here are some tips for carpenter ant control and prevention. Carpenter ants are nocturnal, so set the bait out at night and then wait. When you get to the suspected area of the nest, listen closely—you may be able to hear a faint rustling sound.
Eliminate Damp Spots and Rotted Wood
Placing cucumber, lemon or orange skins near areas of ant activity can quickly encourage the insects to move on. Ants that are more attracted by proteins can also be snared with a borax-based mixture. Combine a large spoonful of peanut butter with a tablespoon of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of borax. Mix thoroughly and create a lure by pressing the mixture into a short open tube like a piece of a drinking straw. Leave this near ant trails and refresh the bait every couple of days.
Boiling water
To use, snap off the activation tab and push the stake into the ground. Don’t forget to put a few near your home’s entrance for extra protection against interlopers. It might seem like there's nothing you can do to keep ants out year after year — but there are certain tricks that can make all the difference. In the indoor world, there are only a few species that come into people’s homes.
The best way to get rid of ants there is to keep your deck in tip-top shape. Below, we’ve highlighted two decking materials that are wood alternatives, as well as a top-rated wood stain to protect a wooden deck from further damage. Bait traps that contain pesticides in an enclosed form may be preferable for some people over sprays.
Disrupting this pheromone trail is, therefore, incredibly disruptive to the ants. Limiting ants’ access to food will encourage them to move out. This may require taking additional steps beyond your normal cleaning routine. The active ingredient in many commercially produced ant killers, borax can be found wherever cleaning products are sold. Intended for outdoor use only before ants make their way into your home, it’s a great spot treatment for surfaces like foundations or garbage bins, or directly on trails and anthills. Apply it around the perimeter of your home to create a reliable barrier of protection.
Use essential oils — Plant-extracted oils such as peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, spearmint and cinnamon oil give off strong scents to repel ants and insects. Place a few drops of your chosen essential oil on some cotton balls. Then, stick them in problem areas where you usually spot ants. An infestation can be hard to control because of the nature of the insect, but there are specific steps you can take to get an ant problem under control.
Soap or Cleaner Spray
Ghost ants are a similar size to Pharaoh’s ants and are pale coloured with a dark thorax and head. Both Pharaoh’s ants and Ghost ants should be dealt with by a professional. The British Pest Control Association have an online directory where you can find your nearest pest controller. Spills should be cleaned up immediately and opened food and drinks should either be sealed in a container or kept in the fridge.
How To Get Rid of Sugar Ants In Your Home - Family Handyman
How To Get Rid of Sugar Ants In Your Home.
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Oil extracted from the lemon eucalyptus tree is another natural insect repellent. It contains citronella, which is used in candles to repel mosquitoes and has been shown to repel certain types of ants. If you don’t have glass cleaner available, using soapy water of any kind (i.e., hand soap, dish detergent) may likely remove the scent of ant pheromones. To use it to kill ants, follow package directions, or sprinkle the powder anywhere you see ants.
“And both species prefer damp areas.” That means showers, windows, and damp spots in the basement need extra attention. Ants are common invaders of homes across the United States and are mostly harmless. They can be hard to get rid of, but it’s possible to repel and eradicate ants over time using the natural methods described above. Commercial products are also available to help kill or detract these pests.
Crumbs and other food residues that are easy pickings for ants can accumulate in a person’s home. If a person has located an ant hole, they can kill large numbers of ants instantly by pouring boiling water into the hole. For instance, an individual can dissolve 8 teaspoons of sugar and one-half of a teaspoon of boric acid into 1 cup of warm water. They can then saturate cotton balls with this solution and place them near the ants’ usual routes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are many ways to get rid of ants.
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