Ants live not only in the forest. They can also live in residential buildings. These insects are much more dangerous than you might think: they carry infections, their bites can cause a severe allergic reaction, and they carry food residues around the house, which causes mold to appear in them. To prevent this from happening, we will tell you how to kill ants in the house by using Ever Pest Ultrasonic Pest Repellers and so many other safe approaches
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Ant Species
Ants do not live in isolation, they can only exist within the colony. It includes:
- Adult females (wombs). They are large and never leave the nest, their main mission is to lay eggs. There can be several queens in one nest. They live for about 10 months.
- Worker ants. These are ants whose task is to get food and deliver food to the queens, to take care of the delayed larvae. They live for about 60 days.
Reasons For The Appearance Of Ants
There are several reasons for the appearance of ants in the house:
- Ants can come from unscrupulous neighbors.
- You can bring insects with groceries from the store.
- Insects are attracted to crumbs and leftover food. If you are used to not putting food in the refrigerator, then the risk of ants is increased.
- First, scout ants appear in the house. Their task is to find out if you have a lot of food. If there is enough food, then all other insects will move to your permanent place of residence. Most often, ants enter the house through the ventilation system, and cracks in doors and windows.
Ant Control Principles
To kill the ants once and for all, you must first kill the females, because they are the ones who produce new offspring. And for this, you need to find and neutralize the nest. An ant colony can be in the following places:
- Where there is food: in the kitchen, in the cabinets with cereals.
- In dark and hard-to-reach places: in openings intended for sockets and switches, under skirting boards, and behind ventilation openings.
- Ants love moisture, which is why nests often form in the bathroom.
- They also love heat, so the colony can be found under the stove and near the radiators.
To determine the location of the nest, it is enough to follow the ants, they will lead you to their home.
So, to destroy the nest, you can use the following methods:
- Fill the nest with boiling water, but make sure that the queen is destroyed.
- Instead of boiling water, you can use an insecticide spray. It contains such poisons as cypermethrin, deltamethrin, and piperonyl butoxide. When handling, wear a protective mask and keep children and animals away.
If you have not found a nest, then you need to fight the worker ants. They usually run along baseboards, behind furniture, next to food and the trash can, and like to live in the kitchen and bathroom. To combat such ants, use substances that are poisonous to them. It is necessary to make sure that the worker ants either become infected themselves or take the poisoned food and take it to their colony. And then the poison will do everything for you.
The Use Of Folk Remedies
We recommend folk remedies for ants because they are affordable, and most importantly, they are safe for you and your loved ones.
Sugar With Soda
Take a tablespoon of soda and the same spoon of powdered sugar. Mix the ingredients and pour the resulting powder onto sheets of paper. Put them in the places where the ants move. They will bring the bait to their nest, and the soda in its composition will lead to the death of insects.
Boric Acid Balls
A simple and effective folk remedy for ants in the house. To prepare it you will need:
- three boiled egg yolks;
- two tablespoons of honey;
- 10 grams of boric acid.
Mix the ingredients, roll the resulting mass into small balls, and spread them in the kitchen, in the bathroom, and in other places where ants congregate. Boric acid will destroy the digestive system of insects. Instead, you can use borax or starch.
Use Of Insecticides
If it was not possible to remove ants with folk remedies, use insecticides. They can be purchased at almost any store.
Yeast Balls
Also, an effective remedy to kill ants. To prepare it, mix sugar, water, and yeast. Roll the resulting paste into small balls and spread them around the house. The ant will eat the bait, and the yeast in its stomach will swell and lead to the death of the insect. Instead of yeast, you can use semolina.
Plants
The scents of flowers and herbs will keep ants away from your home. The most effective are chamomile, lemon balm, mint, rosemary, dill, parsley, cilantro, and anise. Place fresh or dried plants in small bags and place them in the kitchen, bathroom, behind furniture, or near air vents.
Essential Oils
Also, an effective way to prevent the appearance of ants is essential oils of lavender, cedar, needles, juniper, and cinnamon. To prepare an aromatic solution, follow these steps:
- pour 250 g of alcohol into a container;
- add 10 drops of essential oil to it;
- mix the resulting composition with 200 ml of water.
Pour the solution into a spray bottle and treat all surfaces in the house with it, pay special attention to baseboards, kitchen, and bathroom.
Traps
This is one of the most effective ways to kill ants. Traps are small boxes that contain bait and toxic substances: fipronil, imidacloprid, and hydramethylnon. They destroy the nervous system of insects and lead to paralysis.
Place traps where ants usually run. The insect will crawl into the trap, get smeared with poison, and then return to its lair. There it will infect other individuals, including the uterus. After 2 weeks, the ants will be gone from your home.
These traps are completely safe for people and animals. They can also be used to prevent the appearance of ants because toxic substances remain effective for several more months.
Ultrasonic Scarecrow
This is a method that involves using an ultrasonic device with a high-frequency sound for pests (though inaudible and harmless to human beings) to drive away unwanted “guests” like ants and many other pests from your apartment. Visit everpest.com/blog/how-to-get-rid-of-ants-in-the-kitchen to read more about this device.
Gels
They operate on the same principle as traps. They contain poison and a substance that attracts ants.
For the ant repellent to work, apply the gel in a dotted line where the insects usually move. Usually, the ants come into contact with the gel and bring its particles to the nest. The poison spreads throughout the colony, with the uterus and other individuals dying after a couple of weeks.
Do not rush to immediately wash off the gel, because the toxic substances in its composition: diazinon, imidacloprid, chlorpyrifos – will be active for several more months. This is necessary to kill not only adult ants but also their larvae.
Crayons
One of the cheapest and most proven means to fight ants. 95% consists of chalk and gypsum, the remaining 5% are toxic substances zeta-cypermethrin and deltamethrin.
Take the chalk and draw lines along the baseboards, in the openings of windows and doors, and behind the furniture. The ants will cross the lines, the poison will stick to their paws, and then fall into the nest. This will lead to the death of the entire colony in about 2 weeks.
Wear gloves when using chalk, and remember to update the lines after wet cleaning.
Powders And Granules
Also, an effective tool with which you can kill ants. The composition of the powders contains poisons such as chlorpyrifos, piperonyl butoxide, and cypermethrin.
Sprinkle the powder or granules on the pads and place them in the ant’s roaming areas. You can dissolve the drug in the water while getting a poisonous paste. The substance will fall on the paws of the pests, and then the principle of the epidemic will work: the ants will bring poison to the nest and infect the entire colony, including the uterus. The effect will be visible after 2 days.
When using, observe safety measures: wear gloves and a mask. Powders are not recommended for use in homes with small children and animals.
Professional Pest Control
If you have not been able to kill ants with insecticides and home remedies, then call professional exterminators. In just a few hours, they will destroy both the worker ants and the ant nest.
Caution: pest control uses strong substances that can harm people, animals, and plants. Before disinfection, remove or cover food, upholstered furniture, and plants. Leave the room during processing. Pest control will be carried out using a hot or cold mist generator that converts chemicals into poisonous smoke that penetrates all hard-to-reach places.
After processing, the room should be thoroughly ventilated. It is not recommended to carry out wet cleaning for 2-3 weeks: the chemicals should work for another month after treatment. This is necessary so that not only adult ants die, but also their larvae.
Prevention Of The Appearance Of Ants
To kill ants once and for all, follow these tips:
- Keep the house clean: do not leave crumbs on the table, put food in the refrigerator, and take out the trash on time.
- Close faucets carefully and repair any leaks.
- Seal any gaps that ants can get in. This can be done with putty or sealant.
- Check purchases from the store, especially items that have already been used.
- To repel insects, use essential oils of lavender, cinnamon, and juniper. Mix them with water and treat surfaces around the house.
- Spread bags of herbs around the house: chamomile, lemon balm, mint, dill, parsley.
- When cleaning, use solutions with chlorine, alcohol, and vinegar. Ants cannot stand these smells.
Conclusion
To kill ants in the house, we offer the following methods:
- Find an ant nest to destroy the main female. Fill it with boiling water or an insecticide spray.
- Throw poison to the worker ants, which they will bring to their lair. To do this, you can use folk remedies to fight ants: sugar with soda, boron and yeast balls, flowers, and herbs. Also, use insecticides from the store: traps, gels, crayons, and powders.
- Call professional exterminators: they will destroy both the queen and worker ants.
- Prevent the appearance of ants: keep clean, eliminate moisture in the house, and close the gaps through which insects can enter.
