How To Get Rid Of Ants in Your Home

One of the most annoying pests to find in your kitchen are ants. When you see one ant you know that there are more, lots more. Ants are one of the most common insects on Earth and there are plenty right here in Northern California. When you have an ant problem the first thought in your head is how to get rid of them. What you should be asking is “why do I have ants in my home?” Understanding what attracts ants into your home in the first place is the best defense against these troublesome pests.  

Why Do I Have Ants in My Home?

Seeing a line of ants marching across your counters or big black carpenter ants scurrying along your walls can make you cringe. It might be hard to imagine how these ants got into your home in the first place, but if you think about it long enough you will see that ants can get in just about anywhere. Ants are tiny and can fit into the smallest spaces that we might not even be aware of. 

Common points of entry include:  

What Attracts Ants To My Home?

It’s impossible to entirely seal your house from ants. No matter how hard you try, they will find their way in. Ants don’t just walk into our homes because they feel like it. The main reason ants come into your home is because they can smell food. Ants eat a variety of plants, fruit, meat, and other insects. Ants can smell where your food is stored and once they find it they will leave a scent trail to alert the rest of the colony.

Foods that attract ants include:

Flying Ants in Home 

Spotting flying ants in your home is a sign that there is a mature colony nearby. Flying ants aren’t some swarming species of ant, but actually a stage in all ant life cycles. They are just male and female ants that have reached sexual maturity. They are usually seen in the late spring or summer on warm days when they emerge to mate. 

How To Get Rid Of Ants 

Getting rid of ants in your home can be a real pain. You can keep killing them but more will come in an endless march. So what can you do to get rid of ants in your home? Check out these helpful tips:  

• Ant Baits: Bait traps are a tried and true method of eliminating the entire ant colony. When worker ants enter the trap they take some of the poison bait back to the colony where the others feed on it.  
• Diatomaceous Earth: Diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny organisms. The remains are sharp and can cut holes in the bodies of ants and dry them out. Use inside your home around windows, doors, baseboards,
• Boric Acid: Combine the boric acid with honey, then apply it to the ant colonies. This is another great way to eliminate an ant colony quickly. 

Ways to Prevent Ant Infestations

The best way to control ants is to prevent them in the first place. Ants are attracted to food and water. If both of those things are hard to get, then ants won’t bother coming into your home. Here are some ways you can make your home less hospitable to ants. 

• Keep Your House Clean: Ants can smell food much better than we can. Even if you put all your food away they can still smell it if there are dirty dishes in the sink or garbage that hasn’t been taken out. Make sure all remnants of food, including plates and crumbs, are picked up and cleaned before the end of each day. 
• Store Food Properly: A great way to stop ants from getting into your home is by storing cereals and grains in airtight plastic containers. If you have a pet, make sure you do not leave any dog or cat food out overnight. 
• Use Natural Repellants: For those who want to use all-natural methods, there are several natural alternatives to harsh chemical repellents. Natural repellants include baby powder, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon. Place these items in the corners of rooms where the ant infestation is bad, and you should see results in a few weeks. 
• Seal Your Home: It’s important to seal off areas that can be obvious entry points for ants and other pests. These areas include around utility lines, attic vents, and chimneys.
• Yeast And Sugar: This works similarly to how bait traps work. Combine a half cup each of yeast and sugar. Place in areas where you see ant activity. Ants will collect it and bring it back to their colonies where they consume it and eventually die. 

Contact Professional Ant Exterminators 

Some infestations can get out of hand and require professional pest control to get rid of ants. Luckily, the professional pest control providers at Big Time Pest Control have the experience and the knowledge to seek and destroy even the largest ant colonies and make sure they don’t come back into your home. How do exterminators get rid of ants? Check out this blog to find out.

For professional pest control services near you call 530-212-7599 or leave us a message on our site.