Clean Often and Thoroughly
The kitchen is the most common place to find ants. Cleaning and sanitizing will help to discourage ants from coming into your home. Clean up spills immediately and sweep up crumbs regularly. Wash garbage containers at least once per month, more often if needed. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. Place food in airtight storage containers so that ants aren’t attracted to it.
Remove Scent Trails to Get Rid of Ants in the House
Scout ants will lay down a scent trail for other ants to follow into the house, so getting rid of this trail will help to prevent more ants. Fill a spray bottle with a vinegar and water solution to wipe away and deodorize the scent trail wherever you find ants coming into your home.
Fill Cracks Where Ants Enter
You can often follow an ant trail directly to the point where the ants are entering the house. These entry points may be around windows or doors, where pipes enter the house or small cracks in construction materials. Use caulk or spackle to fill in these areas so that ants can’t gain easy entry into the home.
Use Ant Baits to Get Rid of Ants in the House
The best way to get rid of ants in your house is to put out ant bait. These are enclosed traps or gels that contain substances that are poisonous to ants. The ants will feed on the substances and bring them back to the nest to share with other ants. In this way, you can eliminate the entire colony.
Put the baits where children and pets cannot get them. You can place ant baits on a piece of masking tape near entry points. Because the baits attract the ants, expect to see more ants collect there initially, but they will soon carry the bait to their nest and your home will be ant-free.
Ant infestations can be a problem, particularly at certain times of the year. You can effectively get rid of ants in the house by knowing how these insects behave and eliminating the things that attract them.
Appalachian Inspection Services provides home inspection services to Western North Carolina. Contact us to schedule an appointment.