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Having an ant infestation in your home is definitely a less than desirable situation. These little pests seem to come in and take over in no time at all. They can invade your pantry, infiltrate your food, and contaminate everything in sight before you even know what’s happening. If you suddenly have an ant issue in your home, you are most likely desperate for a solution. Take the advice below to return your home to the ant-free environment it used to be before the problem gets out of control.
First of all, you will need to block every area of access the ants could possibly find. See if you notice where a stream of them seems to be stemming from to cut them off at the source. If you don’t see them coming in, do a very thorough inspection of your home. Look at every door to see if the weather stripping needs to be repaired. Check windows to see if you need to add caulking to any gaps, as well as repair or replace damaged screens. Check your walls for any cracks or gaps that may create an entry point, and seal those up immediately.
To deter ants naturally, there are a number of powders or scents that can be used. Lay out a line of baby powder, salt, or chalk in front of doors and windows where you suspect they may be finding entry. Ants will do everything in their power to avoid these substances, including staying out of your home. They also don’t like the scents of vinegar, cinnamon, peppermint oil, cloves, and bay leaves, so leaving these things out can also deter them from making their way in. Keep in mind that you will need to take extra care if you have pets or small children in your home, so this might not be the best solution in your case.
To get rid of the infestation quickly, it may be necessary to kill off the ants that you see. To kill off an ant trail there are a number of approaches you can take, most of them very simple. You can dip a sponge in hot, soapy water, and simply swipe up the trail. Do this as many times as needed to remove all ants that are present. You can spray the trail with a cleaner or bleach solution, and then simply wipe them up. If you can find the nest, you can also spray that with the same solution, which will be a more effective way to make sure they are all gone. It’s also important to kill any lone ants that you may see walking around your house. While one tiny ant may seem harmless, these are often the scout ants from a colony, which have been sent out to search for food. If you allow them to live, they will head back to their colony and inform all of the other ants of where to find a food source in your home.
A more aggressive approach is to use a bait to entice and then kill off the ants in your home. You can create your own bait, using borax or boric acid powder, or you can purchase a pre-made poison from the store. When taking this approach it’s very important to be aware of the fact that the bait you are using may be dangerous. If you have pets or small children in your home, be sure to place the bait where they couldn’t possibly reach it.
If you have an extensive infestation, you may want to consider using a fumigator to ensure that you are killing off every last ant. These fumigators, also known as foggers, supposedly kill off an ant infestation for six to eight months, so it is certainly a longer lasting approach. If you do decide to go down this path, be aware that you will likely need to be out of your home for several hours after the fogger has been set off. Again, if you have pets or small children, take extreme precautions and consider an alternative method of removal, as the solutions used in these fumigators can be quite harmful.
The most effective and simplest approach of all is to enlist the help of a professional pest control company in your fight against your ant infestation. This way you won’t be required to interact with the ants, and won’t have to handle any dangerous chemical solutions. A professional exterminator will know the quickest and most effective way to rid your home of an ant infestation in a matter of hours. If you aren’t the do-it-yourself type, or you simply want to rest assured knowing the infestation has been taken care of, reach out to a pest control company in your area for professional help.
