Control Ants

Although a few ants inside your house or on your property might seem harmless, if left unchecked, you might have to deal with a more serious ant infestation. Fortunately, with a basic understanding of ant behavior, you can take steps to make your home and property less attractive ants. In many cases, managing ants outside will also help control and prevent a more significant ant problem inside.

Steps

Making the Inside of Your Home Less Attractive to Ants

  1. Clean your house. While they especially like sweet things, ants are not picky eaters and will find many food sources inside your home especially attractive. Cleaning your house to eliminate any crumbs and traces of food is one of the most effective ways to control ants.[1][2][3]
    • Researchers have found that ants will travel as far away as two football fields to hunt for food.
  2. Keep your counters and floors dry. In addition to food, ants are also interested in locating sources of water. Drying your counters and floors will also help control ants. [2][3]
  3. Wash dishes right away. Leaving dirty dishes in the sink will attract ants, so wash your dishes right away or rinse them and run them through the dishwasher. This will eliminate potential food sources for ants.[2] [3]
    • Don’t forget to clean your pet’s food dishes.
  4. Sweep and vacuum frequently. Sweeping and vacuuming your house will get rid of any crumbs that hungry ants might want to track down.[2][3]
    • Sweep or vacuum after meals to keep ants at bay.
  5. Wipe up spills. Spills and splashes inevitably occur in your home, but wiping these messes up quickly and thoroughly will help prevent ants from invading your home. [2][3]
  6. Rinse recycling and store it outside your home. If you recycle, make sure you carefully rinse the containers out so there are no traces of food or liquid that ants will find tasty. It’s also a good idea to store the recycling outside so ants won’t come looking for tasty treats inside your home.[2][3]
    • Don’t forget about soda bottles or cans, since ants really like sweet things.
  7. Cover foods stored on your counter. If there is food that you do not store in the fridge, make sure it is tightly sealed and securely covered. This will prevent ants from getting into your food and gaining a foothold inside your space.[2][3]
    • Store pet food in an airtight container rather than an open bag so ants aren’t attracted to this as a potential food source.
  8. Take the trash out regularly. Regularly disposing of trash, especially any trash containing food, will make your home less attractive to ants. It’s also a good idea to keep your trash cans away from your house so ants don’t have a direct pathway into your home.[2][3]
    • To make an ant barrier on your trash can, spread a little petroleum jelly under the lip of the can. The ants can't cross it easily.[4]
  9. Seal cracks, crevices, and points of entry inside your home. To prevent ants from invading your domain, you need to eliminate any potential points of entry. Caulk or seal cracks and crevices inside your home.[3]
    • While silicone caulk offers a more lasting solution to seal areas where ants may enter, many people find that petroleum jelly is also effective because ants can’t cross over it.[5][3]
    • Apply to any places where you’ve seen ants enter your home, but also window cracks and door jambs.
  10. Scrub ant trails. When you see ants in your home, pay attention to where they seem to be traveling and how they are getting in. Ants leave behind a pheromone trail that tells other ants where to go, so you want to eliminate the path they are traveling by scrubbing these areas with soapy water.[6][7]
    • As a precaution, also scrub any potential areas that may be entry points for ants. Even though you don’t see ants at the moment, you can eliminate the pheromone trail and the ants will have a harder time remembering where to go.
  11. Set an ant trap. Ant traps or ant bait stations are effective because the ants feed on the bait. Then, they return with it to the nest and share it with other members of the colony. You can usually purchase these at grocery, garden, and home-improvement stores, but you can also make your own.[8]
    • If you buy a bait or trap at the store, make sure you pick a product that is specifically designed for ants.
    • Locate the bait near areas where you see ants so they will take the bait.
    • Don’t use other insecticides or ant treatments around the bait stations, because the ants won’t visit them.
    • You may not notice improvement for a few weeks or even months.
    • If the ant population doesn't seem to be subsiding, try switching to a different type or brand of ant bait. Ants can be picky eaters, and some baits are more effective against specific types of ants.
    • Be careful not to place traps or bait in areas where pets or children can access since the ingredients are typically poisonous.
    • To make your own ant trap, try sprinkling cornmeal or cornstarch in areas infested with ants. They can’t digest the cornmeal or cornstarch and will die after eating it.[9][10]

Managing Ants Outside

  1. Remove plants and pests that attract ants. To manage ants outside and keep them from congregating near your house, get rid of potential food sources such as ripened fruit from fruit trees or any plants infested with aphids.[3]
    • Ants are attracted to plants with aphids because the aphids leave behind a sweet substance called honeydew on the plants, which ants love.[11]
  2. Keep mulch, plants, and grass away from the foundation of your homes. Ants nest and forage in plants, grass, and mulch, so keep these materials at least a foot away from the foundation of your home.[11]
  3. Trim trees and bushes. Trimming trees and bushes around your house will prevent ants from dropping from overhanging branches or accessing your house as easily.[7]
  4. Unclog gutters. Gutters that are clogged and filled with leaves, dirt, and other debris make a nice cozy home for an ant colony. Cleaning your gutters will help keep ants from establishing colonies in these locations.[12]
  5. Get rid of wood that is wet, rotted, or decaying. Certain types of ants such as carpenter ants are attracted to decaying wood, and they can cause significant structural damage if they establish a presence. Getting rid of any wood that is water damaged, rotting, or decaying is a good step to control ants outside your home.[13][14][15]
    • Keep firewood or other wood away from your house in the event that carpenter ants or ants attracted to decaying wood decide to make it their home. Storing the wood off the ground will also help protect it from ants.
    • Using pressure-treated wood will also help prevent decay and deter ants.
    • Don’t forget to remove stumps and fallen limbs on your property.
  6. Repair leaks and wood rot quickly. To reduce the risk of an ant infestation, you should also repair any leaky pipes and roofs as soon as possible. Quickly replace wood that becomes waterlogged and rotted such as windowsills, door jambs, or decks.[14][15]
  7. Tackle the nest. One of the most effective ways to control ants outside your home and prevent them from entering your house is to locate and eliminate the nest.[8][16]
    • Look for mounds or ant hills in your yard and around the perimeter of your home.
    • Ants also like to build nests under wood, stones, pavement, mulch, and gravel.
    • You can find many types of outdoor insecticides and ant bait at home-improvement stores. These are often in liquid or granule form, and you apply the product directly to the nest. Since these products are poisonous, be sure to follow the directions carefully, and do not use these methods indoors or around pets and children.
    • If you’re looking for a homemade option that is less toxic, try pouring soapy, boiling water on the nest.[17]

Analyzing Your Ant Problem

  1. Understand ant behavior. To more effectively control ants, you need to understand a few basic facts about their behavior:[6][10]
    • Ants are social insects that live in colonies. As a result, killing a few isolated ants won’t eliminate your ant problem.
    • If they enter your house, they are looking for protection from the weather, food, and water.
    • Most of the ants you see around your home or outside are worker ants, tasked with finding food and bringing it back to the colony. These ants leave behind an invisible chemical trail of pheromones to lead other ants to sources of food.
    • They will travel long distances from the nest to locate food, and don’t necessarily travel in a straight line along the way.
    • With the exception of a few species such as fire ants, ants are not aggressive and don’t deliver a painful bite or sting.
  2. Pay attention to where you see ants in your home. Being aware of where ants are located in your home can help you diagnose and treat the source of your infestation.[18]
    • If the ants you observe inside your home seem to congregate around a window or door, this suggests the ants are currently living outside and traveling inside to locate food. You can probably control ants by sealing off entry points and eliminating food sources. Alternatively, you can attempt to locate and destroy their nest outside.
    • If you notice ants around electrical outlets, in cabinets, or cracks in your floor, they may be nesting somewhere inside your home. Unfortunately, these infestations can be harder to resolve because it’s difficult to locate the nest. You can attempt to use bait stations safe for indoor use and get rid of food sources, which should help control the ants.
  3. Try to locate their nest. Destroying the nest inside or outside your home will offer the most long-term solution to your ant problem. You can locate an ant nest by observing and following the ants.[19]
    • They usually crawl single file, and you can get a pretty good idea of where they are headed and coming from.
  4. Make sure you aren’t dealing with carpenter ants or termites. Ants, carpenter ants and termites can look similar, but carpenter ants and termites can cause much more serious damage to your home and property. Keep these facts in mind to make sure you are dealing with ants and not carpenter ants or termites:[16]
    • While termites and ants can both have wings when new queens leave after hatching to start a new colony, termite wings are much larger and longer.
    • Ants have a narrow body and waist, while termites are more rectangular and do not have any indentations on the body.
    • Ants are typically more visible than termites. While it is normal to see ants in the open, most termites avoid light and are more reclusive.
    • If you suspect you have a carpenter ant or termite rather than an ant problem, contact a pest control company for an inspection as soon as possible so they can begin treatment before the carpenter ants or termites cause irreversible damage.
  5. Work with a pest control company. One of the most effective steps you can take to control ants is to work with a professional pest control company. They will be able to identify, diagnose, and treat your specific ant problem.[3][8]
    • Different ants may require different types of treatment to control the population.
    • Pest control companies often have access to products that are unavailable to most consumers, and highly effective.
    • Regular pest control visits and treatments can prevent ant problems before they start.

Tips

  • Carpenter ants are using the wood for a nest, not a meal but the result is nearly the same.
  • So ants don’t invade your space looking for leftovers, make sure you clean your home, especially any areas where you prepare or eat food.
  • If you observe ants closely, you have a better chance of locating the nest and controlling your ant problem.

Warnings

  • Avoid using ant-control products in areas where pets and children may have contact with them.
  • Many insecticides and ant baits are poisonous, so follow product instructions carefully.

Related Articles

Get Rid of Ants Get Rid of Ants Naturally

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.pestnet.com/ants/what-do-ants-eat/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 http://pestkill.org/ants/house/
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/antscard.html
  4. ↑ http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/campus-238044
  5. ↑ http://lifehacker.com/5919048/keep-ants-out-of-your-house-with-petroleum-jelly?sidebar_promotions_icons=testingoff&utm_expid=66866090-67.e9PWeE2DSnKObFD7vNEoqg.1
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/antcontrolinformation.htm
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://npic.orst.edu/pest/ant.html
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef619.asp
  9. ↑ http://www.onecreativehousewife.com/2012/08/how-to-get-rid-of-ants-naturally_17.html
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.thebugsquad.com/ants/getting-rid-of-ants-fast/
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 http://animals.mom.me/symbiotic-relationship-between-aphids-ants-11782.html
  12. ↑ http://www.edenpest.com/blog/post/pest-prevention-why-cleaning-your-gutters-can-help
  13. ↑ http://www.oldhouseweb.com/how-to-advice/carpenter-ants-infestation.shtml
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/ants.htm
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/antcontrol003.shtml
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/what-to-do-about-household-ants/
  17. ↑ http://www.spcpweb.org/factsheets/AntsFactsheet.pdf
  18. ↑ https://www.pesticideresearch.com/site/?page_id=1143
  19. ↑ https://www.pesticideresearch.com/site/?page_id=1143

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