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Spring is here and I love the weather, but let me tell you what I don’t love!
The ants!
Spring is when they are building their farms and boy can they reproduce. Chances are if you see one or two on your counter tops or other places in your home there could be thousands underneath somewhere. We get them bad where we live, especially the sweet house ants! These are the ones that love anything sweet!
Here is the Ultimate Guide on how to get rid of sweet ants:
Because the sweet ant is attracted to sweets you will usually find them in the kitchen! Their favorite place to get a hold of anything and everything that has a sweet taste in them. They especially love your sugar bowls and cereal boxes. Ask me how I know:)
These ants leave a chemical pheromone trail wherever they travel so if you kill them, others just follow. That is why I say, if you see a couple chances are there are hundreds, maybe even thousands more. This means you need to wipe out the whole colony, otherwise they will be back!
First things first: If ants is something your home struggles with you will have to stay on top of your kitchen more than most with daily cleaning routines.
Daily routines that will help prevent ants:
*Try to keep you kitchen sink clean and dry
* Wipe down kitchen counter tops with bleach or your favorite all purpose cleaner each night
*Sweep and mop your kitchen floor with bleach every night during the summer to control sugar ants.
*Vacuum regularly
*Change garbage bag as soon as it is full and at least once a day
*Keep sugar and anything sweet in sealed freezer bags
There are some simple, and inexpensive ways to naturally control small ants in and around your home and they actually work.
When you see the first few ants, you can sponge them with soapy water to eliminate the pheromone trail. You need to know where they are coming from so try very hard to find the entry point.
How to Make a homemade bait for sweet ants:
The most common ingredient found in sweet ant baits is Borax. Most household ants can be killed by Borax. It is generally non-toxic to humans, but like anything be careful, nothing should be ingested in large amounts.
The hardest part will be with this kind of poisoning it is slow acting so that means it won’t kill the ants right away and you have to let them crawl around on it for several days (it is hard to watch because you just want them dead). I would suggest you don’t do this when you are expecting guests.
The benefit of letting them eat this for days is they will take some sweet bait back to the colony with them and shares their meal with the ants in the colony. This is the secret to wiping them out. They are small and that usually means they are more easy to kill.
Mix one part borax with 3 parts powdered sugar. Fill tiny containers or use strong cardboard with this homemade bait and place them where they are coming in and where you see them most.
If they don’t eat it move the location directly in their walking path. I know this sounds crazy but it does work.
Remember to resist the urge to kill all the ants you see. You want them to eat it and take it back to the colony.
The more ants that are allowed to find the bait and carry it back, the faster the colony will die off.
Some Natural Ways to Get rid of Ants:
Many people have tried many home remedies for getting rid of ants.
- Peppermint Essential oil on places where you see ants crawling around
- Cinnamon or garlic near entry points. Lace cinnamon sticks or garlic in areas where you have seen ants enter, such as in window tracks, or by doors. Garlic doesn’t smell as good as cinnamon but some say it works very well. just peel and slice a few cloves and place them where you notice the ants.
- Some use baby powder or vaseline and swear ants hate it, sprinkle it where they are entering the house
Vinegar
Place white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle and spray on areas where you have seen ants. You can spray vinegar near baseboards, and on countertops where they may be. You can allow the vinegar to dry on surfaces or – the fungicidal and insecticidal properties sometimes work to get rid of them this way.
Boiling Water Outside
If you have anthill outside you can pour boiling water on top of them to try preventing them from coming in the house.
Black Pepper
Sprinkle black pepper where you see ants. The ants will immediately scatter. Then you can see where they run to so you can treat those areas also.
Plants that can help:
The stronger the smell the more chances are the ants will stay away. Consider planting one of these near your entry spots.
- Basil
- Chili peppers
- Eucalyptus
- Garlic
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Mint (which can prevent ants their smell)
TERRO Liquid Ant Baits
If all of this seems like too much I also like TERRO Liquid Ant Baits. They are basically made with the borax and sweet mixture but they come in a container for you and all you have to do is put them out, watch the ants flock to it, and they will take it back to their colony. A word of caution. Only buy fresh ones each spring/summer. I find old ones I have from the previous year do not work as well so make sure to buy only what you need for that year and buy new ones the next time. I think as far as buying an ant killer you won’t do better than these, they are the best. You can buy them here!
How have you gotten rid of ants in your home?
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