The most important thing to keep in mind while trying to get rid of ants in your household is to identify the species first. Different species have different living conditions. An important point to know while looking for ways to get rid of ants is to find the species of ants you’re dealing with.

Ant infestation is a process that ants go through to seek shelter. It means the incorporation of the ant species in suitable material materials wood or food.

Ants live in groups called “Ant Colonies“. The ant colonies are divided into two types of ants(sexual and asexual). The asexual ants are known as worker ants.

Ants are extremely resilient and can withstand extraordinary changes in the environment. Some ants are known to survive floods, they form bulk and can float in the water for days. In addition to being resilient, ants are super strong as well. An average ant can carry around 15 -50 times its weight.

Ants have amazing survival instincts, hence it might be hard to treat an ant infestation. Moreover, with suitable methods and proper knowledge, an ant infestation can be treated permanently.

What Is Ant Infestation

Ant infestation usually takes place during warmer months. They tend to incorporate themselves into various items such as logs and wood and form colonies. This is known as ant infestation.

Identification Of Ants Species

The first step in getting rid of ants is to determine what species are you dealing with. With over 10,000 ant species of ants present around the world. All the species have some distinct features which guide us through the identification process.

Identify Ant Species for Effective Treatment

It is common for homeowners to ignore the importance of identifying the type of ant infestation before attempting to get rid of ants on their own. Different types of ants require different methods of eradication, so using a one-size-fits-all approach may not be effective.

It is essential to properly identify the species of ants present in your home to determine the best course of action. Another common mistake homeowners make is not locating and treating the source of the ant infestation.

Simply spraying ants with insecticide may provide temporary relief, but it will not solve the root problem. Ants often have hidden nests or colonies that need to be treated directly to eliminate the infestation completely.

Keith Sant, Founder & CEO, Sell My Mobile Home Park

How To Get Rid Of Ants

Once you’ve identified the ant species, the next step includes control over the infestation. Controlling the infestation includes methods to kill ants based on the ant species and their habitat.

It’s important to decide the method that will be used to get rid of ants. Many ants form an ant nest, they seek shelter inside the ant nest and in case the ant nest is destroyed, getting rid of those ants gets easier.

Since ants are mostly attracted to food items, ant infestation on food items can be dealt with with ant sprays. While repelling ants is a solution, prevention would be a better option. Natural bug repellent can help in the case of ant problems. The primary characteristic of bug repellent includes repelling ants, which helps in keeping the ants away from your household.

Ant repellent is most useful in the case of Carpenter Ants since they infest wooden items, and their nests can be easily spotted. Other ants also seek shelter in ant nests. If you can find the ant nest, getting rid of those ants with ant repellent can become easier.

Address Scout Ants and Cleanliness

In my experience, a frequent oversight by homeowners tackling ant infestations is the piecemeal approach—attacking the scouts without addressing the colony. Equally problematic is the underestimation of cleanliness; even minor spills can be a feast for ants.

The key to lasting success lies not just in combating the visible invaders but in undermining their very reasons for entering.

Integrating preventative measures, such as sealing entryways and ensuring a meticulous environment, with targeted ant baits that target the colony, has proven to be the most effective strategy in my arsenal against these persistent intruders.

Jeremy Resmer, CEO, Value Land Buyers

How Do Get rid Of Ants Based On Their Ant Species

1. Fire Ants 

Fire Ants are bright red or reddish-brown. Fire Ant infestation can also be treated with repellent. If fire ants have infested your house, the most common way to get rid of them is to set up bait.

A bait can attract ants, hence, can make it easier to spot them and get rid of them. This is the best method to deal with an ant infestation in your home.

2. Carpenter Ants

Carpenter Ants are harder to get rid of, compared to other species. The reason is, that these ants infest tree stumps, and damaged or wet wood, making it harder for us to find their nests. They can easily infest any wooden item inside your house as well.

Sometimes it can get difficult to spot their nest. How to get rid of ants if you cannot find their nest. The best way is to set up the bait, follow their trail, and track their nest.

Maple syrup acts as good bait. The scout ants will feed on the bait and retrace their steps back to their colony. You can follow the trail and locate their nests.

Once you’ve located their colony, pesticides can help in getting rid of these ants. Boric acid is usually used as a pesticide. Mixed with a bait, worker ants feed it to the entire colony.

Odorous House Ants

When dealing with odorous house ants several steps can be implemented –

1. Baiting – The best way to deal with ants is using baits. Ants may prefer different types of food during different seasons, so it is advised to use different ant baits over time to attain better results. The bait mixed with a pesticide helps in getting rid of the entire colony.
2. Using Indoor Sprays– The best way to efficiently use the ant spray is to use it on the entire nest. Locate their nest first and then use the ant spray thus eliminating the chances of these ants returning.
3. Control Through Perimeter- Sealing the perimeter of the house with some pesticide may work in combating ant problems. Spraying the perimeter of the house with pesticides will prevent the ants from entering the house.

Image by Peter F Wolf/ Unsplash

Preventing Ant Infestations: Food Storage and Natural Repellents

Ants are attracted to any kind of food that they can get easy access to, which is why it is important to keep all of your food sealed.

When food is left out in the open, they are attracted to it and will find a way to get to it, so keeping everything in air-tight containers is the best way to prevent ants from taking over.

You also want to make sure to not leave any dirty dishes out, because they will be drawn to that as well. Make it a habit to immediately wash your dishes and wipe down your counters after use.

There are a handful of natural ingredients that repel ants, but the one that I have found to be most effective is pepper.

They hate its strong smell and will almost always steer clear, so if you have an ant problem, sprinkle some pepper in places where you most frequently find them, as well as the entrances where they come into your home.

Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO, Lawn Love

Argentine Ants 

Baiting and ant spray are commonly used methods in the case of Argentine Ants. With baiting, the ant feeds the poisoned food to the queen and the entire colony, thus getting rid of the colony permanently. This prevents the chances of future infestations. are

In the case of spraying, we spray pesticides as pest control. The spray is used to deter ants away from the ant nests.

Pharaoh Ants 

Pharaoh ants are tiny. Two methods are widely used while tackling this problem. Firstly, baiting is the most effective technique used to get rid of these ants. While choosing the bait, it is advised to use both starchy and protein-based substances for better results. Boric acid is a great choice of chemical during our ant baiting.

The non-repelling spray is also used to kill ants nesting indoors as well as outdoors. It is widely used on ants hidden around the house. It works as a repelling agent to repel ants away from the household.

Ant trails usually lead to ant nests. The worker ant usually follows the same path and thus reveals the location of the colony. Destroying the colony is the best way to stop ants from becoming a problem again.

Ghost Ants 

The best way to get rid of ants of this species is to locate the nest. If you are successfully able to locate the nest outside, drench it with outdoor insecticide or bug spray. To locate the nest, you need to follow the ant trails which are used by a worker ant to find its way back to the colony.

Eliminate Ants: Food, Access, and Removal

There are three keys to really eliminating ants from your home. In most cases, if you don’t address all three of these factors, your ant problems will return at some point.

1. Eliminate their source of food: Ants find their way into our homes in search of food. They love dirty kitchens, messy floors, and poorly stored food in open containers. Make sure you do a thorough deep cleaning of your home to discourage ants from finding their way in.
2. Control access to your home: Check the perimeter of your home for cracks, gaps, or openings. Holes in your siding, broken window screens, and drafty doors are all ways that ants and other pests could get into your home.
3. Kill the ants: For small infestations, especially when you know the nest is outside of your home, simple bait traps will usually work fine. More serious infestations might require you to call an exterminator for this part.

Martin Orefice, CEO, Rent To Own Labs

How To Get Rid Of Ants Using Chemicals

Image by Jeshoots/ Unsplash

Pesticides

They are used mostly outside the house to repel ants and kill them. It is often sprayed on ant colonies and is a crucial instrument when it comes to ant control. It is mainly used as an outdoor pesticide. When sprayed in ant holes, it will kill all the ants present inside the colony.

Boric acid

Boric acid is often used in the technique of baiting. Boric acid is mixed with either starch or protein substances as baits. Baits can be used to find any nests that are present in your house. The poison is distributed among all the ants. By following the ant trails, we can follow the steps required for ant control.

Diatomaceous Earth 

Diatomaceous earth is used for insects that have an exoskeleton. Diatomaceous earth is poisonous to ants and this helps in solving an ant infestation. Diatomaceous earth is used when a large area is infested by ants. It is also effective against bed bugs.

Repellent spray

It is effective while dealing with ants indoors. It is easily available and very simple to use. Although effective for indoor infestation, the repellent spray is not effective for outdoor ant infestation.

How To Get Rid Of Ants Using Organic Methods 

An ant infestation can be controlled using many organic and household substances. When combating the issue of how to get rid of ants, the best way is to stay natural. The nuisance of ants can be terminated by using organic and repellent.

Image by Silviarita/ Pixabay

1. Tea Tree Oil – Tea tree oil is used to repel ants and bugs. Tea tree oil mixed with water can be stored in a spray bottle. It is then used as a repellent spray. Tea tree oil is one of the many natural repellents. It is the best natural pesticide. The best way to use tea tree oil is to use it on the entire colony. This way instead of killing a few ants, permanent pest control can be done on the colony itself.
2. Peppermint Oil- Peppermint oil also acts as a natural repellent for Carpenter Ants. 20 drops of peppermint essential oil are mixed with 20 ml of water. This mixture is then sprayed on wooden framing, thus protecting items from becoming hosts to ants. This method is applicable for outdoor and indoor infestation. Pest control via peppermint essential oils is widely used throughout America.
3. Cayenne Pepper – Black pepper as well as Cayenne pepper both work as ant repellents. One common method is to sprinkle pepper on the infested area. They act as natural repellents. A black pepper repellent spray can be made by mixing pepper with water and sprinkling it on the ant nests.

Call For Professional Help

If the problem seems to be getting out of hand, and you’re not able to understand how to get rid of ants that keep on increasing proportionally. We suggest you call for some professional help.

There have been cases where the ant growth has kept growing exponentially and homemade remedies or pesticides aren’t able to treat the infestation. Such cases are known while dealing with Carpenter Ants. Carpenter ants being embedded inside wood or timber are hard to find. Thus, their colonies remain safe and they keep growing exponentially.

In such cases, if professional help is not called for, it might lead to various problems. Although ants aren’t deadly as such, they can be carriers of various bacteria. They indirectly make the household a pool for germs. Hence, ants can affect your health as well.

Preventing Ant Infestations: Hygiene and Cleaning Tips

Hygiene practices or sanitation measures such as regular cleaning are crucial to preventing any pest infestation, including ants. Speaking of ants, they are attracted to food sources, like sweet or greasy things and even a slight trace of them can attract them and cause an infestation.

Dirty areas with crumbs, food spills, high humidity, and scattered things can create an attractive environment for ants that will provide them with food, water, and hiding places.

In addition, an untidy house can also attract other insects or pests which in itself is not pleasant, and in addition, these pests can be the prey of ants, which will eventually lead to the fact that your house will begin to swarm with various uninvited guests.

There are specific cleaning methods, which can help prevent infestations. You should sweep and vacuum floors regularly, especially in rooms where you eat food – in the dining room or kitchen, it’s a good habit to wipe down surfaces regularly and dispose of garbage promptly.

If you have pets, regularly clean their feeding areas, because we all know how messy our pets can be, and leftover food in or near their bowls can attract not only ants but also mice and more unpleasant pests.

Additionally, seal all cracks and gaps around doors, and windows to reduce any entry points and keep an eye on any water leaks, which can lead to high humidity problems.

So, the approach to the hygiene of your home should be adequate. Essentially maintaining order to prevent ant infestation are standard housekeeping rules.

Everything should be cleaned and kept clean, the house should be sealed, and any plumbing problems should be addressed immediately. It is important to check all of that regularly.

For example, cleaning tasks, such as wiping down surfaces, sweeping kitchen floors, and taking out the trash should be done every day.

Once a week, you should perform general cleaning, which includes vacuuming and floor washing, wiping down appliances, and thoroughly cleaning kitchen areas.

If you have any doubts about your plumbing system or house tightness, you can call in the professionals who can point out any problems you might have.

Regarding cleaning products, you can rely on the standard all-purpose cleaners you typically use. For natural ant deterrents, consider options like vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, or peppermint essential oil diluted in water.

Apply these solutions to potential entry points for ants, such as tables, window sills, frames, baseboards, and corners, to establish a fragrant barrier that repels ants.

Keep in mind that there is a difference between cleaning to prevent ants and removing an existing infestation. Regular cleaning can help deter ants, but there may need to be more than just cleaning alone to eliminate existing infestation.

Once ants have established a colony, they create pheromone trails and nests, making them difficult to get rid of through just cleaning.

Therefore, in the case of an existing infestation, professional pest control measures such as targeted baiting, insecticide treatments, or physical removal of nests may be required to eradicate ants effectively.

Nicole Carpenter, President, Black Pest Prevention

Points To Remember While Tackling Ant Infestation

• As a precaution, the food source of ants should be kept closed.
• The major food source of ants includes starch and proteins. These food sources attract ants more efficiently.
• Repellent sprays and natural repellents are very effective in repelling pests. Essential oil of peppermint or essential oil of tea tree can be used as natural repellents.
• Ants have a habit of leaving a trail of pheromones behind, pest control can be achieved efficiently if we treat the food item or place infested by ants. In this way, they won’t be able to reach back to the source again.
• Using dish soap and cotton balls to clean the affected area is also a form of pest control. Make sure the cotton balls are disposed of properly after cleaning.
• When tackling the issue of how to get rid of ants, make sure to eliminate them from the origin, to avoid future infestation.

You can refer to these measures if you are trying to figure out how to get rid of ants permanently. We know that these uncalled guests cause a lot of trouble, so it’s better to get rid of them as soon as we can.

Ants can infest your home very quickly and become a health hazard as well as a danger for you. It’s very important to be cautious while dealing with ants.

Guest Author: Saket Kumar

Last Updated on April 20, 2024 by Mehnaz