Find out how to get rid of ants for good!
Every now and then, you’ll find one lonely little ant in your home. Usually, you don’t think too much on it and you either put the little creature outside or let it stay put. But it becomes a problem when more of them show up and your house is overrun with ants. Find out how you can rid your home of ants for good.
Infestation
Only a few of the seven-hundred ant species in the U.S. will march into your home. Entomologist David Price told Well + Good: “Ants that are drawn to the home’s foundation are in search of water, sugar, or protein. It is dependent on environmental factors and availability to match the size of the colony. The environmental factors include change of seasons and going to higher ground during adverse weather.” And that means that those ants will only seek the comfort of your home if there is food to be found, or if the weather causes them to head indoors. But how do you keep the ants out of your home?
Food and drinks
Because ants are attracted to the food in your home, it is important that you make sure they won’t be tempted to come into your house. That means that you should always clean up spills and crumbs right away and that you rinse containers before putting them in the trash or recycling. Another ant-attractor is the dirty dishes you left sitting in the sink last night. According to Price, you always have to thoroughly wash your sink and remove any food debris. Also make sure drains and strainers are clean.
Always store your food in air-tight containers and keep foods refrigerated. That way, the ants won’t know that there is food to be found in your home. The same goes for pet food. The best thing would be not to leave pet food out. Maybe an automatic feeder could solve this problem for you. That way, you won’t have an ant infestation on your hands and your pet won’t go hungry either!
Home
Some things around your home could make it more tempting for ants to sneak in. Like moisture, for example. If there is moisture around the foundation of your home, it could definitely attract ants. So, take a peak at your gutters and invest in downspouts that could redirect the rain water farther away form your home. You also want to make sure that there is no vegetation, tree branches, shrubs, firewood or mulch close to the foundation of your home. Because ants like to live in them, it is best to make sure vegetation and mulch are at least 12 inches away from your home’s foundation. That way, ants can’t use the greenery to get into the cracks of your home. When you have bricks or stones laying around your home, you might also want to move those. Because they attract moisture. And that will attract ants.
Another way to keep ants out of your house, is by closing all gaps, cracks and holes in your home. Ants usually have a preferred entrance to get into your home and if you can figure out where they’re coming from, it is usually pretty easy to seal that gap. That way, the ants won’t be able to come in anymore and you have successfully rid your house of all ants!
If all else fails: hire a professional. Price says: “It is time to call a professional when you are unsure of the type of ant or you can’t seem to get them under control. There are ants that can do damage to your house or are an indicator that mold or moisture damage is present.”
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Source: Well + Good | Image: Unsplash