After writing, how to get rid of bed bugs?, how to get rid of cockroaches?, how to get rid of fleas?, and how to get rid of fruit flies?, we are now writing the best ways to get rid of ants in the house fast and naturally. Well, the small creatures in your surroundings always tend to bother you, when it is inside your house or even outdoor. Most precisely the ants are seen inside your kitchen or dining area. In this article, we will explain the best ways to get rid of ants in the house fast, naturally and permanently. You will need to identify, which type of ants is entering into your house or outdoor. Sugar ants are the most common in house ants and carpenter ants are the common outdoor ants. Depending on that, you will be able to choose the best measures to get rid of the ants from your house or outdoor fast and permanently.
Every time you get in your kitchen and no wonder you also see ants parading towards your sweets, cookies and other food items. In case, you left any food items uncovered, then in no time, they get polluted with ants that are seeking for food all day. You can kill by squishing them, but that’s would not give you any benefit because their source is still there, ready to deploy more and more ants toward your home. In this article, we will show you some easy home remedies to get rid of ants form your house and kitchen permanently. Ants look similar in appearance, but they are different with respect to the factors like health risk and habitat, so identification of ants becomes also important to get rid of ants. You can easily determine, what type of ants marching into your house using below-mentioned details about different types of ants.
Types of Ants:
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- Carpenter Ants: Carpenter ants do not reside inside your house. They are mostly to be seen on the wooden blocks around your house. It means they are to be seen on the window panes, doors, wooden flooring, etc. The carpenter ants generally do not collect food to take back to their nest. They finish up their food on the spot and move back to their nest.
- Sugar Ants: Sugar ants are the ones that not only live on the sugary products but carry their food to their nest as well. So they form a trail from their nest to the leftover or untouched food particles. Thereby, you will need to look out for their nest to get rid of them completely.
- Argentine Ants: Their habitats are usually in wet environments around food sources. These ants do not cause any health threat. They contaminate the food and excrete fusty odor if they are crushed.
- Odorous House Ants: They make their habitat in exposed soil, wall cracks and under floor inside homes. These types of ants do not cause any health issue or damage to buildings. They can contaminate the food items and should be avoided. In case If they crushed then they give out coconut like smell and that’s why they are called Odorous House Ants.
- Red Imported Fire Ants: Make their nest in outdoors in landscape areas, mainly near the structural foundation and they make entry through holes and cracks in the exterior. They attack with a painful sting if disturbed their nest. Anyone allergic by the bite of these ants can affect severely.
- Pavement Ants: They make their nest under cracks in pavements. They can spread in building through holes in the structure. They only contaminate the food but do not cause any health risk. Generally black pavement ants are risk-free.
- Crazy Ants: They appear in the rainy season due to reducing in the supply of honeydew, which is their main source of food. Their nest could be underneath the carpet, outdoors, on the floor and next to the foundations. These ants do not cause any health issue, but if they get entered into the structure then they could cause some trouble.
Best Ways to Get Rid of Ants in the House Fast and Naturally:
1.) Use Citrus From Lemon
Citrus is always the best agent to shove away the ants. So, for this remedy a lemon will work its wonders. The sour essence of the lemon will keep the ants away. Add some lemon juice and water in a spray bottle. And spray it over the trail of the ants. And also over the ants that are moving around your house. This is one of the simple and effective measures to prevent ants. You can kill ants without pesticides.
2.) Use The Common Salt
For this remedy you need salt and water. This is one of the another simplest way to get rid of ants in the house and also to kill them instantly. Boil some amount of water in a pan and salt into it according to the requirement. Now transfer it into the spray bottle. Then Spray it over all the area, where you have noticed the ants moving around and also at their nest.
3.) Use The Vinegar
Vinegar has the strongest essence to kill the ants naturally. You just need to spray vinegar on the path and following the trails to their nest. You can spray the vinegar in every corner of your house. Try not leave a single spot, where you think the ants might have passed. For example sinks, counter tops, windows, doors, corners of your kitchen. This remedy will effectively help you to get rid of the ants in the house permanently.
4.) Baking Soda Will Help
Baking soda is another wonderful home remedy to get rid of ants fast and naturally. Take baking soda powder and then make a line around the areas where they appear mostly. Ants can’t cross the line made of baking soda and due to this, they will not enter into your home. This method is very effective to protect any special food item from ants, just make boundaries of baking soda around the container prevent ants infestation.
5.) Use Bay Leaves
Bays leaves are the great ingredient to get rid of ants from the house easily. Simply put few bay leaves in or near your food items like sugar, flour, paprika, etc. and they will not attack these items. However, putting bay leaves could alter the taste and smell so to avoid this problem put bay leave in a container then place it. This trick is really effective in controlling ants infestation and also very easy to use.
6.) Make Use Pepper
Pepper is most effective remedies to get rid of ants in the house fast and naturally. Both cayenne and black pepper is helpful to get rid of ants. Just mix some amount of pepper in water. Then spray it over the ants. The ants will instantly move away and will not come back to their trail of hunting food.
The Ants always look for sugar jar but this time, give them cayenne pepper in place of sugar. Sprinkle the pepper, where ants are looking for sugar, pepper will tell them there is no sugar ahead. Pepper not only helps you to save your sugar but also helps you to prevent the whole colony of ants. Pepper will always prevent the ants to relocate to your kitchen.
7.) Use The Baby Powder
Ants try to avoid the strong odors in their surroundings. And moreover, the strong essence of a talcum powder or baby powder will let them move away instantly. Try to sprinkle some baby powder on them following them to their nest. This will let them to change their habitat and you will be free from the ants.
8.) Chalk Powder Will Help
The calcium carbonate present in the chalk will repel ants and they can’t cross the line formed by chalk. Chalk powder works exactly the way baking soda works. It also prevents ants to cross the line made up of chalk, but there is the slightly more advantage of chalk powder. The main advantage of using chalk powder is that you can draw lines on vertical surfaces also. Chalk powder is a great ingredient to get rid of ants in the house fast and naturally. Simply draw a line with the chalk and you are ready to fight with ants.
9.) Use The Powdered Yeast
Many people found this method really worked for them to get rid of ants in the house. Powdered yeast has the capability to completely eradicate ants from your home. Sprinkle powdered yeast on the region invaded by the ants. You can also make boundaries around your food items, cookies jar or sweets jar. Powdered yeast is one of the most powerful home remedies for ants.
10.) Spray Some Perfume
If you do not happen to have baby powder in your house, then you can easily opt for perfume. As, it is already mentioned in the above point that ants can’t resist the strong essence. In this case you are not supposed to spray the perfume over them. Instead, you will need to soak cotton balls in the perfume itself. Then place those cotton balls on their path. Also place it around the corners of your house, where you think they enter from. Due to the strong smell, the ants will never come in that direction, where the cotton balls are placed.
11.) Take Help From Mint
Mint is also helpful to prevent the ants entering your house. There is a very simple way to use mint. If you drink mint tea, then try not to throw away the mint tea bags. Instead place it in the areas, where you believe that ants enter your house. If you do not drink mint tea, then no worries. There is another way to use the mint leaves. Dry out the leaves and crush it into powder and sprinkle the powder in the affected areas of your house.
12.) Use Soapy Water
Soapy water is very effective for not only to get rid of ants in the house but kill other insects available as well. Therefore, you can mix some soap or dish liquid in water. Then spray it over the areas, where ants are making their trails. It will immediately disperse from there. Finally, the ants will disappear from the spot as well.
13.) Use The Cucumber
Cucumber is one vegetable that ants cannot resist. The taste of cucumber will keep the ants away from your kitchen. So, cut a cucumber into small pieces and place those pieces around the path of the ants. Also, you can place it around the corners of your house. They will not enter your house.
14.) Use The Cornmeal
Cornmeal is one of the best ways to attract ants and also to get rid of ants in the house. They like to consume the cornmeal, but cannot digest it. So, spread some cornmeal on the ants affected areas. They will die after consuming the cornmeal. In this way, you will be able to prevent the ants from your house. This is a simple remedy for ants removal. You can also read the article how to get rid of flying termites?
15.) Wipe Out Water from the Surface
Keep you kitchen clean to prevent ants infestation. The kitchen surface always gets wet due to the use of water during cooking and other work. If water stays on the surface then it will attract the ants easily. Ants like wet surface and get gather around the wet or moist region. So, keeping the kitchen surface clean will be a great way to prevent the ant infestation naturally.
16.) Coffee Grounds Will Help
Grounded coffee is the best remedies to get rid of ants in the house fast and naturally. Studies show that ants don’t like the scent of coffee grounds, this property can help you to get rid of the ants naturally. Sprinkle coffee grounds around the perimeter of your house, particularly on the possible entrance points. The smell will keep the ants out of your home, so they will not infestation further.
17.) Wash Dishes Daily
Wash the dishes on the same day of use that will prevent ants from getting into the kitchen. The Ants always look for food and they can take any type of food. Washing the dishes will reduce the chance of ants infest and spoil the stuff. Do not leave any dirty dishes and standing water for ants to drink and also do not put food in the drain. Remove all in-sink disposal scraps as soon as added.
18.) Pinpoint Entry Points of Ants
Ants can easily make their way through windows, doors, foundation, and holes. Sometimes small openings are not visible with naked eyes and these opening can be the main entrance for ants. Use a magnifying glass to detect very small openings that generally not visible to the eye but could be an entry gate for ants. Once you have found every entry gate then just caulk the gap, this will really prevent the ants.
19.) Make Bait For Ants
Ants could be anywhere in the entire home, finding all of them is not easy. Instead of searching them you can use bait such that they will automatically get attracted to the bait. No one loves waiting, do not wait for ants just take some sweet and poison it.
You should know that eradicating the entire colony of the ant would help you only, otherwise next day they again appear. Poisoned sweets attract the ants and they eat it after that they return to the colony and spread the poison among each, this will cause the death of the entire colony in one go.
20.) Use The Adhesive Tape
Trapping ants by the adhesive tape are the great way to get rid of ants in the house. Take an adhesive tape and make a moat around your jar. Make sure that the sticky side is up, if the ant army decides to get to your jar they will be caught. When the adhesive tape gets populated with many ants then remove the tape and throw it. Put another adhesive tape and you will get more ants caught on tape. This is the easiest method to get rid of ants from the house especially from the kitchen.
21.) Use The Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth is one of the most widely used products to get rid of ants in the house overnight. Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of your house. It has got microscopic razor sharp edges, that could kill ants if they try to cross the barrier. It does not harm warm-blooded animals or earthworm and even birds. Diatomaceous Earth is available at garden stores, nurseries and also on amazon.
22.) Boric Acid Will Help
Boric acid can be used to get rid of ants in the house fast and naturally. It specifically very harmful to animals. So it is recommended that do not use this, if you have pets at home. Boric acid is a toxic element to ants and helps get rid of ants from your house and garden. Mix equal parts of borax and powdered sugar together. Put the boric acid mixture over the areas, where you have ants infestation.
23.) Use The Acephate
Acephate is a popular insecticide and also free from harmful effects. Acephate can be used to kill ants as it is best ant killer available which will help you to get rid of ants fast and naturally. It can only be used outside because it stinks like a sewer. Spread it on your backyard on the active region by the ants. Acephate easily available at feed stores so don’t worry about the availability.
Few Tips to Follow Before Using the Remedies:
- Always keep your sink and kitchen area clean and dry.
- Cover the leftover food that you are placing in your refrigerator.
- Avoid keeping dirty dishes unwashed for longer period. If possible wash it instant after use.
- Keep your trash cans or garbage bins fully covered and try to place it little far from your house.
- If any sugary liquid spills on the floor, don’t leave it unattended. Try to clean it immediately.
Other Ways to kill Ants Inside Your House
1.) Grab a Flashlight and Follow the Ants to the Nest
To kill ants in your house, you need to follow the ants. To make the mission successful you need to grab a flash light and follow the ants to the nest. Make sure, you don’t kill the ants right away, otherwise you won’t reach to the nest so follow the ants so that you can kill the whole family of ants. You need to see that their trail is going inside or outside of your house.
2.) You Need to Take the Photo of Ant up Close
In case, you don’t have knowledge about the ants then the best way is to take a high resolution photo with a smart phone that will surely work. And then email it to your extension office.
You can search about the various websites that will surely help you to find the extension office. It a great source of getting information about flowers, pest, gardening and many more.
3.) Mark the Area of the Nest
Once you reach to the nest then you need to mark up the location with the masking tape so that you will easily return to the nest with insecticide. If you see the nest is outside of your house, then you don’t have to use the chemicals inside in the house.
4.) Clean Your House Properly
Clean your house properly. You need to use a vacuum to pick up the crumbs and other food sources. Make sure that no food is left on the floor and better to seal off the food so that the ants won’t get attracted.
Killing Ants Inside the House
1.) Buy an Ant Traps to place Around Your Home
These small white traps are placed around your homes. You can see these white traps are like a flowers. You will see the ant can eat the bait and now bring it back to the nest, killing the majority of the ants in the nest.
Try should try this great method before you move to other methods. It will take care of the problem after week or two weeks. Best way to do this method if you are going somewhere for some days so that no one can even touch the bait. If you find it dangerous as pet or children can also eat the bait then you should try another method. You can also use combat or terro ant traps which are rated high.
2.) Spray The Ants with a Dish Soap Solution
You just have to mix two tablespoons of dish soap with a one pint of water. Pour it in a spray bottle and spray the ants themselves. It is one of the best ways to get rid of ants, but it requires you have to access in the nest and target it directly.
You can put the spray solution the ants trail around the house. The trails created by the scout ants have a scent that leads to other ants to the food sources. You can also mix part of white vinegar to one part of the water to cover the ant trails.
3.) Kill the Queen
This is also one of the methods that help in preventing ants in the house. If you want to get rid of the ants then you need to destroy the souce. The source is Ant Queen. As the ant queen produce large number of ants and killing her will exterminate them. If you really want to ward off ants then you need to find the queen of ants and kill the queen inside the nest. And she’s rather sly and hide in the bottom. This can make the ants aggressive and or sting.
Blocking Entryways to Prevent Ants in the House
1.) Purchase Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth Online or at Local Gardening Store
You just need to spread it around to every corner, cabinets, and walls that are attracted by the ants. It creates barrier that ants can’t breach and it also kills the ants by drying out the bodies. This method will surely help to get rid of ants in the house.
2.) Go and Purchase an Indoor Insecticide
You can also prevent ants in the house by using insecticide. You just need to spray the insecticide on the entryways, such as windowsills, cracks and doors in the foundation. You can buy insecticide in liquid that is less dangerous for pet animals and children. Just make sure you also spray your lawn and gardens after you mow. You need to follow it by spraying the cracks in the foundation so that ants get killed before they get inside.
3.) Apply Scents and Substance that Create Irritation to the Ants
You can force ants to leave your house by using vinegar, cinnamon, caynne pepper, peppermint oil, black pepper, whole cloves and bay leaves that are proven to prevent in the house. But you have to be very careful as these ingredients are also harmful the pets and children. You need to very careful while doing this as some ingredient can cause irritation in you.
4.) Use Pruning Shears to Cut Bushes, Trees and Shrubs that are very close the house
You need to cut down the branches, bushes, trees and shrubs that ant can use it in the form of the bridge to get from outside nests to inside food sources. You can also create the landscape buffer. Ants often enter homes through nearby the shrubs, vegetation or overhanging trees. To get rid of this problem you need to create a dry, plant free border by trimming or getting rid of overhanging trees, cut that vegetation that touching the home and laying down a perimeter.
5.) Caulk to Prevent Ants in House
You can use caulk to seal the windows, any cracks and doors the ants crawl through with the caulk. It has many additional benefits of doing this is better temperature control and lower energy bills. But make sure that you are aware by doing this as in this method kids and pets are involved.