If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that having a house full of ants is one of the most unpleasant experiences as a homeowner or renter! Any kind of bug infestation will make your skin crawl, but ants tend to be especially persistent little pests. They march into our homes like they own the place and will cart away all our crumbs and kitchen scraps in little weaving lines. They might even be bold enough to build their intricate home systems underneath our floors and in our walls. But getting rid of them doesn’t have to be difficult or chemical-infused! If ants have decided to bring their business into your house, here’s what you can do to naturally combat the hundreds of roommates you’ve recently acquired!
Squeaky Clean
It might seem like common sense that maintaining a tidy house is the first step in keeping the ants outside, but it’s often overlooked. Food or sugary pop left out overnight are a smorgasbord for hungry ants and should be tidied up. Seal all your foods in airtight containers and clear garbage every other day, if not every day. Sweeping daily is an excellent practice for keeping crumbs and food morsels out of reach of ant intruders and clear any clutter that ants can hide out under. Wipe your counters and other surfaces down as often as you can and use a mixture of vinegar and water to do so. Vinegar is a natural repellent and though our human senses won’t pick up on the smell once dry, an ant or other insect will flee from the fumes! Ants leave a pheromone to let their colony know where they’ve been and vinegar wipes this clean. Use diluted vinegar as a spray to apply directly to baseboards, cracks, and crevices tol get those ants packing! Pure peppermint oil mixed with water also does the trick, and makes your house smell so fresh.
Sweet, Sweet Bait
Ants have a huge sweet tooth and will eat anything containing sugar. One of the best ways to get rid of an entire colony of ants is to play into their weakness with sugary treats. Borax kills ants, and if you mix one part Borax to three parts icing sugar, ants will truck this mix home to their nest to be shared. Put your bait in tiny containers that are easily accessible for ants, like bottle caps, and place your makeshift ant poison around your home where you speculate they may either be entering or where they have constructed their anthills. If you have pets or children and you don’t want them to spread your hard work, it’s time to reach out to a pest control expert.
Our knowledgeable and extensively trained technicians know just how to rid you of an ant invasion when do-it-yourself efforts aren’t doing the job. Don’t hesitate to call us and we’ll be happy to help you reclaim your home!
