How to Get Rid of Ants

Introduction

• Ants fulfill an important role in nature. They aerate the soil, control the population of other insects and help break down organic matter. But once an army of ants has invaded your home, it's a real challenge to get rid of them. You can work hard to remove every last ant from your kitchen, only to find that days or weeks later the little pests have returned, worse than ever. But if you follow the tips in this guide, you should be able to keep your home free of ants.
• We'll first outline general steps you can take to rid your home of ants, including cleaning and using bait, then address specific tactics for different species.

Cleaning Your Home

Coexisting is nice, but preventing infestation is better. (Creative Commons photo by Justin Hall)

• For most species of ant (fire ants being their own case) the most important thing to do is to be aggressive about keeping a clean house.

1. Scrub your kitchen, making sure there are no food spills, crumbs of bread or anything else sitting out for ants to eat.
2. Clean kitchen counters with bleach or a water-vinegar mixture every day.
3. Store food in the refrigerator, or in air-tight containers.
4. Do not keep containers of food on the floor.
5. Pay attention to your sink. Never leave dirty dishes sitting out, and make sure there is no standing water in the sink for ants to drink.
6. Pour some bleach down the drain to remove any food smells that might be attract ants.
7. Rinse containers before putting them in the recycling.
8. You should also regularly sweep or mop your kitchen floor, and vacuum any rooms where food is consumed.
9. Take your trash out regularly.
   • Use extra-strength trash bags; weak bags could leak.
10. Make sure any outside trash bins have tightly-sealed, closed lids.
11. Fix any leaks, as the water can attract ants.

Cleaning Trails

• There are a few specific cleaning steps you can take when you see ants, or their trails, in your home.

1. Vacuum up ant trails. Then vacuum up a bit of cornstarch, talc or baby powder to suffocate the ants in the dust bag. When you're done, throw the dust bag in the trash outdoors.
2. Or spray any ant trails with an ammonia-based cleaner, spray bleach, or vinegar-water mixture, and wipe them up with a soapy paper towel.
3. Crush any individual ants you find, before they can make it back to their nest and lead more ants into your home.

Use Bait

• Ants feed on baits, and bring the poisoned food back to their nests. We will detail how various ants respond to different type of ant baits below, but there are some things you should know about all ant baits.

1. You can find sweet-based baits, or protein-based ones that contain strong chemicals like fipronil or hydramethylnon.
2. Baits come in many forms: pastes, granules, liquids, and gels.
   

   Lay down bait and let the ants do the rest. (Creative Commons photo by Florian Boyd)
3. One of the most popular and easy-to-use ant baits is Terro Ant Killer.
4. You can make your own ant bait.
5. Ant baiting might not show results for several weeks.

Make Your Own Bait

• While there are many effective ant baits available commercially, it is also possible to make your own baits.

1. To make your own bait you'll usually want to mix a sweetener and boric acid or borax.
2. Successful ratios can vary, but here are a few recipes:
   • Borax and corn syrup
   • Boric acid and sugar water
   • Sugar water and borax
   • Sugar and borax

Applying Bait

• Making sure to apply bait in the proper way, and using enough of it, is key to your success.

1. Apply bait alongside ant trails (crossing the trail can impede getting the bait back to the nest, and baits must be brought back to the colony's nest to be effective).
2. On that note, don't interfere with ants carrying bait back to their nests. They need to poison the queen for your kitchen to be safe again.
3. You can use ant baits outsides and indoors.
   • Only use bait indoors where there's an ant problem, or you may attract more ants inside with your bait.
   • On that note, be sure to remove bait when the ants are gone, so no new ones show up.
4. Try small portions of different baits to see what the ants respond to before you embark on a vigorous ant-baiting program.
   • You may need to switch baits to make sure the ants keep ingesting it.
5. Ant baits contain toxins, and they can be dangerous. Wear gloves when handling baits, and wash thoroughly afterwards.
6. Take care not to leave the bait anywhere where a child or pet could find it.

Protecting Outdoor Plants

• If you are a home gardener, you probably already know how difficult it can be to keep ants away from your plants. But keeping ants off your plants can go a long way towards keeping them away from your home.

1. Before you buy new plants, always inspect them carefully for ant infestation.
2. Control the aphid population on your plants; the honeydew they produce attracts and sustains ants.
3. Use a sticky substance, such as products made by Tanglefoot, to band tree trunks. This way, they'll become trapped on the tree.
4. If you consistently find insects in any tree, shrub or potted plant, consider removing it from your yard or home.

Dealing with Specific Species

• Knowing your enemy can make all the difference in war. The species of ant you're dealing with will affect your battle tactics.

Pavement Ants

• Pavement ants are most commonly found in homes. While they are not usually dangerous to humans, they can contaminate food and an infestation should be treated seriously.

1. They are brown to black.
2. The workers are about 3/16-inch long.
3. They tend to move slowly and they don't seem to take much notice of human activity.
4. Pavement ants typically make their nests outdoors, creating little mounds in the dirt outside homes and along sidewalks.
5. They will eat just about anything and thrive on standing water.
6. They are often called "sugar ants," although actually sugar ants are a different species, native to Australia.

Combating Pavement Ants

1. This ant responds to most baits.
2. Keeping your home very clean and using ant baits should be enough to rid your home of pavement ants.

Pharaoh Ants

Study these tiny enemies to fight back effectively. (Creative Commons photo by Mohan R.)

• Pharaoh ants, sometimes known as the "tramp ant," are smaller than pavement ants and lighter in color. Like pavement ants, pharaoh ants are often incorrectly called sugar ants.

1. Pharaoh ants thrive on warmth and will therefore often nest indoors.
2. Their nests can be hard to find because they are so small.
3. Pharaoh ants will eat almost anything, including toothpaste and soap.
4. Pharaoh ants tend to travel in fixed trails.
5. They can become a particular problem in hospitals. Some experts believe these ants may contribute to respiratory allergies.

Combating Pharaoh Ants

1. Use the same techniques you use against pavement ants to combat pharaoh ants.
2. Pharaoh ants can be very challenging to get rid of, and it's quite possible you'll eventually need to call in a professional exterminator.

Argentine Ants

• Argentine ants are brown and tiny.

1. Workers are typically about 1/8 of an inch long.
2. Argentine ants move rapidly and typically make their nests outdoors. In America, they are most prevalent in the South and Southwest.
3. Argentine ants are an invasive species.

Combating Argentine Ants

1. Concentrate your efforts on excluding Argentine ants from your home; baits alone probably won't keep these ants from returning.
2. Seal all entry points, and if ants are still getting in, try dusting your floor with talcum powder.

Odorous House Ants

• As the name would suggest, odorous house ants emit a strong, foul odor when crushed.

1. Usually 1/8-inch long and dark brown to shiny black.
2. They travel in wandering patterns as well as set trails.
3. When confronted by humans they will go into a frenzy, raising their abdomens in the air.
4. Active day and night.
5. They have a special fondness for sweet foods.
6. They typically make their nests outdoors, although they will also nest indoors by water pipes and inside walls.

Combating Odorous House Ants

• These ants can be treated much like pharaoh ants and pavement ants.

Thief Ants

• Thief ants are not really a single species, but actually a whole group of closely related ants.

1. They are tiny and yellow to light brown in color.
2. They nest both indoors and outdoors.
3. They often use electrical wires to travel from room to room, and will sometimes be seen around power outlets.

Combating Thief Ants

1. With thief ants, focus your efforts on keeping them out of your home.
2. You may have some luck with baits containing hydramethylnon and fipronil.
3. Drench any nests with slow-acting liquid materials such as permethrin, sodium borate, or boric acid.

Carpenter Ants

• Carpenter ants are either black, or a mix of red and black. If you see ants with wings, these are usually carpenter ants.

1. They are active in the late afternoon and into the night.
2. They prefer moist climates and coastal regions.
3. Most active during the summer; if you find them indoors in the winter, this probably means they have made a nest in your home.
4. Their nests can be indoors or outdoors. They will nest anywhere that there is moist or rotten wood, and will also sometimes nest in healthy wood, or inside insulation.

Combating Carpenter Ants

1. If you find old wood with nests in it, remove or destroy it.
2. If you discover a nest that cannot be removed, apply a desiccant dust (silica gel or diatomaceous earth) to it.
3. Take steps to prevent wood decay, which attracts these ants.
4. Store firewood a safe distance away from your home, to discourage ant colonies.
5. These ants are tricky to get rid of, and can cause considerable damage to your home. For simplicity's sake, you might want to consult a professional.

Southern Fire Ants and Red Imported Fire Ants

• Southern fire ants and red imported fire ants are both quite nasty, with painful stings.

1. Southern fire ants vary from 1/8-inch long to more than 1/4-inch long.
2. They have large eyes, are covered with golden hair and are the color of amber (except for their black abdomens).
3. Southern fire ants are active in the early evenings and mornings.
4. Red imported fire ants are usually a reddish brown or bright red, have large eyes and are 1/16- to 1/5-inch long.
5. These ants tend to build large nests outdoors, but can venture indoors to build nests in crawl spaces or other enclosed areas.

Combating Southern Fire Ants and Red Imported Fire Ants

• Your efforts should be focused on keeping fire ants out of the home, before they invade. If fire ants do appear in your home, consult a professional exterminator.

Conclusion

• Ants can be controlled, but it's almost impossible to totally eliminate them from an area. But if you follow these tips, stay on the lookout, and keep your home clean, you should be able to prevent another ant invasion.