Noticed ants in your kitchen? If you spot one wandering aimlessly, it’s likely that there are thousands more hidden. Ants are social creatures that live in large groups.
They can be found almost anywhere and can be a bother to humans. While there are pests that pose greater threats, these small insects have an annoying tendency to invade everything, including your food storage and kitchen cabinets. Managing them involves preventing your food supplies from being tainted.
The two species you’ll most likely encounter are the odorous house ants and carpenter ants, which usually invade homes during the warmer seasons.
Understanding Ant Anatomy
To effectively deal with ants, you need to understand their biology.
Fundamentally, ants have six legs, two antennae, and a slim, segmented abdomen. They have three primary body parts: the head, thorax, and abdomen. The head houses two large eyes, mandibles for chewing food, and two antennae for detecting smells or tastes.
The thorax, where most of the muscles are located, has six legs attached to it. The abdomen contains most of the organs, including their reproductive organs.
On their own, ants aren’t much of a problem. However, ants are a prime example of insects that operate efficiently as a group. It’s important to note that ants exist for two main reasons: to expand the colony and to protect the queen.
They primarily need food and water to fulfill these roles. This is why you’ll often find ants in your kitchen, as they constantly need to collect food when they’re not expanding the colony or caring for and grooming eggs.
Common Household Ants
The ants you typically find in your kitchen are likely to be one of these two:
Odorous House Ants
Odorous house ants emit a strong, rotten, coconut-like smell when crushed, which is how they got their name. These small brown ants are between one-sixteenth and one-eighth of an inch long. They have a sweet tooth, with honeydew being one of their preferred foods.
Odorous house ants build their nests near sources of indoor moisture, such as wall voids near hot water pipes, heaters, under leaky fixtures, and inside termite-damaged wood.
Outdoors, you might find odorous ants in bare soil or under piles of firewood. They are attracted to moisture. To deter them, eliminate standing water. Prune tree branches and other plants away from the house, as odorous ants sometimes use these to get into the house.
While they don’t pose a threat to public health, they can contaminate food and should be avoided.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants get their name from how they construct their nests, by excavating wood and creating smooth tunnels inside it. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood; they chew and dig it to build nests. Carpenter ants range from 10-15mm in length. They are usually black, but can also be a combination of black and red, or entirely black, red, or brown.
Apart from the presence of workers and/or swarmers, the only external sign of a carpenter ant infestation is the appearance of small openings on the wood surface. The ants use these to expel debris, which includes sawdust-like shavings, fragments of insulation, and insect body parts.
Carpenter ants prefer to eat wood softened by fungus, which is often associated with moisture problems, so watch out for excess moisture and soft, decaying wood around the house.
Natural Ways to Get Rid of Ants
Let’s be honest: having ants in your home is a real pain. It’s not just irritating to see ants running around, but an ant colony can also cause significant damage. Having ants in your home is also quite unsanitary. Some ant species can bite humans and our food can certainly be contaminated by ants in the house. After all, they carry bacteria that can be spread through food or an open wound.
Many of us despise how ants invade our homes. They live in our house as if it were their own. Fortunately, there are several methods that can help with ant control. We have some excellent natural home remedies that you can try to keep ants away.
White Vinegar
Ants can’t stand the smell of white vinegar. Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a solution. You can add a few drops of essential oil, then shake it well.
This solution should be stored and sprayed at the points where the ants enter. This method may not kill the ants, but it will definitely keep them away from the restricted area. Spray it on your window sills, doors, and other areas where ants are known to gather.
Lemons
Lemon juice, like vinegar, seems to disrupt the scent trails that ants follow. Squeeze a lemon or place lemon peels where the ants are entering. You can also clean your floors with water that has been mixed with lemon juice. Since ants dislike the smell of lemon juice, they will keep their distance.
Make a universal spray by mixing one part lemon juice with three parts water. Spray the lemon solution around the entryways and perimeter of your home and any spots where ants are visible.
Oranges
Oranges are similar to lemons in that they also repel ants from your home. To get rid of ants, mix one cup of warm water with a few orange peels to make a paste. Apply this paste to ant entry points and wipe it clean afterwards. Orange peels can also be placed on the kitchen counter or wherever you think the ants are coming from. It acts as a natural ant repellent, not only keeping them at bay, but also potentially keeping them away.
Peppermint
Peppermint has natural insect repellent properties. Peppermint has a strong smell that ants dislike and will avoid areas where it is present. Peppermint has a strong smell that ants can’t stand, so it keeps them out of the house. Sprinkle a mixture of 10 drops of peppermint essential oil and a cup of water anywhere ants are found.
Peppers
Ants hate cayenne pepper and black pepper. You can also mix a pepper-water solution and sprinkle it around the entrance. The pepper won’t kill the ants but will keep them away from your home. Make sure the area where the pepper solution will be sprayed is clean.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is an excellent ant killer. An ant suffocates and dies after inhaling cinnamon. Ground cinnamon can be sprinkled on the ants’ path or around the opening of an anthill. Cinnamon essential oil is also effective at repelling ants. Spray ant trails around doors, windows, and cracks with a mixture of cinnamon oil and water.
This is a good way to keep your house smelling fresh and earthy as well. Cinnamon is often recommended as a DIY ant control solution.
Salt
Spreading salt near corners and nooks where ants enter the house will deter them. Table salt is one of the most effective and affordable natural ant repellents. Use regular table salt instead of health-promoting rock salt. Simply boil water and add a large amount of salt, stirring constantly until it dissolves. Fill a spray bottle with the mixture and spray where you think ants enter.
How to Prevent Ants from Coming Back
The ant is often one of the most troublesome and annoying household pests. Luckily, there are several simple and effective ways to keep ants out. Just follow these simple tips and you might find yourself living in an ant-free home.
Always Keep Your Home Surfaces Clean
What is something that no creature can live without? Of course, food! While you and your family need to eat, this doesn’t mean it’s okay to leave crumbs around the house as this is exactly what ants are looking for! The most important thing you can do to keep ants out of your house is to keep all surfaces clean and store food items in sealed containers.
Seal Your Home’s Cracks and Possible Entryways
Once you’ve removed food items and limited access to them, it’s time to start preventing ants from entering your home. Act as your own scout and look for spots in and around your house that could be ant entry points. Many of the obvious entrances for ants can be sealed by caulking openings around windows and doors and the foundation of your property. These sealants will deteriorate over time and exposure to the environment, so keep an eye on them and reapply as needed.
Remove Ant Trails
If you already have an ant problem, it’s crucial to figure out where they’re coming from and clear their paths to prevent them from entering your home. A simple vinegar/water mixture applied along the length of the ant trail can disrupt the ants and force them to find a new food source.
Ants create scent trails for other ants to follow, and if one trail is found, there are likely to be more. When spraying ant trails, keep an eye out for deviations from the route that lead to other parts of your house and spray them down as well.
Place Ant Baits in and Around Active Areas
If you’ve noticed scout ants in your home, you should start placing bait traps in the spots where you’ve seen them. You don’t have to kill the scouts right away. While these baits may temporarily attract more ants, their toxic baits will be brought back to the colony and may help eliminate the entire colony, rather than just the few ants that found their way into your home.
Professionals Know How to Keep Ants Away Best
If a few ants turn into an army and you’ve done everything, you could have an ant infestation on your hands. And if you’re not a fan of having your house smell like pie, including the bathroom, call on our professional pest control team! We can identify pest ant species and eliminate them safely and effectively.
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