Tricks to Get Rid of Ants

Keep It Clean

• Ants are attracted by food. The difficulty is they view even the tiniest morsel as a reason to come to your home. Keeping the food sources unavailable are the key to not putting out the tasty welcome mat. Sweep floors of crumbs daily and mop regularly. Wipe counters after every use, and use a solution that repels ants such as dish soap, bleach or pine cleaner if possible. Take the garbage out regularly and store it in a sealed can both inside and outside. Make sure any foods stored in the open, such as sugar or creamer for coffee, are in sealed containers.

Close The Door

• Make sure that there are no easy access entries for ants to come and go as they please from your home. Caulk any window or door frames that have cracks or gaps. Mend any screens that have tears or open areas that can allow the ants entry. Check weather stripping on windows and doors that access the outside directly. Check the foundation for any cracks or gaps and seal them with a concrete sealant to close access points.

Natural Methods

• There are a large variety of things that ants don't like and will not cross over, or things that will drive them away. Food-grade diatomaceous earth spread around the outside of your home is a non-toxic product you can use to kill ants. Cayenne pepper, black pepper, household borax, mint or pine cleaner are all repellents to ants. Place them across thresholds or door sills and over any known ant trails. You can also use natural substances as traps. Maple syrup in a shallow dish attracts the ants and drowns them once they climb in. Sugar water mixed with borax attracts the ants to drink the solution and the borax will poison them.

Traps And Poisons

• Sweet bait traps are a small, contained trap that attracts the ants with a sweet-smelling substance and has a sticky inside that the ants cannot escape. These can be placed in areas where ants are known to travel, and they can be changed regularly. This does not deter ants but traps them and reduces the numbers coming in. Broadcast baiting of certain types of pesticides can be effective, but need to be used with caution where children and pets will travel. Some ants, such as carpenter ants, require finding the nest within the wood of the home, drilling into the area and spraying insecticide into the nest.