Thorough Cleaning
The first thing to do when you see an infested area in your home is to clean surfaces well with soap and water, followed by a disinfectant. Clean your counters, cupboards, floorboards, floors and any place in your home where you see the small ants. Vacuum daily also. Repeat this cleaning frequently to help get rid of the pheromone trails, which helps prevent more ants from entering your home, according to entomologist Diane Alston of Utah State University.
Vinegar Spray
Help control ants by spraying a solution of equal parts white or apple cider vinegar and water around your windowsills, clean countertops or other areas in your home. According to entomologists Jeffrey Hahn of the University of Minnesota and Phillip Pellitteri of the University of Wisconsin, the vinegar helps disrupt the ants' pheromone trails to keep new ants from following them into your home. You will have to repeat this spraying method daily.
Peppermint Cure
Mix one part peppermint essential oil to 10 parts water in a spray bottle. Spray the infested area with the solution. You can also saturate cotton balls with peppermint oil and place them where you see the ants. Leave dried peppermint leaves in a line where you see ants entering your house—the ants will not cross the line.
Talc Repellent
For an inexpensive approach to repelling ants, sprinkle talc, also known as talcum powder, around cracks, entrances and all other areas where you see small ants. Talc will not kill the ants but will help keep ants out of your home. Talc is a white, fine-grained mineral with a soft feel, used commonly in face powder and baby powder. Wear a mask when using talc to avoid breathing it. A 2007 California State Science Fair project by Cheng-Hsin V. Shu revealed that ordinary talc affects the smell, sight and touch senses of ants and makes an effective ant repellent.
Insecticides
When you discover an ant nest, use an insecticide labeled for indoor household use, such as permethrin or deltamethrin. If you discover ant nests inside your walls, drill small holes in the wall and squeeze a small amount of insecticide dust into the holes using a plastic squeeze bottle or dust chemical applicator.
Professional Pest Services
If you have small ants called pharaoh ants in your home, you will need professional help to get rid of them. Pharaoh ants originate from tropical areas, such as in Africa, and cannot survive outside in the cooler states of the United States. These yellow or red ants thrive in apartments, especially around water in bathrooms and kitchens, and eat soap, toothpaste and dead insects along with the usual sweets and greasy foods. If you try to use insecticides on pharaoh ants they increase and create new colonies. Professional services for pest control know which baits to use to kill this type of ant.
Ant Prevention
Ants large and small like to hang around moisture. Ants create nests where you have leaks from your roof or around your plumbing. Fix all faucet leaks and roof leaks in your home. Also, make certain you keep the area around stored firewood dry.