By: Gene Rodriguez, III
Learning how to get rid of ants is essential to keeping your home free of these bothersome pests. Ants are very difficult to get rid of, once they've established that your home will provide for their needs. Quick action will convince ants to look elsewhere for food and water.
How To Get Rid Of Ants Quickly
- Keep it clean. Ants come into your home looking for food. The best way to avoid an infestation is to keep food storage and preparation areas clear of crumbs, spills and open containers. Wipe down counters regularly with a bleach or vinegar solution, seal food in airtight containers and keep the drain trap in your sink free of food particles.
- Dry up. Ants will also come into your home looking for a water source. Check regularly for plumbing leaks and pipes that are wet from condensation. Repair leaks and wrap sweating pipes with insulation to limit water access.
- Destroy all scouts! Make it a point to destroy single ants you see wandering around your home. Single ants are typically scouts, which report to the nest if they find a good source of food or water-keeping these ants from returning will also keep the rest of the ant colony at bay.
- Mind the gap. Inspect and repair any holes, cracks or gaps in the outside of your home. Limiting access to the interior of your home will reduce your chance of having an ant invasion.
- Build your own moat. It is possible to create a barrier around the interior of your home that will keep ants from entering. Orange-based cleaning solutions, vinegar and whole cloves are just some of the substances that ants will avoid.
- Got bait? Although time consuming, it is possible to kill an entire ant colony with a bait laced with boric acid. Found in the laundry section of your grocery store under the label Borax, boric acid is an effective ant insecticide. To make an effective bait, mix 1 cup of warm water with ½ cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of Borax. Place the bait in a shallow container (soda bottle caps work well) and put the container near areas where you've seen ants. The ants will carry the bait back to the nest, where the colony will eat it and die.
