Ant Invasions Escalate in Spring
During spring all forms of nature come to life and that includes ants. Ants are very aggressive invaders this time of year. In order to keep them out of your pantry and pet bowls, you will have to be equally aggressive.
Ant Infestations Can Happen Quickly, You Need to React Immediately
Where you see one ant in your home, rest assured there are many close by. That is why reacting to the first signs of an ant invasion will make your ant prevention efforts more successful.
While most varieties of ants are more of a nuisance than a threat, it is still something of a concern when they try to get inside. Using natural solutions to deter their entry will send them back to the outdoors where they will do the good work of aerating the soil or controlling damaging pests, such as aphids.
Controlling Ants by Understanding Their Behavior
Using natural products and understanding ant behavior can go a long way in solving an ant infestation in your home. In many cases, natural solutions can eliminate your ant problem without having to use toxic chemicals.
Did you ever wonder how ants seem to travel down the same path in your kitchen or in other tempting locations that have access to food and water?
Ants Leave a Scented Pheromone Trail Behind When Traveling
That’s right. Scouter ants actually leave a scented trail that leads their partners in crime right to the food sources in your home. Remove the pheromone trail, say good bye to the ants.
Below are some nontoxic methods to try before resorting to toxic chemicals. Try these first, as they are safe to use around children and pets.
7 Natural Solutions to Get Rid of Ants:
1) Ground Pepper
Ants find the smell of ground red or black pepper irritating and are naturally deterred by it. Sprinkling ground pepper around baseboards, under and behind appliances goes a long way in keeping these invaders at bay.
2 ) Natural Oils
There are a variety of oils extracted from trees and plants that serve as a natural insect repellant. Below is a list. Follow this link to an article that explains the best application methods. Keep in mind that many of these should not be ingested, therefor they should be kept out of reach of children and pets.
- Peppermint Essential Oil
- Tea Tree Oil
- Lemon Eucalyptus Oil
- Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus
- Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil
- Neem Oil
3) Lemons
Place lemon rinds in cabinets and pantry to keep ants from invading your food sources and spray lemon juice along the ant’s path to remove the pheromone trails.
4) White Vinegar
A natural cleaning agent, a one to one white vinegar and water mixture can be used to kill two birds with one stone. You can safely clean all services and it will do double duty of deterring ants as they will continue to smell the vinegar long after the scent dissipates for humans.
5) Glass Cleaner and Liquid Detergent
Mix glass cleaner and liquid detergent and spray along the pheromone trails to remove the scent and stop the ants from following the trail.
6) Corn Starch
Sprinkle corn starch directly over ant and either vacuum them up or spray water on top. This will result in dead ants that you can then clean up. If you chose the vacuum method, be sure to empty the bag and transport outdoors immediately.
7) Sealed Storage Containers
Use sealed airtight containers, such a plastic ware, mason jars, cookie or coffee tins to store food. Not only will this cut off access to ants, it will work with other pests too. Don’t forget to tightly seal pet food too.
Once effectively employing all the above tactics are, it is wise not to let your guard down and to keep up with regular treatments. While you may have won the battle, the war will go on. There are most likely satellite ant colonies living just beyond the borders of your property line, waiting for an opportunity to spread.
The Bug Stops Here is a full service pest control and exterminator company serving Bohemia and Nassau County, New York and businesses located in Long Island, New York serving all of New York City; Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and surrounding area. For twenty years, our team at Pest Control team has been comprised of professional exterminators who provide high quality pest control services for both commercial and residential properties throughout New York. Our team of extermination professionals can get rid of a variety of pests, ranging from cockroaches, termites, ticks & fleas, bees, wasps,hornets, rodents, ants to bed bugs. Our goal is to provide you with the best pest control services that exceed both your standards and those of the industry as a whole.