Are you tired of seeing ants crawling and marching around your kitchen? It’s like they’re having a party and you’re not invited. Well, you’re not alone. Ants are one of the most common and annoying pests that can invade your kitchen, and they’re not easy to get rid of. They are smart insects that live in groups (that’s why we call them social insects) and talk to each other with chemicals. They can sniff out food and water in your kitchen, and damage wires, insulation, drywall, and cabinets. One or two ants mean more are coming. And, if not treated, their colonies can grow over 10,000 workers. That’s why you need ant control to banish them from your kitchen for good.
There are over 12,000 kinds of ants in the world, each with its quirks and habits. To get rid of them, you need to know what type of ants you’re dealing with. In this article, we’ll help you figure out what kind of ants are crashing your kitchen, and show you how to kick them out using natural and eco-friendly methods or in severe cases get help from or in severe cases get help from ant control exterminators. By following this guide, you’ll be able to enjoy a clean and ant-free kitchen.
Ants got you down? Call Final Exterminators for effective ant control services. Our experts know how to handle local pests in & near Moreno Valley, CA
The Most Common Types of Ants in Your House: What’s Bugging You?
You need to identify different types of ants to pick the best ant control approach to eliminate them from your place. Here are the ten most common types of ants in and around your home, with brief information about each. Also, you can watch what they look like here.
Carpenter Ant
Carpenter ant (CA) is wood-destroying insect that nests in moist, decaying wood in and around buildings. This ant can ruin the wood by nesting and foraging in it. Also, they have multiple nests, so be careful. The best ant control techniques for them are:
• Use bait traps where they are active and let them take the bait to their nests. Or find and spray their nests and trails
• Spray a carpenter ant killer around your house, it’s better to do it in spring and fall.
• Keep your wood dry and healthy and trim, seal, and fix it regularly
Pavement Ant
Pavement ant is that tiny brownish-black ant you probably see everywhere in the U.S. It has two little spikes on its back and light-colored legs. Spraying indoor ants is usually ineffective, as it only eliminates the workers, and more will come to forage. To get rid of pavement ants you can track their trail, then place ant bait stations along their trail. After that let them take the bait to their queen and colony. But if these ants have a nest outside on the ground, you can spray it with insecticide sprays.
Black Garden Ant (Little Black Ant)
A Black ant is the one you usually see in your yard or garden. Since they love sugar, if they smell something sweet, they might come inside your house. In the summer, they fly around to mate and make new nests. To get rid of black ants in your house, you need to spray where they come in. Also, you can use liquid bait traps to kill the whole nest.
Fire Ants
Fire ants are those red-brown ants that can sting and bite. They like fats and sweets and that’s why they enter your home. By using the following methods you can get rid of them:
• Use fire ant baits that the ants will take back to their nests and poison the colony
• Use insecticide granules on your lawn to prevent new ants from coming
• Pour boiling water over their nests to kill them
• Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth or liquid pesticides on the places where they are
Pharaoh Ant
Pharaoh ants (PA) are polygynous and polydomous which means they have multiple queens and nests in each colony. To get rid of pharaoh ants, use bait to poison their nest. But don’t spray water on it or they will split and make more nests!
Ghost Ant
Ghost ants have many queens and nests and they move easily, that’s why they are hard to control Spraying one nest may not get all the ants. Since they are like pharaoh ants and they make more nests by splitting, you can stop them using baits.
Thief Ant or Grease Ant
Thief ants, or grease ants, like grease and oil. They can nest inside or outside and they are hard to get rid of. But you can try using greasy bait inside where they are or using insecticide sprays around their nest after tracking and finding their place.
Odorous House Ant
Odorous house ants can be found anywhere like your window frames, walls, insulation, under stones, mulch, or debris and they aren’t picky about where they nest. To get rid of them in the first place, trim your plants away from your house to stop them from getting in. Moreover, you can use ant baits to poison them.
Field Ant
Field ants make big mounds in piles of wood or lawns. So they hardly ever come indoors. They can be eliminated by spraying the mound with a bug killer, soaking their mound, sealing or fixing holes and cracks, or spraying the walls with a bug killer.
Argentine Ant
Argentine ants have many nests, queens, and thousands of workers. If you kill one nest, another one will come. So, you need to find and kill all the nests in and out of the building. Argentine ants make more nests by splitting, like ghost ants or pharaoh ants so you can use the same ways to stop them.
But what are those pesky creatures that are raiding your kitchen? They are probably one of these five types of tiny ants: the odorous house ant, the pharaoh ant, the little black ant, the pavement ant, or the Argentine ant. These ants have different habits and preferences, and they may require different methods of ant control to get rid of them.
The Health Risks of Having Ants in Your Kitchen
Ants can have structural damage and ruin your furniture, like carpenter ants. They can dig into wood and make it weak. Moreover, they can trigger allergic reactions in some people and cause breathing problems, swelling, itching, and rashes. Fire ants, for instance, can be very dangerous because their stings have venom.
Although ants don’t usually harm humans directly, they can spoil food and spread diseases as well. For instance, pharaoh ants can carry staph and pseudomonas infections and sugar ants can cause salmonella. These bacteria can make you sick, and give you food poisoning, diarrhea, or other problems.
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Why Ants Invade My Kitchen and How to Prevent Them?
- Ants love sweet foods, so clean up spills, crumbs, and leftovers. Also, store food in sealed containers and wipe off their pheromones, and smells
- Ants need water, so they look for it in humid and wet places in your kitchen, like the sink, fridge, or windows. So, fix leaks, and dry wet spots, and seal cracks and gaps to keep them out.
- When the weather gets warmer, ants come out of hibernation and look for food and water. So, most often You’ll see them in your kitchen in spring or summer. You can use peppermint oil, vinegar, lemon juice, or cinnamon to scare them away. In addition to these, sprinkling diatomaceous earth, which is a kind of natural ant control, on ant trails and entry points could be helpful
As mentioned here, fortunately, there are some natural and eco-friendly ways to get rid of them without using harsh ant control chemicals. In addition to the above methods, using all citrus fruits, glass cleaner, dish soap, black or red pepper, coffee grounds, or talcum powder can irritate them, disrupt their pheromones, mask their scent trails, or act as a barrier for ants.
When to Call a Professional to Start Ant Control
You can try to get rid of ants yourself by using homemade solutions that have been mentioned. But these methods work best if you can find and kill the queen ant and the whole nest. However, if you still see ants in your home after a few weeks of trying these methods, you may need to contact a professional who can use Integrated Pest Management techniques, which are the best ant control approach. Some of the possible drawbacks of DIY methods are:
- They may fail to kill all the ants, especially big, hidden, or multiple-queen colonies. Moreover, ants may also learn to avoid or bypass the natural repellents.
- Usually, they need regular use or replacement, as they may weaken or get washed away over time. Therefore, this may make it costlier and more difficult to keep a kitchen free of ants.
- Natural substances may have health or safety hazards, such as allergies, skin problems, or ingestion by pets or kids. Also, they may cause breathing issues if inhaled.
- Also, they may harm the environment, such as good insects, plants, or animals and they may change the soil quality or fertility if used outside.
Ant Control FAQs
How Long Does It Usually Take to Get Rid Of Ants?
Depending on their type, colony size, and method, infestation elimination can take two weeks or more. For instance, Boric acid bait can destroy a colony in a few weeks. So, ants, their colonies, and their method of treatment affect elimination time.
Do Ant Bait Traps Work for All Types of Ants?
Not actually. Ant baits have food and poison that ants take to their nest, but some ants like different food or have hard-to-reach nests. Besides, some ants like carpenter ants, grease ants, or field ants may not fall for the bait
What Should I Do to Prepare My Kitchen for Ant Treatment?
- Be ready to tell the pest control operator where you have ants now or had them before
- Clean your counters, floors, and spills to keep ants away and make baits work
- Vacuum well to get rid of crumbs, even small ones
- Take out trash and wash dishes
- Rinse recyclables well before storing them in ant-proof containers and keep them there until you recycle them
Will ants come back after ant control?
Sometimes yes. Depending on their type, how big their group is, what you use to kill them, and where they live, they might come back again. Especially if you only kill the ants you see, you may not get rid of the whole group, especially if their home is hidden or hard to get to.
What Things Should I Avoid When I Deal with Severe Ant Infestation?
Don’t squash, ignore, or spray them, as these methods are ineffective and may make the problem worse. Also remember ants are not only a spring problem, as they can invade your home in any season. And It’s better not to go at it alone, as ants are hard to eliminate. Instead, contact a pest control professional who can help you remove and prevent ants for good.
Keep Your Kitchen Ant-Free and Your Sanity Intact
In this article, we provided you with different ways to spot and stop ants in eco-friendly ways. Since ants can harm you, your food, and your home, and also, they can spread diseases, ruin food, and wreck wood, you need to act fast.
However, if you have a severe or persistent ant infestation, you may need to call a professional ant control service. Because they can use more effective and long-lasting techniques to eradicate ants from your home and they don’t let ants ruin your kitchen and your mood. So, contact Final Exterminators today at 800-953-1397 and get a free quote. Our experts can identify and eliminate any ants in your home. Although kitchen ants have different names, they share one thing: they want your food. They will eat anything from crumbs to sweets to grease; they aren’t picky eaters! So, don’t let them feast on your kitchen.
