If you’ve recently discovered you have an ant problem in the kitchen, you may be interested in learning how to get rid of ants in the kitchen. Ants can appear seemingly overnight for a variety of reasons, including hot weather, food in the kitchen, and more.
In this article, we’ve gathered 7 tips to help you understand how to get rid of ants in the kitchen.
How to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen
There should only be one thing making frequent trips to the kitchen for a snack… You. If you’ve noticed a steady stream of uninvited guests, you may be wondering how to get rid of ants in the kitchen? Well, don’t worry, because we’ve got answers. Today we will give you 7 ways to thwart these little pests.
Why Am I Getting Ants in my Kitchen?
The things found in your kitchen aren’t just tasty to you. Ants love picking up small crumbs and scraps of food. If you spot one ant, then you’ve got a bit of a problem.
Why?
Ants are social creatures that live in colonies. If you see one ant, there’s a high likelihood that there is a nest nearby. When ants discover food, they leave a trail of pheromones behind them that other ants can follow to the food source.
In this case, the food source exists in your kitchen.
Why Do Ants Suddenly Appear?
Ants are cold-blooded creatures. This means that the temperature of the outside air dictates how active they are. With the arrival of warmer weather and more plentiful natural food, ants can become much more active.
They tend to be quite opportunistic, so they won’t let this go to waste if they find a tasty meal or snack. Over time you may end up with a stream of critters shuttling food back and forth to their nest.
Are Ants Harmful to Humans?
The good news is that, generally, ants are not harmful to humans. In fact, they are more annoying than anything. All that said, there are species of ants that do bite or sting, which can be pretty painful.
If there are a large number of ants, they can spread bacteria. They can also cause allergic reactions and undermine the structure of the property. So if you suspect you have a developing ant problem, it is better to deal with it sooner rather than later.
How to Get Rid of Ants (Step-by-Step)
The good news is that ants can be easily dealt with. Here is how to get rid of ants in the kitchen: –
1) Observe Where the Ants are Accessing Your Property
At some point, you may want to resort to chemical warfare to remove the ants from your kitchen. The best way to ensure every member of the colony ‘gets a good dose’ is to identify the ants’ route to access your kitchen.
2) Locate the Center of the Colony
If you have time (and good eyesight), it may well be worth following an ant back from your kitchen. Ants don’t tend to go too far from their nest. By following one, you can locate the nest before resorting to some further measures.
3) Destroy the Nest
It may sound a little brutal, but ants can be a real pest. One of the most effective ways to stop them from entering your home is to give them other things to think about.
Such as?
Destroying the nest. There are a few ways to do this: –
- Over-the-counter ant poisons or insecticides.
- Pour boiling water on the nest.
- Use Boric acid powder on nests located within your home
4) Consider Using Ant Traps
Ant traps aren’t designed to catch the ants. In fact, they tend to allow ants to escape…
What, why?
They normally contain food and ant poison. Remember how we said ants are social? Once they find this source of food, they will hurry it back to their nest. This food containing the poison will be fed to the queen and her young; as a result, the nest will die out after a few days.
5) Kill Off the Stragglers
Ants don’t stop when the nest has been destroyed, and if you’ve got a big infestation, then there will be a few renegades around. These are easily dealt with. You can mix dish soap with water and spray it on stragglers before wiping them away with a damp cloth.
6) Prevent Further Entry
Keep the pests at bay by blocking their way. If you’ve identified holes or cracks, then now is the time to seal them up!
7) Contact the Professionals
Ok, we get it. Wiping insects off the counter might not be your idea of a ‘fun day’. There are other solutions, however…
Why not enlist the help of experts who have experience in dealing with a whole host of multilegged pests? A professional pest control company will offer a variety of pest control services and have the experience to get rid of ants quickly and efficiently.
Not only will they have experience in removing ants, but they also have knowledge of different species and techniques. They are bound to be able to choose the most effective. They can also offer advice on how to prevent the return of ants in the future.
This is by far the most reliable solution.
8) Bonus Tip | Don’t Squish Them!
When squished, ants will release another pheromone that signals distress to the colony. This pheromone acts as an alarm to the nest and will send other ants into ‘attack mode’. This means they may flock to the site of the squished ant to ‘attack’ the threat.
What is the Best Homemade Ant Killer?
Soapy water is really effective for killing ants.
Why?
Ants don’t have lungs as such. Instead, their entire bodies are covered with tiny holes called spiracles. These spiracles allow air into and out of the ant’s body. Soapy water is a little bit sticky (if you are an ant). This fluid blocks the spiracles, thus depriving the ants’ tissues of the oxygen it needs to survive.
Ants are attracted to kitchens by the promise of a steady supply of food. Once ants learn where to find it, they’ll be in and out all day, keeping their colony fed. While you could try to remove them yourself, you can save yourself time by enlisting the help of professionals who know how to get rid of ants in the kitchen. Facility Pest Control can provide effective solutions against insects in California. Why not contact us for a quote?