Whether you cook 5-star meals every night or mostly choose takeout, one type of visitor always wants some of what you’re having. Ants.
It’s not uncommon to find a long line of ants making their way through your kitchen, but it’s certainly not ideal. Here are our tips for how to get rid of ants in your house.
What Attracts Ants To Your Kitchen
Like you, ants go to the kitchen looking for a snack or a nice drink of water. Ants are looking for resources like food and water to bring back to their colony.
See what kind of ant problem you have!
Many ants have a sweet tooth and look for sugar and other sweet substances (like honey or syrup) but will also take their fair share of fruits, veggies, breadcrumbs, and even meat. If you have it, they probably want it.
How to Keep Ants Out of Your Kitchen
Prevention and elimination go hand in hand. Before we talk about how to get rid of ants in your kitchen, we need to discuss the ways to keep them from ever entering your home in the first place. Some of the best ways to make your home unattractive to ants are:
- Regularly clean your kitchen, including dishes, countertops, and floors.
- When you’re done with it, put it away! Don’t leave food out, especially open packages.
- Make sure all food is in airtight containers. Ants are tiny, they can easily fit into a loosely closed bag of sugar!
- Seal any cracks and holes near windows, doors, and baseboards that ants could be using as their fast-track to your kitchen.
- Watch for anthills near your home! Even if they are outside, ant colonies in your yard will eventually come knocking. Use ant-specific bait to keep them off your property.
Ants are also one of the many pests that use your house to escape colder weather. That’s why winter pest control is so important.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Kitchen
Now it’s time to talk elimination. There are several ways to get rid of ants in your kitchen without using harsh chemicals.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Kitchen Naturally
Here are some of the more effective ways to get rid of ants in your kitchen through natural methods:
- White Vinegar: use a 1-to-1 vinegar/water mixture to clean hard surfaces or spray directly onto ants.
- Cornstarch: pour cornstarch on top of visible ants. Pour warm water on top of the cornstarch to trap and suffocate them.
- Cinnamon: this spice not only deters ants but will kill them as well.
- Borax: while borax is considered natural, it can also be harmful to children and pets. If used, mix borax with a food substance ants will eat to kill them.
Eliminating Ants Completely
The natural ant-elimination methods mentioned above have a decent chance of working, but they are a short-term solution that often doesn’t kill the entire colony. While you may kill some of the ants you’ve already seen in your kitchen, reinforcements are likely to show up a few days later.
Professional pest control is the best way to ensure your ant problems are gone for good. To request any of our pest control services, contact us here or call us at 866.WAYNES1.
