For some species, you need to work fast. If the ants you follow are disappearing behind a rotted windowsill, for example, you might have carpenter ants. Carpenter ants build their nests in water-damaged wood. “In nature, this helps break down fallen trees and recycle their nutrients back into the soil,” Skvarla says. “In homes and other buildings, this can weaken structural timbers and, if enough damage is done, cause substantial damage to the building.”
Ant Removal
Now that you know what type of ant you have and where they live, it’s time to eliminate the ants. The experts suggest starting with simple solutions and working your way up from there.
Place bait stations
Prepackaged bait stations are the easiest place to start your attempts to eliminate ants. Ant colonies send out scouts to find and bring back food to the nest, and you can use this against them. “Ants are attracted to sweets mostly in the spring, when they need energy to start working,” Harlow-Ellis says. “Towards the summer and into fall, most species’ diets will change, needing proteins for reproduction.”
If you’re unsure what the ants are going for, test them with peanut butter, honey and fried foods. Then, look on the back of bait station packages for a note that says (for example) “kills common sweet-eating ants.”
Try DIY remedies
Harlow-Ellis says making your own bait can work, too. “The most common DIY ant treatments involve a boric acid or “borax” based ant bait.” If you know what food the ants like, try mixing the borax with the tasty bait. Or, sprinkle diatomaceous earth around your home’s entry points. Diatomaceous earth won’t harm people or pets, but it causes insects to desiccate, aka dry out.
Spray the foundation
Some ants may resist the effect of bait stations, due to the sheer size of their colony. Odorous house ants are one example. “They can have multiple queens per colony, so are often extremely difficult to control,” Skvarla says. “Bait stations are a good first start, but if those don’t work then a foundation spray of insecticides may be necessary,” Skvarla says.
Read the foundation spray’s instructions carefully, and apply as directed.
Eliminate the nest
If you know there’s a nest inside your walls, you can inject an insecticide powder or aerosol into wall voids, but you might want to call a pro. Serious infestations of carpenter ants and other hard-to-manage pests are nothing to mess around with.
For ants in the yard, unless they’re dangerous or destructive, the experts advise leaving them be. “Carpenter ants can infest below ground in weaken[ed] root systems,” Price says, which can cause trees to fall. “Fire ants in the yard will sting, and are aggressive if the mound is disturbed. Other ant species in the yard pose no harm and can be left alone,” Price adds.
Ant Prevention
Ants are industrious and numerous, so even if you get rid of ants in your home, they’ll probably come back if they can find a way in. The key to keeping ants out of your house is to block entry points and make the outside of your house less hospitable. Here are some key goals:
Seal gaps and cracks
“Ants are looking for food and shelter when they come indoors,” Skvarla says, and because they’re so tiny, they can usually find a way. Seal cracks in and around windows, doors, pipes, brickwork, siding and your foundation.
Reduce moisture
Ants need water, just like the rest of us. “Direct moisture away from the foundation,” Price says, and fix leaky gutters, pipes and hose bibbs that drip water inside and outside your home.
Clean up leaf litter
Piles of wet leaves and mulch near your house are a great place for ants to set up shop. Depending on the species, they could use it for cover, for foraging or to build a new nest. “Keep mulch, leaf litter and vegetation at least 10 to 12 inches away from the foundation,” Price says.
Keep trees trimmed
Tree limbs that rest on your home’s exterior walls have the same effect as a welcome mat. Did you spray an insecticide along the foundation? No problem! They’ll just climb over on the branch. For small carpenter ants, “trimming back or removing trees and bushes that touch the house is often enough to eliminate ants in the house,” Skvarla says.
Store and dispose of food properly
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