How to get rid of ants?

Reasons for the appearance of ants

To get rid of ants in an apartment once and for all, the first step is to understand where they came from, if possible, destroying the root cause. So, there are several options for the appearance of ants in an apartment:

• From the basement... Pharaoh ants or the so-called brownies are not adapted to life in the wild. Colonies live in damp, poorly ventilated basements, from where workers enter apartments in search of food. Recently, red ants are very fond of settling in new buildings, therefore, residents of new houses have no less problems with insects than the owners of the old fund.
• From neighbors... There are many reasons why the ant family settled with the neighbors, but why the pests decided to move only 2. Either they had nothing to feast on in the old place, or the residents of the neighboring apartment began to actively fight the ants.
• From the street... The story is more about private houses or residents of the ground floors of apartment buildings. Thief ants, unlike pharaohs, do not live in buildings, but prefer not to go far. Thieves build nests near human habitats, lay paths in kitchens in search of food.

Important! If the apartment is located above the first floor, be careful: flying individuals can fly into an open window. The wings of thief ants appear closer to autumn, it is at this time that you should carefully check whether insects have appeared in the apartment.

• From the store... Sometimes we ourselves bring ants into our homes: on clothes, shoes, food. Most often, these are single individuals of street species - such are not dangerous, but you can also bring pharaoh eggs in a grocery bag.
• With a pet... A cat or a dog is a "taxi" in which ants can drive into an apartment. It is advisable to wash the animals, examine them after each walk, and it is better to treat them with special drops or wear collars that repel insects.

Important! Most often, domestic ants appear in apartments, where they have something to profit from. Check if you are leaving food on the dining table or countertop, closing the trash can, cleaning the kitchen thoroughly after cooking?

Signs of ants

The main problem of ants is their tiny size. First, they penetrate into the smallest cracks, hard-to-reach places. Secondly, it is quite difficult to find a separate individual - this is not a cockroach that can be seen from afar.

The only indirect sign of the presence of insects is cobwebs in closed bags with food, which could also be left by moths.

When the anthill has reached an impressive size, small translucent ants can be clearly seen: they penetrate jars, bags of food, lay paths to the feeding place, often go out to "hunt" the whole colony.

But what to do when the clusters are not yet visible, but you saw individual individuals 1-2 times, now you doubt whether there are ants in the house or not? Conduct an experiment: spread sugar cubes or napkins with honey in the kitchen, bathroom (favorite habitat of ants), leave for 24 hours. In an apartment where there are ants, you can see individuals on baits.

Important! Traps should be checked during the day - at night, worker ants crawl into the nest.

Why are they dangerous?

Black forest ants have a reputation for being hardworking insects that do no harm. The situation is different with households: these are real parasites, which in no case should be left at home.

Pests bring not only moral discomfort, but also:

• carry bacteria on the paws - from safe to pathogenic, infect food with them;
• hide food supplies that can become moldy or covered with fungus - as a result of which they damage the health of residents;
• throw garbage from the anthill to any place in the house, including in cabinets, on tables;
• penetrate electrical devices, disrupting operation or leading to a short circuit.

After all, ants can bite! An adult may not notice this, but an allergic reaction is immediately formed on the delicate child's skin - itching, redness.

How to find a nest?

Getting the ants out of your home is not enough to simply kill visible workers. The most dangerous is the uterus, which gives birth to new individuals. It dwells, as you know, in the nest: but how to find it?

The queen of a red ant lives 1-1.5 years, during this time she lays almost 5000 eggs (up to 35 eggs per day!) - while there may be several queens in the anthill! In 40-45 days, new inhabitants of the anthill develop. Working individuals live up to 2 months, males - about 3 weeks. As you can see, simply by killing the visible ants, the current situation cannot be corrected - it is necessary to destroy the manufacturer, that is, the uterus.

The ants themselves will tell you where they live.: be patient, just watch them. The workers do not get food for themselves, they feed the entire anthill - which means they will definitely carry the prey back home. You just have to follow the movement: as a result, be sure to find the desired "treasure".

Important! Ants are shy enough - do not kill individuals while tracking, otherwise the survivors will simply scatter in different directions.

Most likely, you will not see open access to the anthill - ant houses are usually located in closed places. Therefore, do not use methods of physical violence to get rid of - by hitting the surface, simply stir up the nest, the insects will scatter, complicating the already difficult task. Instead, choose an effective remedy (read the review below), do a thorough treatment.

How to get rid of?

It's time to learn the basic ways to fight ants. To get rid of uninvited guests, you can use folk remedies or resort to heavy artillery - poisonous insecticides.

Look more ways to control insects in the kitchen.

Folk ways

Boric acid

This ant repellent literally destroys the colony from the inside: boric acid destroys the digestive system of insects. And you will not have to do practically anything to "feed" all the inhabitants of the nest with it.

Take some water, sugar (honey, jam - any sweetness), add boric acid. Place the containers with the mixture around the apartment, just wait - the worker ants will take the "delicacy" to the queen with the larvae, and soon all the inhabitants will die.

Advice! Instead of sugar water, yolk or mashed potatoes are suitable - ants also love these treats. And boric acid can be replaced with borax or yeast.

Vinegar

Probably, at home you will not find a more inexpensive and multifunctional product. The essence of using vinegar essence is in its pungent smell, which interrupts any other aromas. Including the subtle scent of pheromones that ants use to mark paths.

What should be done: Dissolve vinegar in water, pour the solution into a spray bottle. Spray all of the paths - this will knock the ants off the trail.

Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this measure is not high - after all, vinegar only confuses insects, and does not act on destruction.

Ammonia

A remedy that works on the same principle as vinegar. The application is the same: you need to dilute with water, treat all surfaces on which ants walk.

Essential oil

As it has already become clear, insects do not like strong smells. The oils of mint, lavender, cinnamon, pine needles, and cloves will come to the rescue. All that is needed is to drip a few drops of oil on cotton balls or discs, spread out in the ants' favorite places. The insect repeller without chemicals is ready!

Advice! You can also decompose dried or fresh sprigs of plants: lavender, wormwood, spruce.

Garlic

Another product known for its bright aroma. The rules are the same - ants do not tolerate such strong odors, so they do not stick their way onto a path greased with a head of garlic.

In addition to being used for rubbing, garlic can be grown in a pot or kept a braid of several heads in the open in the kitchen. But this method is not suitable for those who do not like the aroma of this vegetable.

Important! The garlic smell is strong, but disappears quickly, therefore, its juice is applied regularly (up to 2-3 times a day).

Professional

Most folk remedies will simply scare away insects, but to be guaranteed to get rid of them, you need something more reliable. For example, chemicals. In an extensive line of release options, an aerosol will be most suitable: unlike the same pencil or powder, spray microparticles can penetrate into the most secluded corners, affecting the hidden individuals, inhabitants of secret nests.

TOP-3 aerosols:

1. Raptor... Shake the can, spray on the favorite places of ants, closed anthills. Go over the skirting boards, corners, and joints carefully. It is also produced in the form of a gel, which can be used to "feed" voracious insects.
2. Raid... Another cypermethrin-based insecticide. Acts instantly. The manufacturer recommends spraying in hard-to-reach places, in areas of accumulation: for example, near a bucket of garbage or in a cabinet with supplies.
3. Clean house... A universal preparation for crawling, flying inhabitants of houses. In addition to widespread access, it has another important advantage - it does not smell at all, therefore it is suitable for allergy sufferers or people prone to reactions to odors.

Important! Using professional products, including odorless ones, surfaces inside and outside, dishes, objects after finishing processing will have to be thoroughly washed. And the products that have gotten into the aerosol should be disposed of.

Don't feel like doing general wet cleaning after the procedure? Use other ant control agents. For example, traps, gels, baits... These variations work according to the same principle: poison is added to the "edible" treat for insects, after which the ants die within 12-24 hours.

Advice! In houses with children and animals, it is better to use hidden traps, in which the poison is safely hidden under a special lattice.

Have you studied all the open materials, tried all the methods, but nothing helps, you no longer have the strength to endure the dominance of ants? Contact the dedicated serviceproviding pest control services. Professionals will effectively eliminate all visible and invisible insects.

Prophylaxis

Prevention is always better than cure - therefore, so that the ants do not start in the apartment or return after a difficult disposal, follow these simple rules:

• Wash the dishes immediately after cooking or eating. Or, at the very least, put it in a tightly closed dishwasher.
• Do not store leftover food or supplies open - use special containers with tight lids, put plates with food in the refrigerator.
• Perform wet cleaning regularly, washing out all the nooks and crannies of the cabinets. Ants do not start in clean kitchens.
• Take out the trash daily, and wash your trash can often so that insects have nothing to feast on.
• Lay out traps in the food boxes that the ants in the apartment love.
• Wipe floors with ammonia or store-bought fragrances.
• Knowing that red pests live in neighbors or in the basement of the house, treat the ventilation holes with crayons or pencils.

Getting rid of small red ants is not easy, but when you still find pests at home, you should not hesitate: choose one of the above methods, get to work.