There are over a thousand different species of ants in the world, but the one that’s commonly found in most New York homes is the big black ant or carpenter ant. These ants love to enter homes in search of food sources and shelter so they can survive. However, it’s also not uncommon to see black house ants hanging around your porch or dropping by your garden from time to time. 

So what are carpenter ants doing outside your home? Carpenter ants primarily build their main or parent nests outside your property. Their colonies can usually be found in moist or decayed wood such as dead trees, tree stumps, piles of firewood, or old logs. You may also sometimes find winged carpenter ants outside your windows or front doors which is a sign of an active colony inside your home.  

Read More: How To Keep Black Ants Out Of The House Naturally

What Are Carpenter Ants Doing Outside Your House?  

Almost all homeowners can experience having a carpenter ant infestation. As long as you have an abundant food supply, water source, and warm living conditions, these pests will find their way to settle inside. However, these ants are so small that they can sometimes be hard to notice once they’ve moved in. When you want to confirm the presence of carpenter ants on your property, it’s easier to look for their ant trails outdoors.

There are several reasons why there are a lot of carpenter ants outside your home such as:

• Their parent nests are located outside 

Carpenter ants create two types of nests: parent nests and satellite nests. The parent nest contains the reproductive queen and at least a thousand worker ants while the satellite nest only has workers without the queen. The main carpenter ant nests can usually be found in tree roots, tree branches, damp wood, logs, and other damaged wood that may have accumulated excess moisture.

The black ants that you see outside could be workers who have exited their parent nests to hunt for food and water sources. These worker carpenter ants will go indoors only when they can’t find a suitable food and water supply outdoors. Once they’ve entered your home, they can build their satellite nests in areas with moisture. Other ants can then follow in by tracking their pheromone trail, and this can lead to an infestation.

• Their activity is a sign of an active infestation 

If you see multiple ant trails leading to your home from the outside, it can mean that you already have an active ant infestation. Don’t ignore this sign and immediately inspect crawl spaces, wall voids, wood surfaces, and corners where they could be moving. Sometimes, you can also notice winged carpenter ants gathering on your windows which is an indication that you have a mature single colony indoors. 

• It’s swarming season and they’re looking for a new home

Winged ants can also be a sign that their swarming season has begun. In every ant colony, there are swarmers who are responsible for mating and breeding. Carpenter ants actively swarm during the spring months. During this time, both the male and female reproductives emerge from the nest to look for a new home. 

If they find your home to be an ideal living environment, they’ll most likely find ways to get in and search for a nesting place where they can lay their eggs and invade your space in the process. A new ant colony can hold up to 3,000 ants which can lead to a future infestation if not exterminated immediately. 

• A neighbor has an unresolved ant invasion 

Another reason why you have carpenter ants lurking outdoors is because a neighbor has an ongoing ant problem. If their pest control provider failed to treat their infestation efficiently, some black ants may have migrated to nearby properties, which could include your space. Sometimes, your house is  a more suitable environment for the ants than the previous location they stayed in, so they settle there.

Other Signs Of Carpenter Ant Infestation To Watch Out For 

Among the common household pests, carpenter ants are also considered to be one of the most destructive. They’re usually called silent destroyers since the extent of their wood damage isn’t visible on the outside. These ants may not directly consume wood like adult termites, but they can chew through wood and create multiple nests, weakening the home’s foundation and causing significant structural damage in turn. 

Here are other external signs to help you identify if you’ve a carpenter ant infestation: 

• You notice tiny piles of wood shavings or coarse sawdust near wooden surfaces and crawl areas. Since carpenter ants don’t eat wood, they’d typically kick out this frass outside their entry holes.
• You find discarded wings sitting on window sills, patios, and basement walls. This is a sign that flying carpenter ants have recently swarmed within your property.
• You frequently see a large number of live ants on counters, floors, and cabinets. This usually occurs when you have a bowl of pet food or leftover food in the kitchen.
• You hear a gnawing or rustling sound inside the walls where carpenter ants are probably nesting. 
• You spot a large pile of dirt or ant mound outdoors. 

Ways To Keep Carpenter Ants Away From Your Home  

To prevent a serious black carpenter ant infestation, you need to prioritize setting up measures that will eliminate their access to your home. Here are some simple pest control tips to help deter ants from coming indoors: 

• Remove any wood that touch the building above ground since this can give ants a way to enter inside 
• Avoid storing stacks of firewood or logs in the garage or your front deck 
• Don’t lay too much mulch in your garden especially near trees or wooden borders and fences since this is an attractive nesting site for carpenter ants
• Inspect your home roofing and sinks for water leaks and repair them immediately to avoid giving ants a source of water 
• Close off all possible entry points such as small cracks and hollow spaces using a sealant or caulk 
• Use natural ant repellents such as essential oils or white vinegar-based sprays to remove their scent pheromone trails 
• Put all dry snacks and pet food in plastic airtight containers 
• Sweep the house regularly and wipe down all kitchen counters and wood surfaces to clean food and water spills 
• Call a pest control professional to set up necessary barrier treatments and carpenter ant bait stations to stop them from entering  

Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them

Efficient and Reliable Solutions For Your Carpenter Ant Problems From Positive Pest Management 

Seeing carpenter ants outside your home can be alarming especially if they’re frequently present in large numbers. It can be especially hard to deal with a carpenter ant problem without the help of an expert pest control team like Positive Pest Management. Locating nests, erasing pest trails, and making sure recurrences don’t happen must be left in the hands of the professionals.

As an experienced pest control company, we’ve helped many residents and businesses in New York with their pest control needs. Our professional services include safe and efficient extermination using quality natural and chemical pest control treatments, home inspections, and preventive measures to keep ants and other pests from returning. Call us today for any urgent pest control needs.

Learn More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home

Ants are tiny and relatively harmless, but they can still be an unwelcome visitor to any home. Even when you’ve thoroughly cleaned and dusted every nook and cranny in your house, these little pests can still be seen crawling on the floors and kitchen counters. To get rid of incessant ant infestations, it’s important to know the reasons why they’re coming indoors and how they find their way inside your space. 

So why do you still see black carpenter ants entering your clean home? There are several reasons why black ants are coming into your home. Typically, they invade homes  in search of food sources and water. They could also be looking for shelter from the weather changes or they’re attracted to the decaying wood near or within your property. Lastly, it’s also possible that they’re coming from nearby houses and have migrated to your property.

Read More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them

Is A Clean House Enough To Keep Ants Away?

Carpenter ants are one of the popular species of black ants that can be found both inside and outside your property. If you’re trying to prevent an ant infestation, it’s a common measure to keep your home clean and spotless especially during the seasons when they’re known to be active. But regardless of how much you’ve sanitized and decluttered your home, there are incidences when you can still find black house ants indoors. 

A black carpenter ant infestation can happen anytime to any homeowner and here are some of the possible reasons why these pests come to even a clean house: 

• They’re persistently looking for food and water sources 

Like other pests, carpenter ants need to eat in order to survive, which is why they’re very hardworking in their hunt for food and water. This type of ants mostly likes to consume proteins from living or dead insects. They’re also attracted to sweets so if you’ve left any sugary foods unattended, it’s likely that they’ll come into your kitchen pantry to feast on them. 

Once they’ve started going in and out of your kitchen, they leave behind pheromone trails for other ants to easily find the food. This ant trail is one of the reasons why ants could be increasing in number in your home. 

It’s also possible that you may have faulty pipes or leaking water sinks that can be attracting these ants. Carpenter ants like to build their nests near damp or moist areas so they don’t run out of water to drink. You should check your water structures or pipes and fix any leaks to prevent any ant invasion.

• They’re looking for warmth and shelter from the changing weather conditions

Most indoor ant activity can be spotted during winter when they’re seeking shelter from the cold temperature outside. It’s likely that they’ve entered through holes or gaps in your foundation and have established their satellite nests or colonies in the warm and hidden areas in your home. They mostly stay dormant during this season, but if they encounter any leftover food or stumble upon your well-stocked pantry, you may see them actively going out of their nests to get food.

• They’re migrating from your neighbor’s home 

As social insects, ants don’t tend to stay in one place. They like to move around together in search of new habitats. You may also have a sudden ant infestation because they’ve migrated from your neighbor’s home. If anyone near you has had a recent or ongoing ant infestation, it’s possible that they’ve also spread to your home to establish their nests.

This can happen during the swarming season for carpenter ants. Once their colonies have matured and reached maximum population, the winged ants or reproductives can fly from their nests to look for a new place to start a colony. It’s easy for flying ants to flock to your home, assess its conditions and liveability,  and build their new nesting place there if they get comfortable.

• They have found decaying or rotten wood in your home structure 

Your house may be clean indoors but tree branches and piles of firewood laying outside your property could be their main target. These stacks of wood and tree stumps may be inviting carpenter ants to your home. These ants are notorious for chewing on any wooden materials to create their galleries or tunnels to their nests.

If your home has a decaying wooden foundation, carpenter ants can infest the wood and further weaken your home’s structure. This can amount to thousands of property damage, so it’s best to replace or remove any rotten wood in your home and make sure to have the new wood treated so the ant infestations don’t happen again.

Where Can You Typically Find Carpenter Ants Inside? 

Carpenter ants can build two types of ant colonies indoors. The first one is the parent colony,  which is their main nest that houses the queen and some workers. The other one is called satellite nests, where most of their worker ants are. The ants that you find inside the home may have originated from a parent nest located outside from stacks of woods or in trees. When indoors, they usually like to build their satellite nests in: 

• Small wall voids 
• Hollow spaces 
• Attic vents or foam insulation 
• Behind baseboards 
• Under the water sinks or toilets 
• Behind wooden framings such as doors and windows 
• Hidden behind kitchen cabinets or counters 

How To Keep Ants From Coming Inside The Home 

There are simple pest control measures that you can do to curb the increasing carpenter ant population in your home. From using natural ant repellents, placing non-toxic ant baits, to sealing their possible entry points, here are some of the ways that can help keep black house ants at bay: 

• Prepare ant repellent solutions: There are several natural ingredients that can be used to repel ants at home. Some of these are lemon juice, lemon eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, and tea tree oil. They can be used to prepare a DIY spray which you can apply on visible ant paths both inside and outside your home. This will erase their scent trails by covering it up with another smell that deters them.
  
• Keep your garbage in the trash can outdoors: When taking out the trash, make sure to place it inside the bin and cover it properly. Don’t let garbage accumulate indoors since this can attract carpenter ants to scavenge the leftover food in the trash. Clear the bins regularly to eliminate any food residue.
  
• Clean up after cooking and eating: The kitchen is every ant’s favorite hangout spot, so make it a point to avoid leaving any crumbs after eating and cooking. Wipe the surfaces and counters to remove food debris. You should also sweep the kitchen floors thoroughly and consistently to eliminate the ants’ access to food bits.
  
• Place all food items in tightly-sealed containers: Limit their food source by storing snacks, sweet foods, and even pet food in plastic containers.
  
• Set up ant baits at active areas: You can buy non-toxic ant baits like boric acid or food-grade diatomaceous earth and place them in bait stations for the carpenter ants. Ant baits can eliminate the entire colony slowly so you need to be patient when you use this method.
  
• Seal all possible entry points to your home: The best way to control carpenter ants at home is to close off all possible entryways. Check any small gaps and openings, and use a sealant or silicone-based caulk to cover the holes and prevent them from entering indoors. 

Read More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home

Signs That You Need Professional Help For Your Ant Infestation  

Aside from carpenter ants, there are thousands of ant species that you should look out for such as pavement ants, acrobat ants, sugar ants, pharaoh ants, and odorous house ants. To know if you have an ongoing ant infestation at home, here are some common warning signs that you need to know: 

• You notice multiple active ant trails inside and outside your home 
• You spot an ant mound that looks like a pile of soil or dirt on your floors or along baseboards 
• You see discarded wings by window sills or doors 
• You notice visible damages on any wooden structure or furniture at home 
• You see live ants in your home throughout the day  

These telltale signs can mean that you need to immediately call a professional pest control company to help with your ant problem. They can help inspect and locate the actual sites where carpenter ants are coming from and set up barrier treatments or bait stations outdoors to keep them from coming indoors.  

Professional Pest Control Services For Ant Elimination At Positive Pest Management

It can be a frustrating occurrence to see black house ants invading your once clean and infestation-free home. The best way to manage your ant problem and ultimately, to maintain the sanitation of your home is to enlist a professional and reliable pest control service like Positive Pest Management. 

We’re a team of highly-competent pest control experts who are always ready and eager to help get rid of ants at home, as well as other kinds of pests and insects. We’re equipped with the latest tools and use quality pest control treatments to address and exterminate any kind of pest problem you might have. Contact us today and get a free quote.

Read More: Why Are There Big Black Ants Outside Your House?

While black ants aren’t as destructive as termites, their presence in the home can still be a huge concern. It’s definitely not a pleasing sight to see a trail of carpenter ants all over your kitchen floors or counters. This is why when you spot ants at home, it’s important to immediately get rid of them to avoid escalating into serious problems. 

So what are some of the best natural methods to keep black ants away? The most commonly used natural ant repellents are peppermint essential oil, eucalyptus oil, lemon juice, black pepper, cinnamon, orange, and white vinegar. There are also non-toxic substances that you can buy in stores such as boric acid and diatomaceous earth. 

Learn More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House

Natural Ant Repellent Methods To Keep Them From Your Home  

When you notice that the ants in your home suddenly increase overnight, you should act fast and set up measures to avoid a severe infestation. Calling a professional pest control company is always the ideal solution for ant extermination, but there are also natural methods that you can try to minimize ant activity at home. 

If you want to deter ants from coming indoors, there are some powerful scents that these pests hate. You can use these smells to create a DIY repellent spray to keep ants at bay. Some of the natural scents that may work to fend off black house ants are: 

1) Peppermint oil 

How they work to repel ants: When it comes to an effective repellent for most common household pests, peppermint essential oils are the first thing that comes to mind. Most insects and pests will run away at its minty scent. Additionally, its strong smell can conceal their scented pheromone trail so other ants won’t be able to follow their path indoors. 

How to use them: First, you can create a peppermint oil spray by mixing at least 10 drops of the essential oil with 2 cups of water in a plastic bottle. You can spray this treatment onto the areas where there’s ant activity. Another method is to soak cotton balls in peppermint and leave them on surfaces where you see ants crawling.

2) Lemon juice 

How they work to repel ants: Lemon is a citrus fruit that contains d-limonene, an acidic oil that most species of ants find toxic and repulsive. It works similar to peppermint where it can disrupt the scent of their ant trails and confuse the other worker ants who are looking for food. 

How to use them: You can directly wipe lemon juice onto the visible ant trails onto the surfaces or floors. Likewise, you can place a few drops of lemon juice to the cracks or gaps in your wall where ants could be entering. As for the lemon peels, you can prepare them on a plate and leave them in cabinets to prevent ants from ransacking your food supplies.

3) Lemon essential eucalyptus oil

How they work to repel ants: Lemon eucalyptus oil is extracted from the natural lemon eucalyptus tree. It contains different chemical components such as citronella and it has a rich strong aroma that can keep ants away. Its scent can also mask the odor of some dead ants and remove its trails. 

How to use them: You can soak cotton balls in the lemon eucalyptus oil and leave them in areas where you usually see ants. You can also place a few drops into a cleaning solution and use it to wipe surfaces and kitchen slabs to keep it clean so that no ants can go near. 

4) Tea tree essential oil 

How they work to repel ants: Another essential oil that can work for repelling ants is tea tree oil. Like most essential oils, it has a rich camphor-like scent that can deter ants and it’s a natural astringent so it may help eliminate existing ants. 

How to use them: Mix at least 5 to 10 drops of tea tree oil with clean water in a bottle spray. Apply the spray around the spots where there is high ant activity. You can also choose to mix some drops of peppermint to balance out the strong scent of the tea tree oil. 

5) Pepper 

How they work to repel ants: Cayenne pepper or ground black pepper can also be a good solution for ant problems. The capsaicin content in pepper is a natural irritant for black ants and its smell is potent enough to keep them away. 

How to use them: Repelling ants with pepper is fairly easy. All you have to do is to sprinkle a generous amount of pepper powder on the places where ants like to hide and move. This can work great as a barrier to prevent ants from further exploring your home. 

6) Cinnamon 

How they work to repel ants: Cinnamon has a strong peppery and spicy scent, which makes it an extremely effective natural deterrent. This is available in different forms such as essential oils, ground cinnamon, or cinnamon sticks. 

How to use them: You can combine a few drops of cinnamon oil with water in a clean plastic spray bottle and apply them directly on their pheromone trail. You may also sprinkle some ground cinnamon powder around their usual path or near their points of entry. Meanwhile, if you’re using cinnamon sticks, it’s good to break them into smaller pieces and leave them on surfaces where ants frequently travel. 

7) Orange 

How they work to repel ants: Similar to lemon, oranges contain d-limonene and this compound is particularly found in high concentrations in the oil of the orange peels. 

How to use them: It’s important to use the essential oil from the oranges. To get this oil, remove the orange peels and place them in a blender. Mix them with a cup of warm water until you get the ideal solution that you can use for an ant spray. 

8) White vinegar 

How they work to repel ants: Most pests hate vinegar, and ants are no exception. While vinegar is colorless, it does contain a strong pungent scent which ants dislike. The smell of vinegar can be effective in hiding their trails indoors so that other ants will no longer be able to navigate your home. 

How to use them: You can utilize white vinegar to create a cleaning solution that you can wipe surfaces, counters, and floors with. Prepare a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water for cleaning or you can also combine them in a plastic bottle to create a natural ant spray. 

Learn More: Do Black House Ants Bite? 

Other Non-Toxic Substances You Can Use To Keep Ants Away 

In addition to the natural ingredients which can be found at home, there are other non-chemical substances that can help repel black ants. These materials can be bought in stores like diatomaceous earth, boric acid, and chalk. 

	What Is It	How To Use
Diatomaceous earth or silicon dioxide	This is a white powder that contains fossilized remains of algae or diatoms which have sharp microscopic edges that can cut through the bodies of ants.	Food-grade diatomaceous earth isn’t only an effective repellent but also a great ant killer. You can simply sprinkle them onto the common hideout areas of ants such as under cabinets, near window sills, below the sink, and around baseboards.
Boric acid	This is considered poisonous to ants but non-toxic and safe for use around humans and pets. It contains a chemical compound that can slowly kill ants once they’ve ingested it.	This is usually used as an ingredient for ant baits or traps, typically mixed with a sweet food attractant to make sure that ants consume it. Another way to use boric acid is to mix it with water to create an ant spray.
Chalk	This contains an active calcium carbonate ingredient which is a natural repellent for pests.	This can be used to draw a line over surfaces to mask their pheromone trails or prevent their entry. When ants come across the chalk line, they’ll get  confused and stop them from entering indoors.

When To Get Professional Pest Control Help For Ant Infestations 

While black ants are generally harmless, other types of ants like carpenter ants are notorious wood-destroying pests. Instead of consuming wood like termites, they create tunnels and hollow galleries to their nests inside. This can cause wooden structures in your space to weaken. If left unaddressed, it can lead to significant property damage. Other signs that you need to get a pest control service for your ant problem are: 

• You’ve tried the natural methods but they don’t seem to be effective in decreasing your ant problems
• You notice multiple ant trails or live ants on your floors and countertops
• You hear a hollow sound when you knock on the wooden surfaces in your home
• You spot a suspicious-looking pile of soil in the yard or ant nest in the corners of your home

What Can Pest Control Experts Do For Your Ant Problem?

Pest control professionals are knowledgeable in different techniques and methods to address your specific pest problem. Here are some of the ways that pest control experts can help deal with your ant infestation:

• They can help seal possible entry points that ants use to enter your home 
• They can set up needed barriers within the perimeter of your home to eliminate their access indoors 
• They can place ant traps or baits to get rid of existing carpenter ants 

After getting the pest control service, there are preventive measures that you can do to assure that the ants don’t return. Here are some reminders to ensure an ant-free environment: 

• Clean all surfaces and sweep floors regularly to remove any food debris and water spills 
• Avoid leaving leftover food overnight and place them in the refrigerator 
• Store snacks and pet food in airtight plastic containers
• Wash all dirty dishes immediately after eating 
• Take out the trash regularly and make sure to cover the bin

Trusted and Reliable Pest Control Services At Positive Pest Management 

It’s always a good idea to use natural repellents to prevent the breakout of a serious ant infestation. But when it comes to efficient ant elimination, it will take more than natural home remedies to get rid of them for good. This is when you turn to our team of experts at Positive Pest Management. 

We are a trusted and experienced pest control company proudly serving the communities of New York and Nassau County Long Island. We have dedicated specialists in pest control who can provide customized solutions for your household pest problem. If you need urgent help with your ant infestation problems, contact us today and schedule an initial home visit.

Read More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them

Sugar ants are social insects that may be native or invasive species. As the name implies, sugar ants like sugar and other sweet foods, although they also like snacking on pet food and dead insects. They go to houses enticed with the food source and water content available. 

So how do you kill small black sugar ants surrounding your house? You may opt to prevent sugar ants from entering your house through incorporating cleaning habits or physical barriers or you may kill them using chemicals, natural products, or contacting a pest control professional like Positive Pest Management.

Read More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House

Identify The Types Of Ants You're Dealing With

The first step in getting rid of black sugar ants surrounding your house is to identify the types of sugar ants you're dealing with because the integrated pest management methods will depend on these. You can do so by looking at their appearance, smell, behavior, nest sites, and other characteristics that may be unique to these ants.

Outdoor sugar ants are the kinds of ants that may be nesting on tree stumps or tree branches, on shrubs, or on porches and patios. These include the following:

• Acrobat ants (Crematogaster spp.) got their names because they move their gaster acrobatically towards their head especially when they're disturbed. They're medium-sized (2.6 to 3.2 mm long), light red to brown or black ants. They prefer nesting on rotting logs or woodpiles.
• Cornfield ants or lawn ants (Lasius neoniger) are small, light to dark brown ants frequently found outdoors in cornfields or lawns, thus the name. They commonly nest on rotting tree stumps or deep leaf litter.
• False honey ants (Prenolepis imparis) are small, light to dark brown ants (workers 2.5-3.5 mm; queen about 8 mm). They prefer the outdoors, don't nest indoors, and are frequently associated with open, well-shaded sites.
• Little black ants (Monomorium minimum) are small, dark brown to black ants (workers 1/16"; queens 1/8"). They prefer to nest outside under rocks and cement cracks though they may also nest indoors through wall voids and under carpeting.
• Rover ants (Brachymyrmex patagonicus) are very small, invasive, brown ants (workers 1 to 2 mm; queens 3 mm; males 1 mm) introduced to the United States from South America. They may be found in areas with high levels of moisture. They can also be found naturally in leaf litter or wood piles or in disturbed areas with high human activity.

Similarly, ants may also invade the indoors through cracks and window sill openings. Sugar ants that prefer going indoors include the following:

• Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) are light to dark brown ants (workers 2.2 to 2.8 mm; queens 4 to 6 mm). They don't have stings and venoms but they're still aggressive invasive ant species that can displace other ant species just by the size of their colony. They can have multiple queens, which makes them hard to control.
• Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) are brown to black ants (workers 1/4 to 1/2 inch; queens 3/4 inches) that use wood as their nest. For this reason, they're frequently mistaken for winged termites although they don't eat wood and prefer sweet foods.
• Odorous house ants (Tapinoma sessile) are brownish-black ants that may be 1/16 to 1/8 inches in length. They're frequently mistaken for Argentine ants although the two may be differentiated on the smell they release when crushed, with odorous house ants releasing a rotten coconut odor in contrast to Argentine ants that release a musty odor.
• Pavement ants (Tetramorium caespitum) are dark brown to black ants found on concrete slabs. They have flag-shaped stingers.
• Pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis) are light brown to red ants 1.5 to 2 mm long. They prefer nesting in inaccessible areas but near sources of water such as wall voids. 

Inspect Your House For Signs Of Ant Infestation 

The most glaring sign of an ant infestation in houses is the presence of ant trails composed of thousands of worker ants. They're pheromone trails that allow these ants to track down their foods and each other, in such a way that it helps recruit more worker ants in the food once scout ants found their way through them.

Ant trails also help ants go back to their nests, which leads us also to another sign of ant infestation, which is the ant nest. Different types of ants have different versions of their nests. For example, carpenter ants make their nests using wood. Yet another example is the red imported fire ants which make their nests from the soil, with diameters that may be as large as 46 cm (18").

Get Rid Of Ant Food Sources

The reason why sugar ants would want to go to your homes is that they see your homes as an abundant supply of food. These ants would want to feed on the sugars, syrups, jams, jellies, cake, and other sugary foods and enter your house in search of food. They also like moisture and they also see your house as a good water source.

As such, a way to control sugar ant infestation is to stop giving them a reason to enter your homes. Pet bowls must always be cleaned after use and must not be left with food after your pets have finished eating. Dirty dishes must always be cleaned after use and not left at the kitchen sink. Foods must be properly sealed and stored so these ants won't have access to food.

Regular checkups of water pipes must be done to prevent leaks that may encourage these ants (and may even harbor bacteria). Cleaning parts of the house such as the kitchen counter, kitchen sinks, cupboards, and other parts are also important aspects to consider in stopping these ants from wanting to get inside the house.

Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them

Seal Off Possible Entrances 

Sugar ants may gain access to your homes through different openings such as cracks in the walls, holes in certain areas of the house, and doors and window sills left ajar. It's thus important to check these parts for possible cracks and holes and to make it a habit to close the doors and window sills. Using window and door screens and always looking for rips on these are helpful control methods, too.

Check Your House Plants

Another food source that sugar ants prefer is plant and insect secretions such as nectar and honeydew, which are obviously found in house plants. As such, it's best to check your house plants for signs of ant infestation so you can control the ant colony frequenting them before taking them inside your homes or giving them as gifts to friends. 

Neglecting to check the house plants gives the sugar ants yet another way to access your homes which we don't want to happen.

Use Chemicals 

Insect repellent products that are available commercially usually come in a spray bottle. Look for those that can guarantee themselves as solutions that can effectively kill ants.

There are also commercial insect repellent products that may come as ant bait traps. These traps contain boric acid (borax) or hydramethylnon. These bait traps should be sweet and enticing to sugar ants that they crowd around and collect these traps. 

These traps should also be slow-acting such that the worker ants will be able to carry them back to their nests before ingestion and getting killed with chances of their queen also getting killed as well.

Use Natural Products

Chemicals may contain active ingredients that can be toxic not only to the pests but to you, your kids, and your pets as well. Always make sure to check the product label for toxic ingredients such as imiprothrin and cypermethrin which are dangerous when inhaled or ingested. 

Better yet, it's also a good idea to consider alternatives such as natural insect repellents for an effective but safer way to kill small black sugar ants. Examples of these natural insect repellents are as follows.

1) Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth (Silicon Dioxide)

Diatomaceous earth is a fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of plankton. It works by drying out the hard covering of ants and other insects, leading to them getting killed. It's non-toxic and only an irritant but hands must be protected by gloves when applying it to areas of concern so that it won't get to the skin while the nose should be protected by a mask to prevent it from getting inhaled. 

2) Ground Black Or Red Pepper

Anecdotal evidence says that the smell of ground black or red pepper is potentially irritating to ants or other insects thus discouraging them from entering your house. Sprinkling pepper to parts of the house that the ants usually frequent such as behind appliances and around corners of the house. 

3) Essential Oils 

Essential oils are natural insect repellents that can deter ants away from homes because ants and other insects find the smell of these oils irritating when their receptors pick up the irritating chemical compounds found in these oils such as alcohol and menthol. These essential oils include the following:

• Peppermint oil, which is derived from the flowers and leaves of the peppermint plant (Mentha × piperita) and mixing it with water. It may be used by mixing 10 to 20 drops of peppermint oil with 2 cups of water then spraying it on areas of concern.
• Tea tree oil, derived from steam distillation of the leaves of tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia). It may be used by mixing 5 to 10 drops of tea tree essential oil with 2 cups of water then spraying it (or using a cotton ball for application) on areas of concern.
• Lemon eucalyptus oil, derived from the extraction of eucalyptus leaves (Eucalyptus citriodora). It may be used undiluted, placing the eucalyptus oil on cotton balls, placing them on areas of concern, and regularly replacing the cotton balls with new ones every week.
• Cinnamon leaf essential oil, derived from the bark or leaves of Cinnamomum spp. tree. It may also be used undiluted similar to how lemon eucalyptus oil is used.

4) White Vinegar

White vinegar may be used as ant repellent by diluting vinegar to water in a 1:1 ratio, putting it in spray bottles, and spraying them on areas that ants frequently go to. Aside from being an effective insect repellent, it's also a good cleaning agent as well.

5) Boiling Hot Water

Ant trails and ant holes may be treated with boiling hot water, which may kill ants on contact. Since a single application can't kill all of the ant colony, it's a good idea to treat every ant trail or ant hole you may find surrounding your home.

6) Cornstarch

Cornstarch may be used to kill ants on contact through two methods:

• Spread cornstarch over the ant trail then add water. This will result in ants encased in cornstarch which you may clean afterward.
• Spread cornstarch over the ant trail and vacuum them up, then dispose of the vacuum bag properly outside.

Contact A Pest Management Professional

If you think you've done everything to try to control these sugar ants but their ant trails are still visible, you may contact a pest management professional like Positive Pest Management. Pest control companies are experts in the field of pest control. We can suggest treatment plans which are effective ways to get rid of pests like sugar ants and prevent them from coming back. 

Expert Pest Extermination Solutions at Positive Pest Management

You can choose to control sugar ants through physical or chemical means. Through barriers or housekeeping habits, you may keep these nuisance pests away. You may also do a pesticide application or use natural products to get rid of them. If all else fails, you may choose to contact pest experts like Positive Pest Management.

Positive Pest Management is a trusted solution to your pest problems. We're committed to giving high-quality services through our competent pest control operator and a wide variety of green and effective products. We're highly-skilled and experienced in pest control and ensure that we can exceed your expectations. Contact us today at 1.800.294.3130.

Read More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home

Black ants aren’t dangerous to humans, but they can be a nuisance. From invading your pantry to creeping up around your home, these pests can be difficult to completely eradicate from your home. While some black ants are relatively harmless, some types of ants like carpenter ants can cause serious property damage to your home and belongings. That’s why if you see an alarming number of black ants in your home, it’s best to find the root colony and get rid of it.

So how can you find where black ants are hiding in your home? You might consider steps like following their trail leading back to their entry points, but there are more efficient ways to go about this. Once you find their general location, you can take steps to treat the area and prevent a major infestation from harming your home. Here’s how to find those pesky black ants.

Read More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House

How to Find Black Ant Colonies

Ants can build their colonies indoors within the walls of your home, or outdoors while finding entry points to regularly invade your home. By knowing their ideal habitat, you can search for them more effectively around your home. Here are some ways to find black ant colonies.

1) Check Your Kitchen and Bathrooms

Black ants prefer to build anthills outdoors because of the protection underground living provides them. But if your home has suitable areas that can provide for their needs, they can adapt and start an infestation indoors. The most common rooms they settle in are the bathrooms and your kitchen, as they prefer moist and dark spaces with easy access to food sources.

If you want to find where black ants are hiding in your home, the best places to start are your kitchen and your bathrooms. In the kitchen, check dark areas like your cabinets and pantry, behind appliances, and behind cracks and crevices. In the bathroom, check the areas close to your soaps, lotions, and toothpaste. If you find a trail of black ants, their colony is most likely nearby.  

2) Use the Honey and Peanut Butter Test

A good way to find your ant infestation is to lure them out and observe where their trail goes. One way to do this is with a honey and peanut butter test. As an ant colony grows, their nutritional needs will change, so they may be more attracted to either honey or peanut butter. Using both at the same time may yield better results.

Place a saucer with half a teaspoon of honey and half a teaspoon of peanut butter on opposite sides of the saucer. Leave it in a place where you’ve noticed regular ant activity. Since ants tend to be nocturnal, wait for the late evening to check if they’ve formed a trail. You can follow the trail back to where their nesting area is.

3) Check Outdoors, Then Find Your Home’s Opening

Another possibility is that the ant colony isn’t infested indoors. Rather, they’ve built their nest outdoors but have an entry point to find food in your home. It’s also possible that their parent colony is outside but has a satellite colony indoors. If you can’t find an anthill, black ants may have built their nests in the following areas:

• Utility boxes
• Any other dirt mound in your yard
• Firewood piles
• Under yard debris
• The exterior wall of your home
• Other structures like your shed  

You can tell you’ve got a carpenter ant nest if you find damaged wood or any signs similar to termite infestations. To find their area, you can use the honey and peanut butter test outdoors, but this can also be prone to other outdoor animals disrupting the test. However, the best thing to do if there is an outdoor infestation is to close up possible entry points like cracks in the walls and tree branches providing upper-level access, and then treat the ant-infested area accordingly.

4) Observe the Ant Trail

Once you’ve seen an ant trail, you can start tracing it back to where the black ants go. This can be difficult because of how black ants build their trail. The early stages of the trail tend to be in a zigzag pattern because of how ant-explorers leave pheromone trails in search of resources. Over time, however, these scent trails straighten out as ants find shortcuts to get from the food source to their colony.

A good trick is not to follow just one ant, but the entire trail itself. You should see which crack in the wall they enter, and from there you can act accordingly by closing up the area.

5) Look for Dead Ants

Black ants practice necrophoresis, which is the act of carrying dead ants away from the nest to prevent disease or infection from spreading to the rest of the population. Colonies that have settled indoors tend to dispose of their dead ants out in the open, particularly near windows. If you find a large number of dead ants in the area and you haven’t used pesticides or anything that can kill pests, then it’s likely a case of necrophoresis, which means that the colony may be nearby.  

Preventing Ant Infestations

Prevention is much better than the cure. Before your home becomes victim to black ant infestations, here are some ways to prevent ants from seeing your home as a potential breeding ground for their colony.

1) Keep Your House Clean

Not just your kitchen and bathroom, but all living spaces in your home. Black ants and other pests will only settle inside or around your home if it finds suitable living conditions and easy access to resources. 

Practices like cleaning your house regularly and storing your food properly can make it harder for ants in search of food and prevent ants from finding the resources they need to thrive in your home.

2) Prevent Excess Moisture

Using a dehumidifier and having proper ventilation in your home can prevent excess moisture build-up in common areas like your kitchen and bathrooms. In your kitchen, opening windows and wiping away spilled liquids immediately can reduce the moisture in the area. 

If your bathrooms don’t have ventilation fans, opening doors and windows or wiping puddles and other standing water can prevent excess moisture. Check for any water leak sources and have them repaired.  

3) Use Home Remedies

Aside from commercial pesticides designed for black ants, you can try natural ant repellants. Ants are repelled by peppermint, citrus oil, and tea tree oil, so using these scents around your home can be a natural deterrent from establishing a colony. 

You can use a scent diffuser or mix water and a few drops of essential oils into a spray bottle and spray common areas. Ants are also repelled by diatomaceous earth, black pepper, and white vinegar.

Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them

What To Do If I Have An Infestation?

Now that you’ve traced the ants’ trail and found the general area of their colony, what do you do next? If it’s outdoors, you can try to close up any cracks or entry points that they use to enter your home. But for indoor infestations, you can try the following.

1) Try All-Purpose Commercial Pesticides

Make sure that these pesticides explicitly say they can treat ants, as not all pesticides can. You can find them online or at your local hardware store. Be sure to use these pesticides carefully, as some can be dangerous to children and pets and can linger even hours after application.

2) Ensure Your Home Isn’t a Good Breeding Ground

Cutting off ants’ resources is a good way to prevent the colony from thriving. In your kitchen, make sure your food items are properly sealed in airtight containers and stored away. Wipe your kitchen counters of any crumbs, spills, and grease, and then sweep the kitchen floor of any debris. 

If you have pets, avoid leaving pet food in their bowls around the clock; instead, feed them at designated times and make sure their pet bowls are empty afterward.

Clean your home regularly to avoid crumbs and other organic particles on the ground like dead skin cells and fingernails. Keep moisture to a minimum to prevent them from finding water sources for survival as well.

3) Contact a Professional Pest Management Service

If the infestation is too far gone to treat with preventative measures and pesticide problems, your best solution is to have a pest control professional handle your ants. Pest experts can track down the colony more efficiently, thin the ants’ numbers, and recommend steps to prevent another infestation in the future.

Prevent Ants from Bugging Your Home with Positive Pest Management

Black ants are relatively harmless to humans, but they can also be nuisances that can potentially cause damage to your property. Preventative measures can prevent colonies from swarming your home, but in case of an infestation that’s difficult to solve on your own, Positive Pest Management can handle infestations in residential and commercial properties.

Get black ants away from your home and contact Positive Pest Management today for a free estimate.

Read More: How To Kill Small Black Sugar Ants Surrounding Your House

Black ants are a common household pest that is often found in the kitchen or bathroom. They provide sources of food and water for the entire colony to survive. While generally harmless to humans, they can be considered a nuisance to many. This is why many people are looking for ways to keep black ants out of their spaces without having to exterminate them. 

So how can you get black ants out of your house without killing them? The simplest way is to use any type of non-toxic ant repellent in your home to treat an ant infestation. Whether it be commercial repellents or home solutions, you should be able to deter ants from entering your home. But if the ants keep coming back, it’d be best to contact professional pest management services.

Read More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House

How to Get Black Ants Out of Your House Without Killing Them 

While most would suggest using an ant treatment that will kill off the ants to prevent future infestations, there are non-toxic repellents that can get rid of black ants while not causing them any harm. How these repellents work is that they create an uninviting barrier between your house and the ants. 

With ants heavily relying on their sense of smell, most repellents make use of scents that naturally deter ants which can range from a chemically formulated commercial repellent to simply peppermint oil. Through this, ants will most likely leave your home or avoid entering it due to the irritating smell drowning out the smell of a possible food source.

Which Repellents Can Get Rid of Black Ants Without Killing Them 

Anything that deters ants from recognizing your home as a potential food source or nesting site can be considered a repellent. There are multiple commercial ant repellents that can effectively treat ant infestations without killing them as well as homemade DIY solutions that can be made from common household items. Here are some commercial and DIY ant repellents you could use to treat an infestation:

1) Commercial Ant Repellents

Two of the most common types of commercial ant repellents include non-lethal powder ant repellents and commercial non-lethal liquid chemical sprays. Unlike other types of ant repellents, these don’t kill the ants; instead, they drive them away. But if you’re too scared to come in contact with chemical substances like such, you can always seek professional help when eliminating black ants. 

Non-Lethal Powder Ant Repellents

How most non-lethal powder ant repellents work is that they use an overpowering scent to break or damage the pheromone trail ants leave behind. These pheromone ant trails are scents emitted by the ant species as a guide to their food supply and possible food sources. Sprinkling a thin line of powder ant repellent where you have previously seen ants congregate will most likely prevent them from reentering the area. 

Powder ant repellents are highly effective in treating ants without killing them, however, they do require a bit more effort from you to remain effective. As a powder, it is possible for it to be dusted or blown away allowing for ants to re-emerge and infest your home once again. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, you may want to routinely place powder repellents on all the possible entry points of ants in your home.

Commercial Non-Lethal Liquid Chemical Sprays

Most non-lethal liquid ant repellents or bug spray come in a spray bottle with a non-toxic solution that deters ants by releasing an overpowering irritating strong smell for ants. While it may not be irritating for humans, it should be strong enough to get rid of ants in your house without killing them. However, like powdered ant repellent, you’ll need to routinely reapply the liquid solution throughout your home to keep ants away. Once the liquid has dried up, it’s likely that so will the detering scent leading to ants returning to your home. 

In addition to this, it’s important to use the liquid ant repellent as instructed if your main goal is to get rid of ants without killing them. The chemicals used for the solution’s scents can be toxic when sprayed directly onto ants. It will most likely cause a breakdown of their exoskeleton and kill them slowly. To avoid this simply spray the solution near where you normally see ants congregate in your home and that should be enough to keep the ants at bay.

Home Solutions

If you want safer alternatives, then you can always make your own solutions. Some homemade solutions you can make include vinegar and water, essential oils, cabinet spices, and citrus fruits, among others. If both non-lethal ant repellents and DIY solutions aren’t enough, then it’s time to call the professionals.

Vinegar and Water

White vinegar and water solutions have been used in home cleaning for ages and just so happens to also be an effective ant repellent. While the strong smell of vinegar often disappears once it has dried down to humans, the smell lingers a lot longer for ants. With ants being naturally averse to the smell of vinegar, they will most likely stay away from surfaces cleaned with this solution. To keep the repellent working simply use the vinegar solution in your daily or weekly chores and that should keep ants away. 

While a common misconception, a vinegar and water solution won’t actually kill the ants unless directly targeted or drowned in the solution. The vinegar will simply redirect the ants to another location that could be a possible food source and doesn’t have an irritating smell to them. 

Essential Oils

Essential oils, especially citrus oils work as a great ant repellent that will not only deter ants from coming into your home but also effectively erase the chemical trails left behind by previous worker ants. These types of oil contain a toxic chemical to ants which is why their scent signals danger to ants keeping them away. In addition, the overpowering smell removes the pheromone trail ants leave behind to signal other ants of a potential food source. 

To properly apply essential oils around your home as an ant repellent, it’s advisable to dilute it with some water which can then be applied to any surface inside your home. 

Cabinet Spices

Cinnamon sticks, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cloves, coffee grounds, and chili pepper are just some of the most common spices found in your spice cabinet that could work as a non-lethal ant repellent. All of these spices emit an irritating scent to ants causing them to leave your home and scavenge for food elsewhere. To use these spices as an ant repellent all you have to do is sprinkle them around areas where you have noticed ants or on any possible openings in your home. 

Do note that spices can be dusted or blown away so you will need to add more to areas routinely with this method. It is also advisable to avoid using this on lower level areas if you have children or pets as it may cause irritation or an allergic reaction to their skin or eyes.

Lemons and Citrus in House Plants

While most house plants are small, they can still play host to ant nests causing an ant infestation in your home. To avoid ant nests from forming in house plants, you can add lemon juice or rinds or any citrus fruit to the pot. Like the essential oils, the smell of lemons and citrus will cause irritation to ants and redirect them out of your home. Additionally, the lemon and citrus scents will also mask the pheromone trail to your home and hopefully prevent further infestations in the future.

Learn More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home

Ant Bait vs Ant Repellent

While ant baits and ant repellents are often used interchangeably or even in conjunction with one another, they treat ant infestations very differently. Ant baits use a blend of toxins that have sweet scents to draw ants in and take the food-like substance back to the colony. Once the worker ants bring the sweet bait back to the colony, the entire colony will ingest the ant bait and release toxins into their body. This will effectively kill not only the ants that you see inside your home but the entire colony as the toxins were brought into the ant nest. 

Though ant bait is very effective in treating ant-related issues and is often used by professionals to avoid future infestations in the home, it will kill the black ants. If you are set on finding a non-lethal way to treat black ants in your home, an ant repellent would be the safest option. 

As mentioned earlier repellents release a non-harmful scent that deters ants from areas in your home. Oftentimes, this is an effective treatment in redirecting black ants outside of your home without having to kill them. However, with the colony structure still intact repellents may simply redirect the ants to another area of your home and become ineffective once the scent has diminished.

To ensure the continued effectiveness of your ant repellent, whether it be commercial or homemade, you’ll need to constantly reapply the solution around your house. With a powdered repellent, you’ll need to reapply after each dusting while liquid repellents will lose their effectiveness once it has dried out. 

It’s best to cover any possible entry points such as small holes in the wall, window gaps, and door frames to seal all possible entry points inside your house. Overall, ant repellents offer a great solution to ant infestations but do require a bit more upkeep and management as opposed to ant baits.

Preventing Black Ants From Entering The Home

While repellents may work in controlling ant infestations, the best way to avoid having to kill ants is to prevent any infestation from occurring in the first place. To avoid having to treat your house for ant infestations, there are many preventative measures you can take to lessen the likelihood of them entering your home in the first place. Here are some things you can do to avoid ants in your home:

1) Cutting Off Any Food Source

The only reason ants are entering your home is because they are in search of food. By cutting off any possible food source to the ants, they will naturally have to leave your home and search for food somewhere else. You can cut off their food source in your home by keeping your food in air-tight containers or air-tight seals. 

In addition to this, you should also keep pet food out of reach and wash your dirty dishes immediately as the food that remains on your dishes still qualify as a food source for ants. Ants have very few food preferences so while you may think of something as inedible, chances are that they are still a viable food supply to ants.

2) Fixing All Leaks and Avoiding Stagnant Water Sources

In addition to food, ants can be attracted to water leaks and stagnant water sources around your home. This is because it can house certain amounts of food and waste particles as well. To avoid ants congregating to these water sources, you should fix any leaks in your home and remove stagnant water sources like inactive fountains or pet drinking bowls.

3) Cleaning Up Food Spills Immediately

With ants heavily relying on scent, food spills may attract ants if not cleaned up properly. While there may no longer be a supply of food available the scent is enough to attract ants. Cleaning up food spills and wiping away food residue on surfaces can help remove the food scent trail that ants are attracted to and are an easy way to rid your house of possible ants infestations. 

4) Getting Pest Management Professional Treatments

While most professional ant treatments do intend to treat infestations by killing them, you can consult your local exterminator services to assess the situation and give you non-lethal options. More often than not, an inspection will need to be done to see how they can properly address the infestation. 

You can also ask for a pre-treatment during the summer when ants are more likely to enter your home. If the infestation has gotten too severe, there is a chance that they will suggest lethal measures to ensure that your house is ant-free after treatment. 

Learn More: How To Kill Small Black Sugar Ants Surrounding Your House

The Best Black Ant Extermination Plan at Positive Pest Management

While home and over-the-counter solutions may be effective, there comes a point when you need to call in the professionals. If left untreated ant colonies will continue to grow and cause further infestations in your home. Whether it be the common black ant or Argentine ant colonies, Positive Pest Management can exterminate them all! 

With affordable prices and long-term pest control, Positive Pest Management is one of New York’s most trusted pest control services to both residential and commercial spaces across the city. Get your pest infestations under control and contact us at 1-800-294-3130 now. l today!

Black ants are a common type of pest found in many houses. While relatively harmless to humans, they can cause some structural damage to the house as they create holes and tunnels in the structure to get through. Most often you will notice them on kitchen countertops or in bathrooms as they provide a warm damp environment with a nearby food source. 

So how do you get rid of black ants in your house? It depends. If you’re experiencing a massive infestation of black ants, it may be time to call a professional exterminator. However, if you’re only dealing with small colonies of black ants, then this can be effectively treated with a few over-the-counter treatments or even homemade solutions. 

Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them

How to Rid Your Home Of Black Ants?

When black ant colonies enter your home, it’s often because they’re in search of food and water. During the summer or any dry months of the year, you’re more likely to see an ant infestation in your house as it’s the nearest available water source to most insects. While a very common occurrence, no one wants black ants in their home swarming areas in their home. Here are a few ways to get rid of black ants in your home:

1) Commercial Ant Baits

Ant baits are kind of like ant traps that make use of scent pheromone trails and the ant’s natural habit of searching for access to food. Replicating a sweet substance and the scents of food, the ant bait stations have food laced with toxins that are harmful to ants when in close contact or ingested after some time. 

How this works is that worker ants will be drawn to the laced sources of food and bring it back to the colony itself for all the ants including the queen to share. Slowly, the toxins found in the sweet bait will kill them off and fix the ant infestation inside your home.

You can buy ant bait traps over-the-counter and they are relatively safe to use indoors as long as you follow the instruction guide. Some effective and fast-acting bait for ants that can be found across the country includes Amdro ant bait, Terro liquid ant killer, and Advion ant bait. 

These are great options as ant bait not only targets the black ants that are visible to you but also treat the entire colony. Once the queen has been exposed to the ant bait, the colony will no longer be able to reproduce thus effectively eliminating them all and preventing future infestations. 

2) Commercial Ant Repellent

Ant repellent or bug spray can refer to anything that deters ants from your home and makes it an unsuitable place for their settlement. Often these things have to do with scents or tastes that ants naturally keep away from due to an innate aversion. By using an ant repellent you are able to create a barrier between your home and black ants so that rather than entering your home they go elsewhere. 

This differs from ant baits as ant repellents do not necessarily kill the black ants. Ant repellents were created to simply make an uninviting environment for the ants and signal them to settle in a different area. While this may work well in some cases, there’s a risk that the ants will simply avoid one room in your house and settle in another. They also do nothing to prevent the reproduction of ants as the queen ant is left unharmed so it may cause a larger infestation in the long run if not done correctly.  

Ant repellents come in both liquid and powder forms and are effectively treating your home temporarily. However, once the powder and liquid repellents get swept away or dry down, they’re no longer effective in protecting your home against black ants. If ant repellents are your chosen form of ant treatments, then you’ll have to constantly reapply them around the house to effectively protect your home.  

Ant Control Methods With Common Home Supplies 

If you would prefer to not use any chemicals in your home for whatever reason, there are natural substance solutions that you can use as an effective method to repel ants from your home. Some solutions you can make are glass cleaners and dish soap solutions, pepper or chili powder, white vinegar and water, and hot water.

Glass Cleaner and Dish Soap Solution

To control the amount of ants entering your home without any toxins or chemicals, you can use a mixture of any glass cleaner and dish soap to wipe down areas with a paper towel that you usually see ants in. 

While this doesn’t exactly repel the ants, this solution will remove the scent trail emitted by other ants that directs other ants to your home. By destroying their scent trail with the DIY solution, they are less likely to recognize your home as a food source and won’t see the need to enter your home.

Pepper or Chili Powder

Black pepper or Cayenne pepper as well as chili powder are both known to release an irritating scent to insects, especially ants. While this won’t cause any harm to the ants, it will work as a repellent and keep them from areas that have this scent. To use this method as an ant treatment, simply place pepper or chili where you have seen ants congregate or enter from. You may also place them behind appliances and areas that are prone to attract ants like the kitchen counters and bathroom.  

Though proven to be an effective ant treatment, you’ll still have to sweep your house eventually subsequently causing the repellent to be removed. If you’re looking for a long-term one-time treatment, this may not be the best choice for you. This treatment is only effective for short periods of time and requires constant reapplication to remain effective against ant infestations.

White Vinegar and Water

A common DIY cleaning combination, a mixture of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle can also help repel ants from surfaces treated with this solution. While cleaning your surfaces, the vinegar will create a barrier treatment between your home and repel them as the smell irritates black ants. 

Unlike the chili powder or black pepper, when vinegar has dried down, insects including ants are still repelled by it because they can still register the lingering smell of the vinegar. Vinegar is also an effective killing agent against ants. While it will not do any harm to ants that don’t come directly into contact with the vinegar-like ant baits, it will still help in the control of ants and infestations around your home. 

Hot Water

The most effective way to permanently treat an ant infestation is to target the ant's nest directly. While they will be often found outside in your garden, they may also live in house plants or other areas of the house. To eliminate the ants' nest, boil a pot of water and slowly pour the liquid into the nest’s opening or on top of it to saturate the entire exterior. The warm water will exterminate the ants immediately.

Call Pest Control Professionals

While it’s rare to have a massive ant infestation outbreak that cannot be treated without the need for professional help, in extreme cases commercial and DIY solutions may not be effective. If you notice a large congregation of ants or experience reoccurring ant infestations, it would be best to call your local pest control services. They will assess your home to see the root cause of the infestation and come up with a customized plan to treat your home and prevent ants from reemerging. 

Why Black Ants Occur in Your House?

As part of the ant species, black ants scavengers fight for their survival. Ant colonies will come inside your home to either search for food or create an ant nest within your exterior walls. More often than not, they’re attracted to scent trails your house may omit from food waste, trash, water leaks, or anything ants may deem useful to their entire colony. 

A regular sized colony of ants can have thousands of worker ants with one egg-laying queen to produce more ants at any given time. This means that once the ant colony settles in your home it may be quite difficult to keep them at bay due to the sheer numbers. While you may just want to leave the ants alone as they’re not necessarily harmful, if left untreated for a long period of time, black ants can form super colonies if left untreated for a long period of time. If this is the case, it would require professional help from pest control companies.

Read More: How To Kill Small Black Sugar Ants Surrounding Your House

Some Helpful Ant Prevention Tips

While black ant colonies will most likely enter your home at one point or another, there are ways to lessen the likelihood of them reappearing. To keep ants at bay and prevent them from coming to your house in the first place here are a few things you should consider doing:

1) Seal all possible food sources

The main reason black ants will enter your home is to scavenge for food. By storing food supplies including pet food properly inside your house, you’ll decrease the chances of ants coming into your home. To avoid attracting ants to your home, you can use air-tight containers and air-tight seals which will prevent the scent trail your food may leave for ants. 

In addition to this, you may want to store food wastes in a properly sealed trash can outside your home. Ants don’t have food preferences and will still be attracted to its scent once in the trash. Keeping your food waste outside in a sealed container will prevent ants from entering your home and possibly keep them away from your food wastes as well. 

2) Don’t leave food spills uncleaned

Ants are attracted to smells and scents more than anything. They’re heavily reliant on this sense when looking for food and water as well as in detecting threats. In the event of a food spill, while you may remove the initial spill and run a rag over the surface, the scent of the food lingers. This scent will be enough to attract ants to your house even if the food itself is no longer visible. To avoid ants congregating onto these surfaces, it’s advisable to not only wipe the food spills off the surface but also use a cleaning agent to remove any possible scent trails. 

3) Seal All Possible Entry Points

With the average black ant only half an inch long at most, they are able to enter your house through the smallest holes available. To prevent them from coming in, it would be a good idea to physically block and seal all entry points to your home. This includes small holes in your wall, widow gaps, door gaps, etc. If you can’t seal them completely, you can use ant chalk as a repellent around the areas that can’t be physically sealed. 

Do note that if you chose to use an ant chalk that they’re not FDA-approved but have been widely considered to be a safe and effective way to prevent ants from entering your home. 

4) Trim Tree Stump and Branches 

While you may have done everything to keep ants out of your home, it may be difficult to control ants from coming into close contact with the tree stumps and plants around your garden. To avoid migration from your garden to inside your house, you can trim the overextending branches nearest to your home. 

If ants are able to enter your home from the tree branches, they may recognize it as an abundant resource for food supply and attract other ants to seek food there as well. By trimming the tree branches, it will be less likely for tree ants to enter your home as the pathway is a lot harder now that the proximity is much wider.  

Learn More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home

The Best Pest Control Professionals at Positive Pest Management

If you’re looking to treat your home for pests or you simply want to take preventative measures, it’s best to consult with the pest management experts. Aside from comprehensive treatment plans, you’ll also be given the right guidelines to prevent re-infestations of common pests and insects. 

Whether it be carpenter ants or Argentine ant colonies, we can do it all. Positive Pest Management has been a reliable pest control service in New York for years. From commercial to residential spaces, we offer you quick and effective long-term pest management solutions at the best prices across the city. Contact us at 1-800-294-3130 for an inspection and a list of our available services today.

Have you ever said, "My house is loaded with ants inside and out. I need a good bait enough to kill them all"? Ants are one of the most common pests both homeowners and renters encounter. These tiny pests can be found both indoors and outside and will survive where they find food and water sources. Some ant species, such as carpenter ant and fire ant, can cause substantial cosmetic and structural damage to your home. Ant control must include proper sanitation in addition to an actual pesticide treatment using a combination of professional-grade outdoor and indoor ant spray and ant bait.

So how can you exterminate indoor and outdoor ant infestations with ant baits? The fastest way to control ants is finding and treating the ant colony. In most cases, pest infestation originates from outside with possible satellite colonies indoors. Ant bait contains insecticides mixed with materials that attract foraging ants looking for food along the ant trail. The ants will carry small portions of the bait back to the ant nest where it’s transferred mouth to mouth to other workers, larvae, and queens to kill the entire colony. When properly used, baits are more effective and a safer ant killer than other ant problem solutions.

What You Need to Know About Ant Baits

Although there are several options you could try when attempting to kill ants indoors and outdoors, the best way to start is to use ant bait. Ant baiting offers an entirely different strategy of the ant extermination method. This ant killer strategy can work with winged ants and ant species such as fire ant, carpenter ant, pavement ant, Argentine ant, ghost ant, sugar ant, and pharaoh ant. Rather than attempting to kill and spray the ants directly with a killing chemical, ant baits use safer materials such as boric acid, a naturally occurring substance, to affect the ants. 

What Is an Ant Bait?

Ant bait is a mixture of ingredients that work together to attract and kill ants. It’s a mixture of a toxic chemical mixed with a food item such as sugar or powder, thus attracting an insect pest. For pests such as ants, the baits only attract the insects when they come into contact with the bait while looking for food. 

Insect baits are available in many different forms. Ant bait can be solid or liquid and can be used in different applications depending on where the ant infestation is located. Granule ant baits are used mostly outdoors, while gels and soft solid materials are commonly used in offices, kitchens, and other indoor areas where ants are active.

How Can Ant Baits Exterminate Ant Infestation?

Ant bait works even when you can’t find the nest, and unlike contact pesticides, bait can wipe out the entire colony by destroying the queen. Worker ants will find the bait station and bring back the bait to the larvae for conversion into edible, liquid food, and then pass the pesticide on to the queen and the rest of the colony. They share the toxicant with other workers and queen tenders, and eventually, after 3 to 4 days, the toxicant reaches the queen and affects reproduction in the colony. However, even if the queen dies, eggs may hatch and larvae may pupate and develop into workers. Eventual control of a large colony may take 1 to 5 months.

Baits have some advantages over other types of insecticides. First, baits can work even when the nest can’t be found or it’s inaccessible for treatment with other chemicals. Second, they pose less of a risk to children and pets by reducing possible contact with any toxic chemical. Third, baits can kill the entire colony whereas most insecticides sprayed on a surface kill only the workers that contact it, and some sprays may actually be repellent. Repellents don’t kill the ants and may only direct them to another food source temporarily.

Types of Ant Baits

Ant bait can be solid or liquid, and each type can be used for different applications. These are baits that are effective for the Argentine, carpenter, ghost, odorous, pharaoh, and pavement ants when they’re on the sugar and carbohydrate or protein and grease feeding cycles. Different species of ants will be attracted to one or the other type of baits, according to the dietary needs of the ant colony.

1. Solid Ant Baits

Solid ant bait is available in powder or granule form. Solid ant bait works well indoors or outdoors. It can also be applied in the ant trail or placed directly on a suspected ant hill. The usual ingredient for granular baits is boric acid and borax ant killer. Granular baits are more practical for application outdoors, although they’re also convenient for indoor applications. Solid ant bait that’s used far from an ant nest requires foraging ants to carry it back to their nest before consumption and can often be more trouble for the ants than it’s worth. 

2. Liquid and Gel Ant Baits

Ants generally prefer a liquid to a solid because solid bait can’t be digested before transporting it back to the nest. Liquid ant bait allows ants to ingest the bait and carry it back to the nest without having to process it further. That leaves them to immediately distribute it directly to the rest of the colony and the queen. Liquid ant bait will typically be more effective and provide the desired results quicker.

Listed below are some of the most effective liquid ant baits available in the market:

a) Terro Liquid Ant Bait

Terro Liquid Ant Killer is designed for control of sweet-eating ants, including Argentine, ghost, little black, acrobat, pavement, odorous house, crazy, and cornfield ants. Terro liquid ant bait is formulated to quickly attract and kill common household ants.

Borax is the active ingredient in the Terro liquid ant bait. It interferes with the ant's digestive system, slowly killing them. This slow kill is needed to allow time for the foraging ants to make several round trips to the bait and deliver enough back to the nest to eliminate the entire colony. Ant baits containing borax are lethal to ants but have a low toxicity level for animals and humans, making them great for use in homes where children and pets live. Borax makes for a very potent bait, killing ants by disrupting their digestive system.

b) Amdro Liquid Ant Killer

Amdro Liquid Ant Bait is used to kill most common household ants such as crazy ant, odorous house ant, pavement ant, and pharaoh ant.

The active ingredient in this ant killer is hydramethylnon, a chemical compound designed to control insects. It works by enticing the worker ant to ingest the liquid bait and carry it back to the nest to transfer the bait to the queen and colony. This kills the queen and the other ants, causing the colony to collapse.

c) Advion Ant Gel

Advion Ant Bait Gel takes advantage of the natural behavior of ants. Foraging worker ants are attracted to the sweet formula of the bait. After consuming the bait, the foraging ants will return to the nest and share the bait with the rest of the colony, including the queen. By ingesting the active ingredient Indoxacarb, the ants will have their nervous systems disrupted, ultimately ending the ants’ lives and eventually the whole colony.

Advion Ant Bait Gel is a carbohydrate-based gel. Ant feeding cycles can usually be broken into two categories: carbohydrate-feeding (sweet or sugar) ants and protein-feeding (meat, grease, oil) ants. In general, liquid and gel ant baits are sweet or carbohydrate-based.

How to Determine Which Type of Ant Bait Is More Suitable For My Ant Infestation

Offering a small quantity of each kind of bait and observing which one the ants prefer is a good way to determine what to use. Ant colonies also have different nutritional needs at different times of the year or by preference.

Different attractants are more effective against different species of ants and at different times of the year. In the case of Argentine ants, sweet baits are attractive year-round. Protein baits are attractive to Argentine ants primarily in the spring. However, other ant species such as thief ants and pharaoh ants prefer protein or greasy baits year-round. 

There’s some evidence that foraging worker ants tend to specialize in the types of food they acquire and return to the nest. Some worker ants may search out and return only solid food materials to the colony, while other workers may specialize in acquiring liquid foods. To exploit this tendency and possibly increase the speed of control, you may use both liquid ant baits and granular ant baits at the same time. 

The Process of Ant Baiting

1. Prebaiting

Prebaiting, also called survey baiting, not only gives you an idea of what the ants are feeding on, but also helps pinpoint sites of the greatest feeding activity which tells you where to place your toxic baits. A beneficial part of an inspection may be a prebaiting survey that will enable the professional to map foraging trails.

The choice of baits to use for control typically will depend on the food preference of the ant. Another crucial component of the program is good sanitation so that the bait isn’t competing with other food sources. A non-toxic survey bait, such as honey, jelly, peanut butter, and diced crickets or mealworms on white index cards can be placed in various locations both indoors and outdoors. On the inside, locations to prebait include windowsills, electrical outlets, pipes and drains, sinks, countertops, toilets, and other moisture sources. Outside, survey baits can be placed at corners of window sills, at corners of the foundation, around entrances and exits, at the base of trees, outside tree holes, and at incoming and outgoing plumbing and electrical lines. 

Survey baits should be left in place at least 30 minutes to 2 hours to give the ants enough time to discover the baits and recruit enough ants to establish a trail.

2. Baiting Program

After the pre-baiting phase, you should have the right idea of what type of ants are infesting your property and their preferred food. By this time, you should’ve also located some prime feeding sites, ant trails, and maybe even points of entry.

Ant baits are typically installed around the entire perimeter of the building. Depending upon the product, an inspection of the baiting stations should be frequent to ensure effectiveness. In some homes, baits constitute the only form of pest control. Other treatments are supplemented with partial liquid ant bait.

Bait stations should be placed where ants can easily find them, but avoid placing them in areas that are accessible to pets and small children. Place baits near nests, on ant trails beneath plants, or along edges where ants travel. Space them every 10 to 20 feet outside around the foundation and at nest openings, if they can be found. 

Place your toxic baits directly on trails when possible since some ants will not wander off of their trails. Place baits along edges where ants trail such as counter edges, door moldings, wall or floor joints, window frames, and along baseboards. Also place baits near water sources such as sinks, toilets, and potted plants. 

Leave enough amounts of bait in lots of sites. Leave enough bait to last until your next service visit. Remember that toxic bait is food-based and spoiled bait can actually repel ants. Some baits without preservatives will need to be replaced weekly. Once you have discovered the most active feeding sites, concentrate your bait placements in these areas.

Control with baits isn’t immediate and may take several weeks or more to be complete. Discontinue baiting sites that have had no activity since you placed the bait.

Tips for Effective Ant Baiting

1. Do Proper Placement of Ant Bait

Place baits as closely as possible to the ant colony. If an acceptable food source is available close to the colony's location, that food source is likely to be more heavily exploited. 

2. Use Proper Amount of Ant Bait

Not placing enough bait placements is another common reason ant baits might fail in controlling an infestation. Each active foraging trail should be baited because that trail could be from a separate colony, especially in the case of the pharaoh ant. Follow-up inspections are helpful in identifying a new ant trail.

3. Be Sure to Sanitize the Baiting Spot

Baits work best when there are no other food items accessible to the ants. Remove other potential food sources as they may defer the ants to those sources of foods instead of the ant bait. Keep the baited areas clean at all times to keep other pests such as cockroaches, bed bugs, and fruit flies away as well.

4. Check Ant Baits Regularly

The biggest mistake made with ant baits is placing them and forgetting about them until the next scheduled service visit. Ant baits should be checked within one week at least, but sooner may be better for some situations. 

5. Be Patient

Ant trap strategy is slow-acting and doesn’t kill the ants quickly. You should have patience in waiting to exterminate the entire colony of ants infesting your property. 

Read more: A Guide on How to Bait Ants Successfully at Home

Types of Ants to Look Out for in an Indoor and Outdoor Infestation

1. Fire Ant

Fire ants, which are small and reddish-brown in color, build mounds in the yard that look like piles of loose dirt. This species poses the most immediate threat to humans and pets as their painful sting produces a burning sensation as well as swelling and itching. Those allergic to insect stings must be especially careful since fire ant venom can cause swelling of the throat and trouble breathing.

2. Pavement Ant

Pavement ants are brown or black in color. They commonly swarm over paving tiles in what looks like an epic battle with other pavement ants. Some pavement ants, known as alates or swarmers, have wings and can fly to begin new colonies.

3. Crazy Ant

Crazy ants will typically build their nests outdoors and will travel into homes and buildings foraging for food. They’re typically reddish-brown in color and are approximately 1/8 of an inch in length. Crazy ants will nest in both dry and moist areas; outside they can be found nesting in the soil, in tree cavities, under rocks, under rotten wood, and under buildings.

4. Odorous House Ant

An odorous house ant is a small brown or black ant that nests in walls and under floors. They’re drawn to sugar and are most active in the spring and summer months. Odorous house ants are tiny but fast. They usually travel in lines, but if they’re disturbed or alarmed, they’ll run around erratically, releasing their odor as they run.

Learn more: What Is the Best Bait for Odorous Ants?

Exterminate Ants Professionally With Positive Pest Management

Depending on how severe your ant infestation is at home, a professional service might be needed to ensure that these ants will go away permanently. Our skilled technicians will eradicate your indoor ants and outdoor ants, bees, cockroaches, and termites such as drywood termites and subterranean termites to allow you to once again enjoy both your indoor and outdoor spaces. At Positive Pest Management, we specialize in dealing with complex pest infestations and helping you get life back to normal. Contact us today to schedule your initial check-up.

Ants can be quite destructive to all yard types once their numbers begin to get out of control and in plague proportions. The ant colony can cause significant cosmetic damage to your lawn as they create mounds of excavated soil on the surface of your yard known as an ant hill. Their damage can then transfer to paving and other areas around the home. By utilizing a few different methods and ant killer products, you can deal with your ant problem in no time.

So what’s the outdoor ant bait for yard that can effectively exterminate the ant infestation? Ant baiting is one of the best methods for getting rid of an ant infestation in your yard. There are different types of ant bait products such as granule baits, powder baits, liquid ant baits, and reusable bait stations. To choose the best ant baiting product, homeowners should consider the ant species, the most strategic placement for the ant bait, and the durability of the ant bait.

Ant Infestation in the Yard

Ants such as the household ant can be active year-round, but primarily become a concern once the first warm, sunny days of spring arrive. They continue to grow more active as summer approaches, and only slow down again once fall arrives. These pesky ants prefer dry, well-drained soil in an undisturbed low-traffic area. 

A healthy lawn with a nice healthy thatch layer and plenty of green leaves is not a welcoming environment for ants. Ants prefer yards that are in poor health, which are sparse or patchy in areas. Yards in this condition become a perfect environment for ants to thrive and flourish. Yard-dwelling ants such as fire ants, carpenter ants, and field ants are generally not an issue because these are not the stinging sort, but some species have a habit of undermining grass roots and can cause large dead patches in the lawn.

How Do Ants Damage the Yard?

Since ants form social communities, which can live in an area just a few inches wide or in a space many feet across, ant populations and their associated problems will vary. Ant hills can be an unpleasant sight and kill off your grass. Large populations of ants and ant hills can make your yard unwelcoming for leisure activities. Additionally, ants on your property provide an invitation to other pests. Having one pest on your property is often a sign that your yard and home may be infested with others.

Ants such as field ants, farming ants, and army ants can all damage your grass if the situation is left untreated. Field ants' mounds damage the grass. They destroy the grass's root structures, causing brown spots to develop in the greenery. Ant mounds can also make the surface of your grass uneven and tougher to mow. Army ants move together in large groups and kill all of the foliage in an area. A group of army ants can eat and destroy entire sections of your yard, killing the grass.

How Does Outdoor Baiting Work?

Baiting ants offers an entirely different strategy for managing ant infestation. Rather than attempting to spray the ants directly with a killing chemical, ant baits use safer materials, usually boric acid, a naturally occurring substance that’s also found in cleaning boosters and contact lens solution. Most ant bait traps are a mixture of something ants are attracted to. Bait trap contains carbohydrates, proteins, oils, or a combination of these attractants along with an active ingredient. Different attractants are more effective against different species of ants and at different times of the year. Ant species such as odorous house ant, little black ant, pavement ant, and sugar ant prefer sweet baits. On the other hand, carpenter ant, fire ant, pharaoh ant, and Argentine ant will go for protein-filled baits. The goal is to have the worker ants bring the ant bait back to the colony, feed it to the queen, and eventually kill her and the entire colony.

The key to successful ant baiting is observation. Make sure that the bait you use is attracting the type of ants in your yard. Place a small amount of bait in the bait station where you see ants foraging and then watch how they respond to the bait for a few minutes. If the ants show no interest in the bait, try a different bait until you find one that they will readily eat. Most ant baits are slow-acting and don’t kill the ants quickly. Therefore, you may continue to see ants for a week or more after baiting.

Different Types of Outdoor Ant Baits

1. Granule Baits

Granular baits are one of the most versatile pesticide formulations in the pest control industry. You can use granular baits to treat all kinds of pests that are found on your property such as ants. Granular bait is especially effective as an ant killer because it kills ants before they even get a chance to try and make their way indoors.

Bait granule is usually used to spot treat ants or other pests on your lawn or garden or as preventative treatments around structures. However, for the best possible results, it’s wise to spread the granule bait over an entire area where the insects forage for food. 

Granular baits are food particles treated with an insecticide or an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR). Granule bait consists of a solid particle that contains an insecticide impregnated into the granule as well as attractants and food particles for the target insects. The type of ant killer insecticide inside a granule bait can vary, from more natural ingredients such as borax, boric acid, or diatomaceous earth to synthetic or man-made insecticide materials such as synthetic pyrethroids and neonicotinoids.

2. Gel Ant Baits

Gel ant baits take advantage of the natural behavior of ants traveling their ant trail. Foraging worker ants are attracted to the sweet formula of the bait. After consuming the bait, the foraging ants will return to the nest and share the bait with the rest of the colony, including the queen. If an ant ingests the active ingredient Indoxacarb, its nervous system is disrupted, ultimately ending in death. Gel formulations of pesticide baits are packaged in small tubes. They’re applied in small cracks and crevices where ants are entering, preferably in their ant mound or ant nest. Gel products are now available to home users as well as professionals and can be a useful tool in an IPM ant killer.

3. Reusable Bait Stations

Reusable bait stations or dispensers are more useful than prepackaged baits for more difficult ant problems. Reusable stations can be opened, checked, and refilled as needed. This is particularly important for liquid bait, which may be rapidly consumed or dry out. Some stations have removable cups that can be filled with two or more types of baits to offer ants a choice. Examples of liquid ant bait are Amdro fire ant bait, Terro liquid ant bait, and homemade liquid bait.

Bait stations protect baits from photodegradation and disturbance from other organisms. Some types of bait stations can be permanently installed into the ground or attached to outside walls or pavements in areas around schools or other buildings where ants are a frequent problem. The bait stations may be hidden in mulch so they’re not immediately visible to children or pets.

Learn more: Natural Ant Bait Recipes That Actually Work

Application Tips for Ant Baits in Yards

1. Safely place and store ant baits

Place the bait station near the line of ants close to their point of entry so they have to crawl over it, but be sure it’s out of reach of children and pets and not near food that could become contaminated. It’s also recommended that ant bait stations are placed where ants can easily find them. Avoid placing them in areas that are accessible to pets and small children. Place baits near nests, on ant trails beneath plants, or along edges where ants travel. Space them every 10 to 20 feet outside around the foundation and at nest openings (if they can be found). Place gels in cracks and crevices behind and under appliances, cabinets, sinks, or closets.

Read more: What Are Child Safe Ways to Bait and Kill Ants?

2. Avoid competition

To improve bait effectiveness, be sure to remove any particles of food, residues of sweet liquids, or other attractive material from cracks around sinks, pantries, and other ant-infested areas. Ants eat a wide variety of foods, including seeds and fruit. They especially like foods high in fat. Keep all tempting foods away from the baited mounds so that the ants feast only on the bait.

3. Monitor ant bait regularly

Check and refresh bait stations regularly. Baits can dry up or become rancid and unattractive over time. It’s also important to leave enough bait for the ants for several days. If the ants carry away all of the bait before you refill the bait, then they may leave that area and go somewhere else before enough bait is spread within the colony. Large ant colonies may require multiple locations and amounts of bait. It’s recommended to place bait that’s enough for 4 days after you see no more signs of feeding by the ants.

4. Be patient

Most bait stations are slow-acting and don’t kill the ants quickly. It takes time for the bait to affect the ants. You’ll probably see ants during this period, but remember that they’re busy spreading the bait. Don’t disturb or kill the ants with ant spray or other means. Spraying the flying ants or the area baited will contaminate the bait and likely repel the ants away from the area. Doing so will disrupt the destruction cycle already set in motion.

Read more: How to Exterminate Indoor and Outdoor Ant Infestation With Ant Baits

Free Your Lawn From Ant Infestation With Positive Pest Management

If you’re spotting a lot of ants in your yard, contact the pest control experts at Positive Pest Management. Our ant control experts can identify, get rid of, and prevent the ants indoors and ants in your yard from getting into your home.

At Positive Pest Management, our technicians are trained to get rid of ant colonies that may be plaguing your yard. Our team can also identify other issues that having ants may be causing, and we’ll recommend steps to remedy the problem. Give us a call to schedule your ant extermination so you can enjoy your yard this summer.

An ant invasion is not only a source of nuisance but also a cause of damages to pieces of furniture and the property. Repellents and insecticides are two of the common products that control ant infestation. However, these products often contain toxic chemicals and substances that are harmful to people, especially young children. 

So what are child safe ant bait products and methods to treat the ant problem at home? Parents can create a safe ant killer with ingredients they can easily find at home or buy from the store. Some natural ingredients that can be used for setting up a bait trap for ants are white vinegar, baking soda, bay leaves, essential oils, dishwashing soap, and diatomaceous earth. 

Kid-Friendly Pest Control Options for The Home  

Little kids love to snack anywhere in the house and the crumbs that fall and litter all over the floor are attractive to the ants. The most common ant species of indoor ants are carpenter ant, Argentine ant, fire ant, odorous house ant, and pharaoh ant (sugar ant). Most of them, including pavement ants, are attracted to food items, while crazy ants can be found in electrical wirings and equipment. 

Commercial insecticides such as Raid Ant Bait, Advance Ant Bait, and Terro Liquid Ant Bait are effective solutions but they may require some precaution since they can be toxic for use around kids. With that said, there are safe and easy-to-make alternatives for preventing and controlling ants at home: 

1. White vinegar solution 

Creating an insect repellent spray out of white vinegar is easy and quick. Just combine equal parts of water and vinegar in a bottle, shake, and apply them directly on the ant trail. These insects send pheromones along their trail to guide the other worker ants to the food. When sprayed on their path, the pungent smell of the vinegar can hide the pheromones so other ants cannot crawl to other parts of the home.

2. Baking soda 

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is known as a natural insecticide for ants. Its chemical composition contains a mineral acid that can mix with their digestive system and dehydrates their bodies until they die. To create an ant trap with baking soda, mix equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar in a small container. It should be placed in the area near their ant trails so they will pick up the bait and bring it to their colony. 

3. Bay leaves 

Bay leaves are a natural pest-repellent plant. They can help prevent ant infestation in the kitchen and pantry where foods are stocked. When you put fresh or dried bay leaves inside cupboards or near the jars of grains and cereals, ants will naturally avoid them since they dislike the taste and strong scene of bay leaves.  

4. Essential oils

Limonene is a chemical found in most citrus-based essential oils such as orange oil and lemon eucalyptus oil. This substance can effectively kill ants by dissolving their exoskeletons until they are dried out and left without proteins which leads to their death. 

Other types of essential oil that can repel and exterminate ants are peppermint, tea tree oil, and cinnamon leaf oil (an alternative for this is a cinnamon powder which can be spread directly on their colony). These oils can be applied on cupboards and countertops using a cotton ball or using a spray bottle. 

5. Dish soap and water solution

Dish soap products can also be used for creating a spray solution to take care of ants. It requires creating a mixture of soap and water and putting them in a spray bottle. It should be spritzed directly on their trails or their colony (if visible), and it works by suffocating the ants until they are killed.

6. Diatomaceous earth (DE)

Diatomaceous earth is a powder treatment made up of diatoms which are a fossilized type of algae. This treatment usually requires sprinkling the powder along their usual trails. When ants crawl over the powder, it sticks to their bodies and begins to absorb the oils and proteins from the ant’s exoskeleton which will slowly dry them out until they die. It’s generally safe for both kids and pets as long as it is applied carefully. 

Learn more: Natural Ant Bait Recipes That Actually Work

How to Manage Ants at Home 

The best way to avoid ant infestation from getting out of control is to implement preventive measures that will make the home unappealing to ants. Some precautionary actions that can help in managing insect activity at home are: 

• Keep areas and surfaces in the kitchen clean: The kitchen is one of the locations that foraging ants frequent because of the abundance of food supply and leftover crumbs. Dirty dishes can also attract ants so it’s important to immediately clean them after every meal. Counters should also be wiped clean to remove any residue that can cause ants to litter in the kitchen.  
• Store food in tightly closed containers: Make sure that any snacks placed in containers are properly sealed since ants can crawl their way even in the small openings if they are poorly closed. 
• Regularly throw out the garbage outside the home: Ants can also be seen going in and out of trash cans. This happens when you’ve thrown out old food and ants detect their smell from the outside. You should immediately take out the trash and place them in outdoor bins to keep ants from roaming indoors. 
• Do daily cleaning of the house: Sweep floors or vacuum under large appliances and furniture as food crumbs and debris can accumulate in these areas. You should also check for any leaks under counters and sinks since excess moisture can also attract these pests. 
• Secure holes and gaps that can be accessed from the outside: Ants can enter through any cracks that are accessible from the exterior of the home. Seal with ant-proof adhesive tape or caulk (works the same as a sealant) to close any openings in wall surfaces or pipes where ants can pass through. 

What Ant Bait Chemicals Are Toxic for Kids  

To eliminate ants for good, it’s important to do a thorough inspection of the home to determine the possible location of the ant colony. Getting rid of ants permanently requires taking out the entire colony to avoid re-infestation. 

An ant colony typically comprises a queen, workers, and males. Like termites who are social insects, they have castes where each ant is assigned a particular role. Queens are the head of the colony and are in charge of reproduction along with the male ants. There is also a worker ant (foraging ants) whose main purpose is to gather food and soldier ants who will defend their nest. 

Most ant killer products contain strong chemicals that can wipe out an entire colony and destroy their anthill mound. These substances are toxic and oftentimes deemed not safe for children and pets. Some of the active ingredients that are present in insecticides include borax, fipronil, avermectin, permethrin, neonicotinoids, hydramethylnon, indoxacarb, and metaflumizone.  

What To Do When Kids Come In Contact With Ant Killer Products

There is generally a low risk of poisoning since these products have a low concentration of chemicals and it cannot work on humans in the same way that it does on ants. But when children unintentionally come into contact with these baits and insecticides, it’s safer to watch closely for any signs of irritation. 

They may also develop nausea, headaches, vomiting, muscle weakness, and skin rashes upon being exposed to pesticides. If there’s direct contact with their skin or eyes, immediately rinse off the bait from the affected with clean water and soap. If they tasted the insecticide, cleanse the mouth with lots of water. Medical care should be given if their symptoms persist. 

Other Kinds of Ant Killer Products 

If there are still ants scattered inside the home even after laying down homemade traps, there are commercial ant killer products that can be easily bought in stores such as: 

1. Boric acid 

Boric acid is an active ingredient that is present in household cleaning products and detergent solutions. It is also considered a natural pesticide that can target the nervous system and exoskeletons of ants. It’s available both in powder form which can be placed on their ant trails or it can be diluted with water to make liquid bait and spray. 

2. Ant gel 

They are a type of bait that comes in squeezable gel formulations. Most ant gels are sweet and sugary which are the tastes that most house ants love. It has a syringe on its packaging where the gel will easily come out when squeezed. They can easily be injected into cracks and crevices where ants are usually active. It also has a safety lock that prevents the tube from squeezing out the gel when children play with the product. 

3. Ant spray

Aerosol ant sprays are effective for keeping ants from entering indoors. They’re considered as a localized spot treatment since they require to be directly sprayed on the area where ants reside or along their trails. They can also be used as a residual insect spray to keep the house free from insects for a short time. They can release toxic fumes so it’s important to keep children and pets away when using the spray. 

Read more: A Guide on How to Bait Ants Successfully at Home

How to Keep Kids Safe from Ant Killer Products 

When planning for DIY ant control at home, be mindful of handling and placing an ant bait station to make sure children do not make contact with them. Check the back label and review its contents for any toxic chemicals. You should follow the instructions for proper usage of the baits and position them in out-of-reach areas. 

Once the traps have been stationed, you should wash hands before touching and playing with children. Return any unused bait in its packaging and lock them in cabinets and high places where the kids cannot easily get them. 

Control Ant Infestations with Positive Pest Management 

Using natural ingredients to create a homemade kid and pet safe ant killer is a viable alternative to the traps, gels, and sprays that often contain harmful chemicals. It can also help to consult with pest control professionals like Positive Pest Management to find the right treatment that can safely exterminate ants for good. 

At Positive Pest Management, we are dedicated to providing efficient solutions that can solve your ant problems. Our team is equipped with knowledge and technique in using the latest ant baits and insecticides to make your home space entirely pest-free. Call us now to learn more about our pest control services.  

Termites and ants are both nuisance pests that trouble homeowners each year. Their infestation could mean significant property damage since they can both attack the wood structure that makes up the foundation of the home. Knowing how to control them can minimize the destruction they can bring upon your assets. 

So will ant bait kill termites the same way it exterminates ants? Termites feed on wood and other cellulose-rich materials while ants mostly get their nourishment from sweets and sugary liquids. While bait stations effectively lure out ants and termites from their nest, it’s important to consider their food sources, and food baits for ants will not be as attractive for termites. 

Pest Management for Ants and Termites: The Similarities and Differences 

Termites and ant species are both social insects. They build and live in colonies where there is a specific caste system consisting of reproductives (king and queen), workers, and soldiers. The termite worker and ant worker have similar functions where they gather food for the entire colony and build nests and galleries. 

Commercial ant and termite bait stations have the same mechanism where they lure out the workers. They need ingredients that are appealing to the pests and mix them with a poisonous substance. Ant traps are usually placed near their colony or along the path of their ant trail. Meanwhile, termite traps are positioned above or under the ground surrounding the home. Sometimes, homemade termite baits can also be placed

Bait treatments are slow-acting since ants and termites pick up the poisoned food from the station and bring it back to the colony to share with the rest of its members. But once they distribute the food in their nest, the poison can completely eradicate their entire population.  

How Do Baits Work?  

There are two types of bait that can be used for ant control: solid bait (powder or granule forms) and liquid bait. In most cases, a liquid ant bait is more preferred by ants since they only need to ingest it in order to transport and share with their ant nest. Solid ant baits require more work since they need to be digested so they can carry them to their colony. 

Sweet substances and protein-rich food baits are effective for most ant species like carpenter ant, fire ant, and Argentine ant. Black ants are also drawn to sugary liquids and snacks, as well as a small dead insect. Fire ant bait can also use greasy substances, oils, and fats from meat.  

On the other hand, most termite species (such as subterranean termite and drywood termites) get their nutrition from cellulose obtained in wood, leaves, and dead grass. For this reason, using baits that are high in cellulose such as timber, decaying wood, log stakes, paper, and cardboard, and lacing them with lethal toxins can be an effective termite killer. 

The common active ingredients used for pesticides and insecticides are borax and boric acid. They are both derived from the same compound (Boron) but they have different formulations. Borax is typically in powder form and it is widely used in cleaning and detergent products. Borax solutions are also used for pressure-treated wood to protect them from termite infestation. 

Boric acid is the more refined and processed form of the mineral. It is more effective in termite extermination compared to borax since it is easier to ingest. It can kill an insect by penetrating its exoskeletons and working its way into its nervous and digestive system. It can affect their metabolism and dry out their skin until they are dehydrated to their death. 

Strategies for Effective Ant and Termite Baiting 

Before deciding to use bait stations, a thorough inspection of the home must be done by pest control professionals. They can help in identifying the source of invasive ants or termites so that the bait will be placed in the right location. In some cases, the bait will need to be installed outdoors and this will require inserting the trap underground in the soil surrounding the property. 

To successfully eradicate the entire colony or carpenter ant nest, the bait system should be accessible to the foraging ants or termites and should contain suitable food for them. When managed and monitored regularly, bait stations can also be a viable long-term solution. Here are some tips for effective ant and termite baiting: 

1. Locate the source of their activity

Conducting a termite inspection to target specific areas where there are signs of their infestation. Indoor ants are likely to be found near food sources such as the kitchen, pantry, and cupboards. They can also crawl on floorings, inside wall surfaces, under appliances, and behind air conditioning and heating units. 

Meanwhile, termites can enter the homes through wood-to-ground contact. They can easily sneak in through holes and crevices in door frames, porch steps, and any wooden structures that are in contact with soil. Because of this, termite baits are usually stationed under the ground surrounding the property. 

2. Put a sufficient amount of bait

Whether you’re using solid or liquid bait, make sure that there is enough food on the trap so that it will not be quickly emptied. Keep on checking and restocking the bait for at least a week until there are no more signs of active infestation within the area. 

3. Let them consume the bait peacefully 

Once you’ve set up the bait system, you mustn’t disturb the ants while they are feeding on it. Do not attempt to kill them with an insecticide spray as it will only contaminate the bait or repel them away from the baited area. 

Likewise, be sure to remove other competitive food sources so that they will not be distracted from finding the bait. As much as possible, apply the bait in areas where there is no food so that there will not be any risks of food contamination in the household.  

4. Be patient  

Most baits take time to completely put a stop to infestations. It may take several days up to a week to attain complete elimination, but each ant that digests the bait may die within 24 to 48 hours. Meanwhile, termite bait stations need to be monitored and maintained periodically to ensure continuous protection from infestation. They may take a few months until they discover the stations and begin feeding on them.  

Read more: How to Exterminate Indoor and Outdoor Ant Infestation With Ant Baits

Understanding the Comparison Between Ants and Termites 

Ants and termites are the main sources of pest control problems in many households. While they are both wood-destroying insects, it takes a trained eye to recognize their differences and tell them apart from one another. It helps to know their unique characteristics so you can identify what kind of infestation you have at home and implement the right solution.

1. Physical features

Generally, ants have a head, thorax, and abdomen while termites only have a head and thorax. When comparing their reproductive swarmers, flying ants have pinched waists, crooked antennae, and a pair of wings of uneven size. The bodies of ant swarmers can be black, dark brown, or reddish. On the other hand, a worker ant can measure from 1/8 inch to 5/8 in length and appear red, yellow, brown, or black.  

For termite swarmers, they have a straight antenna and their set of wings are usually of equal length with distinct vein patterns on the front wings. Unlike ants, the winged termites have wider bodies and straight waists and can appear light brown or black. Worker termites can be creamy white or pale with round heads, and strong mandibles and teeth which they use to chew on wood.

2. Behavior

Ants do not necessarily eat wood, but they can dig and create tunnels and nests inside them. They prefer human food such as sweets, sugars, carbohydrates, and fats. When worker ants find a food source, they send out signals (pheromone) along their trail so other ants can follow and line up to get their share of food. This makes ant infestation easier to detect, especially if their trail is in an exposed area.

Termites, on the other hand, depend on wood for their nutrition especially since they need cellulose to survive. Drywood termites, in particular, can live without soil and thrive inside wooden structures and fixtures for years without being detected; whereas subterranean termites and dampwood termites both prefer living in moist areas and need water for their sustenance.

If there’s one thing ants and termites have in common, it is their reproduction cycle. During their swarming season, the winged males and females leave their nests to pair off. Once they’ve found their partners, they will shed their wings on the ground and look for a new place to build a nest where the queen will lay her eggs and grow a new termite colony.

3. Places of interest

Except for drywood termites, ants and termites can attack decaying and wet wood outdoors. This can include building their colonies in tree stumps, old logs, firewood stakes, and mulch. They can also be found in damaged windows and door frames, under leakages in water pipes and sinks, and crawl spaces near plumbing areas indoors. However, wooden furniture, antique fixtures, cabinets, and baseboards are more livable for the drywood species.  

4. Signs of infestation

The first sign of possible ant problems is ant frass or droppings. Carpenter ants like to keep their habitats clean, and they will usually push out wood-like shavings as soon as they finish excavating on the wood. These droppings will typically accumulate outside the ant colony along with other piles of dirt and any dead insect that they have kicked out from the wood.

Another sign of carpenter ant infestation is when you see ant pathways that lead to their food source. Follow these trails and you might see that they have begun infiltrating open jars of snacks or leftover food. A nest site that looks like a pile of soil or dirt can also mean that ants have invaded your home.

Meanwhile, discarded wings on window sills, floorings, and crevices are often a sign of termite infestation. They can also leave behind termite droppings or fecal pellets outside their nests. Evidence of termite damage can also include hollow sounds on wood, noises inside walls, and the presence of mud tubes.

Other Termite Treatment Options 

It’s important to immediately manage termites at the first sign of infestation before it’s too late. And if you’re unsure on where to begin looking for termites, a team of pest control experts can help in inspecting the home and determining the source of your termite problem. Depending on the recommendation of the professionals, these pests can be managed and exterminated by:

1. Soil treatment

Soil treatment is a preferred solution for subterranean termites who live in underground colonies. This works by filling the soil surrounding the home’s foundation with liquid termiticide. This treatment only acts as a barrier that prevents termite workers from making their way indoors.

Fipronil is the most common chemical substance used for liquid termiticides. As a chemical solution, it can poison the termites and drive away any foragers who will attempt to cross the barrier and enter through gaps and cracks in the structure under the ground. When used in high concentrations, fipronil can be considered an instant termite killer.

2. Wood treatment

Wood treatment describes the process of protecting wood from being a target of infestation and preventing them from decaying. Chemical-based termite sprays can be used on wooden fixtures to repel any kinds of pests from damaging them. Adding new coats of varnish can also help to treat and enhance the look of the furniture.   

Another method is using pressure-treated wood. This method usually involves using high pressure to inject chemical preservatives into the wood to protect it from decaying, mold, water damage, and termite infestation. Borate is among the widely used wood treatment sprays for surfaces and structures during construction.

3. Tent fumigation

Fumigation or tenting is the recommended technique for drywood termite control. The process involves putting a tarp or tent over the house before releasing the fumigant or chemical gas onto the property. 

The fumigant will penetrate through the cracks hard-to-reach places deep inside the wood where termites are residing. The toxic gas will affect the nervous system of the termites and exhaust their oxygen until they die.

Since it’s a complex treatment method, fumigation is usually performed by licensed pest control professionals. Residents also need to be out of the vicinity of their house when the gas is released since it can be harmful.

4. Diatomaceous earth (DE)

Diatomaceous earth is a powder solution made from silica. It is made up of different diatoms which are a fossilized type of algae. It has sharp edges which can instantly cut and penetrate the exoskeletons of the termites.

It requires to be sprinkled around areas where there is high termite activity. When they crawl over the DE powder, their skin will be cut open and their bodies will start draining fluids until they die of dehydration.

5. Nematodes

Beneficial nematodes are natural parasites that can feed on any kinds of insects including termites. These microscopic roundworms contain symbiotic gut bacteria which are poisonous to the blood of the termites.

When these parasites enter into their host termite, they will release the toxic bacterium which can mix with their blood and kill them within a few days. Once their host is dead, they will move on to another body, continuing the process of infesting them until the whole termite nest is exterminated. Nematodes are recommended for controlling advanced termite infestation for a long time.

Advantages of Baits for Termite Control 

Choosing the suitable termite treatment can be determined by a variety of factors including the type of termite infestation and home environment. Bait systems are a tried-and-tested method for controlling termites. They are also advantageous for different reasons which include:

• Minimal property damage: Bait systems are installed in the soil around the perimeter outside of the home. They do not require any drilling on the floorings and walls inside the house.
• Safe: Unlike liquid termiticides that inject chemicals into the soil within the property, the chemicals in bait systems are minimal and they are mixed with the food placed in the trap. There’s little risk for exposure to insecticide poisoning since the toxin-laced bait is buried in the ground.   
• Long-lasting: When the bait trap is installed properly, it can be effective in providing long-term protection from future termite infestations. It’ll need regular maintenance from a pest control professional to re-bait the stations and ensure they are still properly placed in the ground to prevent termites from returning.  

Get Rid of Termites with Positive Pest Management 

A termite bait station generally works the same with ant baits where it draws termites to food laced with poisonous substances. Its success depends on finding the right locations where the baits will be stationed and our experts at Positive Pest Management can do that for you.

Here at Positive Pest Management, we have dedicated and trained staff who are highly capable of detecting the source of termite infestation. We offer quality insecticide products and use the latest technology in extermination to eliminate all kinds of pests for good. Contact us now for a free estimate and learn about our services.  

Certain ant species tend to bury large food sources that can’t be easily carried back to their nest. This essentially allows them to break down large chunks of the food source into smaller pieces, allowing them to bring it back to their colony bit by bit. If you’re currently using ant baits to deal with an infestation in your home, you’ll probably encounter this behavior. And while this does make baiting and poisoning the ants easier, the mess they make will still leave you annoyed and frustrated.

So how can you deal with ants covering bait with dirt? By taking measures to prevent them from doing that in the first place. Read on below to find out more.

Tips to Prevent Ants From Covering Bait With Dirt

You can’t stop ants from doing that once they've started since you need them to take the poison home. However, there are ways for you to prevent them from doing that in the first place, minimize the mess they’ll leave, and maintain peace of mind during the process.

1. Avoid leaving large solid baits

As mentioned above, the main reason ants cover food in dirt is that it’s too big to be brought home in one piece. So if you don’t want them burying your ant baits in a similar way, best set them in smaller, lighter chunks. Make sure they’re spread out evenly near the anthill so the ants can easily smell them.

2. Opt for liquid ant baits

You could also use liquid ant baits instead of solid ones. Liquid ant baits will help you avoid dealing with ants covering bait with dirt, and cleaning it up afterward will be much easier. But more importantly, liquid ant baits are more effective when it comes to slowly eradicating ants.

3. Clean the surrounding area

To cover large chunks of bait and food, ants will collect any bits of debris they can find. This will include dirt, hair, colony garbage, and even exoskeletons of their fellow ants. By cleaning and sanitizing the area surrounding their colony, you’ll be able to deny them access to these debris, thus reducing the chances of them burying your ant traps in dirt.

4. Place the bait near the ant mound

Moreover, ants only cover food in dirt if it’s too far from their colony. By setting your ant bait near their home, you’ll minimize the chances of them doing so. Granted, they might still use dirt to build scaffoldings and break down the food source into smaller pieces, but at least they won’t make too much mess.

5. Replace baits regularly

Lastly, you need to replace ant baits from time to time. Ant baits age like other food sources, and some of them can get neglected by the ants the longer they stay buried. By checking the lures you set regularly, you can replace those that’ll not serve their purpose. You can also prevent ants from burying your traps since you’ll replace them before they even start collecting dirt.

Best Ant Baits in the Market

Ant traps aren’t that hard to come by. In fact, you can easily get them from your nearest stores, supermarkets, and online retail. Below are some of the most popular ant baits available.

1. Advance 375A Ant Bait

Protein-based and slow-acting, Advance 375A Ant Bait is perfect for eradicating various ant species, including the odorous ant, the pavement ant, the carpenter ant, and the fire ant. This product contains abamectin, a compound that attacks an ant’s nervous system and leaves their bodies paralyzed. Abamectin can effectively eradicate your ant infestation without causing harm to your plants and shrubs.

2. Advion Ant Bait Gel

If you’re dealing with sugar-craving ants, opt for Advion Ant Bait Gel. Made with Indoxacarb, this product is notable for its slightly delayed effects. It’ll kill ants within days of consumption, but it’ll keep them alive long enough to bring the ant bait home for their fellow ants to eat. But more importantly, this ant killer comes in a gel form that makes it easy for ants to climb over and break down, removing the need to bury it in dirt.

3. Amdro Ant Bait Granules

Meanwhile, Amdro Ant Bait Granules will help you eradicate ants outside your home. Made especially for outdoor pest control, it’s effective in ornamental gardens, lawns, and other landscaped areas. It’s perfect against at least 17 ant species, including the Argentine ant, the carpenter ant, and the Pharaoh ant. For best results, set this ant bait during the period where ants are most active.

4. Intice Gelanimo Ant Bait

With its patented gel-like consistency, Intice Gelanimo Ant Baits allow ants to feed off its surface without the need to use dirt as scaffolding. This reduces the mess you’ll have to deal with afterward, and it allows more ants to get chunks of it (depending on how strategically you place it). Additionally, this bait will not get sticky or gooey over time, allowing the ants to take it without drowning or getting stuck.

5. Invict Xpress Granular Bait

If you’re looking for a faster ant killer, go for Invict Xpress Granular Bait. This product contains Imidacloprid to kill ants quickly. However, it also has various powerful ingredients that’ll easily lure ants and keep them alive long enough to encourage other ants to take the bait. Plus, it can be effectively used to get rid of larger pests like roaches and crickets.

6. Maxforce Granules

According to its advertisers, Maxforce Granules are so delicious that ants won’t be able to resist it and so effective that they won’t be back for seconds. Available in various granule sizes and flavors, this product can help you eradicate a broader spectrum of ants, cockroaches, crickets, and other pests. Maxforce Granules can be used against ant infestations indoors and outdoors.

7. Optigard Ant Bait Gel

Optigard Ant Bait Gel is another sugar-based, slow-acting ant lure to consider. Notable for containing thiamethoxam, it’s capable of killing the ant queen as well as the rest of the ant colony. It doesn't come with that yellow-brown color or runny consistency that turns off ants, too. Optigard Ant Bait Gel is ideal against the Pharaoh ant, the Argentine ant, the odorous ant, and the carpenter ant among others.

8. Terro T300B Liquid Ant Bait

Terro Liquid Ant Bait contains borax, a milder version of boric acid that destroys an ant’s digestive system and eventually kills it. Despite its kill rate, it’ll keep target ants alive long enough to go back to their colonies and entice their comrades to harvest the rest of the bait. Plus, Terro ant bait comes in liquid form, meaning ants won’t have to cover it in dirt to harvest it.

Read more: How to Exterminate Indoor and Outdoor Ant Infestation With Ant Baits

Call Positive Pest Management for Your Ant Problem

Don’t be surprised if you encounter ants covering bait with dirt; that’s completely normal. Instead, you should do everything you can to minimize the mess they leave, and call your trusted pest control for larger ant infestations.

Too busy to deal with ant infestations on your own? Call Positive Pest Management right away! Servicing New York City and Nassau County, Long Island, we guarantee quality pest control. With our team of experts, we promise that your ant problem will be a thing of the past.

Interested in our pest control services? Give us a call to get a quote.

Tapinoma sessile, better known as the odorous house ant, is an ant species native to the United States. True to their name, they emit a foul odor whenever attacked or killed. They regularly enter houses in search of food, and they tend to nest in large numbers. So it's important to perform proper odorous ant control as soon as you spot them. Thankfully, these pesky insects are not hard to deal with, and they can easily be lured out using ant baits.

Now you might be asking, what’s the best bait for odorous ants? There are many great ant killer products in the market these days. All of them are slow-acting and effective enough to help you eradicate odorous ant infestations. You just need to pick the brand that will best meet your needs.

Best Odorous Ant Baits Available in the Market

Ant traps for T. sessile aren’t that hard to come by. You can easily find them at your nearest stores and supermarkets, and they’re also available online. Below are six of the most recommended odorous ant baits you can buy.

1. Advance 375A Ant Bait

Advance 375A Ant Baits contain abamectin, a substance that can paralyze odorous ants by targeting their nervous systems. This product is a slow-acting, protein-based pesticide that’s effective against odorous ants, carpenter ants, fire ants, and others. And since abamectin is typically used to treat agricultural areas, you can set the Advance 375A ant lure without worrying about your plants and shrubs.

2. Invict Xpress Granular Bait

Invict Xpress Granular Baits can eradicate your odorous ant problem at record speed. This product contains various powerful attractants that’ll easily lure ants, and it has ample amounts of Imidacloprid to instantly snuff these insects out. Aside from eradicating ants, it’s very effective in getting rid of slightly larger pests, including roaches, crickets, silverfish, and earwigs.

3. Advion Ant Bait Gel

Since sugar ant species like odorous ants prefer foraging for sweet food, Advion Ant Bait Gels will easily draw them out of their nests. This ant bait is notable for its slightly delayed effects, as well as its Indoxacarb content. Not only will it kill ants within days of application, but it’ll also maintain its integrity long enough to be picked up by other odorous ants from neighboring colonies. This will result in a more extensive odorous ant de-infestation.

4. Optigard Ant Bait Gel

Optigard Ant Bait Gel is another powerful, slow-acting ant repellent that’s designed to draw out sugar-loving ants. Its notable ingredients include thiamethoxam, a broad-spectrum insecticide capable of killing not only the odorous ant workers but their queen as well. Moreover, it doesn’t have that yellow-brown color or runny consistency displayed by other ant bait products. Optigard Ant Bait Gel is great against the odorous ants, the Pharaoh ant, the Argentine ant, and the carpenter ant among other ant species.

5. Intice Gelanimo Ant Bait

With its patented gel-like consistency, Intice Gelanimo Ant Baits allow ants to feed off its surface. It also doesn't get sticky or gooey over time, enabling more of these pesky insects to partake without drowning in the lure. In short, it allows you to trap and get rid of more odorous ants. Additionally, you can cut Intice Gelanimo Ant Baits into smaller pieces so your targets can bring it back to their nests.

6. Terro Liquid Ant Bait

Terro Liquid Ant Bait contains borax, a powdery white substance that destroys an ant’s digestive system. The product will eventually kill the odorous ants rampaging in your home. However, it’ll keep them alive long enough to go back to their colonies and entice their comrades to harvest the bait. This ensures that you take down hundreds if not thousands of odorous ants in your home.

Why Deal With Odorous Ants Right Away

Odorous ants getting into your home really stink (pun intended), and in more ways than one. Aside from their foul stench, below are other reasons why you should get and keep them out of the house:

1. Their colonies grow fast

The longer you ignore an odorous ant infestation, the larger their population becomes and the harder it’ll be to eradicate them. Colony size ranges from 100 to 10,000 ants, and larger nests could contain more than one queen. Female odorous ants lay one egg daily, and it takes around 24 days for their young to grow into adulthood.

2. They attract larger pests

Like other ants and small insects, odorous ants make excellent food sources for larger insects, birds, and reptiles. The longer you let them roam in your home and garden, the more likely these larger pests will come and wreak their own havoc. To keep that from happening, you need to deal with those odorous ants as soon as you can.

3. They’ll ruin your food

Odorous house ants can potentially contaminate the food you eat. Chances are, they’ll crawl through areas in your home that contain harmful bacteria or other illness-causing pathogens. They’ll then make their way to your kitchen counters, pantries, and food preparation areas to forage, leaving some of their filth behind. This might cause you and your loved ones to get sick.

4. They’ll destroy your home

T. sessile ants won't just give you an odorous house. If you leave them unchecked, they’ll eventually destroy your beloved home, too. Indoors, odorous ants have a tendency to construct their nests near hot water pipes and heaters, sinks, cupboards, and crevices and wall voids. These colonies will gradually tear away at your house, especially as their population grows.

Tips to Properly Set Up Odorous Ant Baits in Your Home

To effectively entrap odorous ants, you need to make sure that your target finds the bait, carries some of it back to their nest, and returns to the bait with backup. With these in mind, you need to do the following:

1. Position it strategically

Place the bait near sites where you spotted odorous ants or where they’ll likely build their colonies. Make sure the traps can’t be reached by your children and pets, especially if they contain borax or boric acid. You should also avoid placing the baits near the areas where you prepare your food.

2. Use the right amount

You need to give odorous ants enough bait to effectively lure them. However, that doesn’t mean you should lay out too many of them near the infested sites. Doing so is inefficient, especially if you’re dealing with multiple odorous ant invasions.

3. Remove all distractions

Ant baits work best if there are no other food sources around. If you want to properly deal with the odorous ants rampaging in your home, then make sure they focus only on the baits you set. Aside from removing other food in the area, you should clean the area surrounding the infested site as well.

4. Check it regularly

Odorous ant baits will gradually go bad as time passes, with climate, rain, and other elements accelerating the process. So while dealing with odorous ant invasions at your home, you should regularly check the traps you set. Replace those that are too worn out to attract ants.

Learn more: A Guide on How to Bait Ants Successfully at Home

Get the Best Odorous Ant Baits From Positive Pest Management

Dealing with odorous ants isn’t that hard, even though they’re annoying. With the best ant bait at your fingertips, you can gradually liberate your home from these pesky insects.

Got an odorous ant infestation in your home? Our professionals at Positive Pest Management can help you eliminate all kinds of bug and pest problems, and we can provide you some of the best odorous ant baits money can buy.

To know more about Positive Pest Management’s services, call us and get a free quote.

Ant infestations may not be the worst pest problem you’ll encounter, but they’re still very annoying. Aside from the damage they could cause, ants could also bring unwanted bacteria to your household. Luckily, many ant baits are available to help you entrap and get rid of these pesky insects. When it comes to ant baits, you should consider making them rather than buying available products. Homemade natural ant baits better ensure safety during de-infestation, and they’re arguably more enticing for ants to eat (depending on how you make them).

But how do you make natural ant baits at home? As you’ll see below, homemade ant traps are simple enough to prepare, and the ingredients you’ll need can easily be bought from the nearest supermarket, pharmacy, and even online retailers.

5 Great Natural Ant Bait Recipes to Try Out

Below are some of the best natural ant killer recipes that’ll help you battle ant infestations in your home. Each of these is effective against different ant variants, including carpenter ants, fire ants, pavement ants, and others.

Natural Ant Bait Recipe # 1: Baking Soda and Corn Syrup

Since ants are attracted to sweet stuff, you can use this recipe to lure them.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• 1 sheet waxed paper

Procedure

1. Mix the baking soda and corn syrup in a small bowl. Stir well to combine.
2. Place a few drops of the mixture on the sheet of waxed paper.
3. Cut the waxed paper into small, thin strips.
4. Place the strips at any areas where you’ve spotted ant activity.
5. Add a few drops daily until the sugar ants are all gone.

Alternatively, you can use other sweet liquid ingredients in case corn syrups aren’t available. Top choices include maple syrups, honey, and even sugar solutions.

Natural Ant Bait Recipe # 2: Diatomaceous Earth

If you prefer something safer, cheaper, and more environment-friendly, try making ant baits using diatomaceous earth. Made from crushed fossilized diatom skeletons and algae, this substance will greatly aid you when dealing with ant infestations.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons food-grade diatomaceous earth
• 3 cups water
• 6 small screw-top jars with lids
• Masking tape 

Procedure

1. Cover the jars with masking tape so the ants can climb up their sides.
2. Mix the sugar, water, and diatomaceous earth in a bowl.
3. Pour the mixture into the jars.
4. Place the jars near the ant infestation spot.

Make sure to use only food-grade diatomaceous earth as its industrial counterparts contain chemicals that can be hazardous to your health.

Natural Ant Bait Recipe # 3: Sugar, Lard, and Baking Soda

In case the ants invading your home are drawn to greasy substances, you can try baiting them with a crumbly mixture of shortened baking soda.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons lard
• 1 sheet waxed paper

Procedure

1. Place the baking soda and sugar in a small bowl.
2. Using a mixer, blend the baking soda and sugar while gradually adding the lard. Whisk until the mixture becomes crumbly.
3. Spread the mixture on the sheet of waxed paper.
4. Cut the waxed paper into small, thin strips.
5. Place some of the strips at any areas where you’ve spotted ant activity. Store the rest in a small sealed container.
6. Replace the strips every day.

Natural Ant Bait Recipe # 4: Cornstarch and Water

While cornstarch isn’t poisonous to ants, it can still help you entrap them long enough for you to dispose of later.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 to 2 cups water
• 1 sheet waxed paper

Procedure

1. Mix the cornstarch and water in a bowl until the consistency becomes cement-like.
2. Spread the solution over the sheet of waxed paper.
3. Cut the waxed paper into small, thin strips.
4. Place the strips near the infested area.

Additionally, you can also simply sprinkle the infested area with cornstarch. The moisture that comes from the anthill will make it sticky enough to trap the ants.

Natural Ant Bait Recipe # 5: Peanut Butter and Baking Soda

Lastly, you can entrap ants using baking soda and peanut butter. The peanut butter does the baiting, while the baking soda does the dirtier task.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 cup water

Procedure

1. Combine the peanut butter and baking soda in a small bowl until the mixture becomes clumpy. Sprinkle it with water whenever needed.
2. Place clumps of the mixture near the ant colony. Make sure you place them on top of waxed paper to minimize mess.
3. Replace these clumps as needed.

In case peanut butter isn’t available, you can substitute it with bacon grease.

Why Make Your Own Natural Ant Baits?

With so many ready-made ant baits out in the market, you might be wondering why you should bother with making your own in the first place. Below are a few good reasons why you should:

1. To choose its ingredients

The beauty of making your own ant bait is that you get to choose which ingredients to put in the mix. This allows you to choose safe, natural ingredients like baking soda, cornstarch, and whatnot.

2. To control its strength

Even the best ready-made ant baits aren’t as effective as advertised. By choosing to make your own, you get to control the strength of the ant traps. This allows you to more effectively deal with ant infestations in your home, and it allows you to get your money’s worth.

3. To maximize de-infestation results

Store-bought ant traps typically contain processed ingredients, preservatives, and chemicals. These tend to poison ants quickly, which somewhat undermines their ability to reach the rest of the colony (you need the ants to bring the bait in for it to do its job). By opting to make your own, you can avoid such roadblocks.

4. To keep children and pets safe

At the same time, the borax, boric acid, and other chemicals found in pre-made ant baits can be harmful if ingested or if they somehow get in the eyes. By using them instead of homemade ant traps, you put your children and pets in harm’s way. Sure, you can place them somewhere out of reach, but accidents could still happen. To be completely safe, best choose homemade ant baits.

Learn more: What Are Child Safe Ways to Bait and Kill Ants?

5. To save money

Making your own natural ant baits is cost-effective compared to buying finished products. Opting for the latter can still get expensive despite the many affordable ant killers in the market. Aside from dealing with the cost compounding gradually, you also need to buy different products for specific target areas, and this will blow your budget quite quickly. So reduce your expenses and make your own ant traps instead.

6. To enjoy better air quality

Pre-made ant baits usually contain chemicals that emit volatile organic compounds. These VOCs can mess up the atmosphere in your home, leaving you, your family, and pets with poor air quality. By using homemade ant baits, you can stop polluting your home, which will eventually help improve air quality.

7. To avoid triggering your asthma

If you’re struggling with asthma or allergies, then homemade ant baits allow you to de-infest your home without triggering your condition. As mentioned above, ready-made ant traps contain VOCs that can pollute the air in your home (because of the strong smell they give off). These can easily set off your breathing problems. With a homemade ant trap, you won’t experience any of these inconveniences.

8. To be environment-friendly

Lastly, homemade ant traps don’t threaten the environment since they don’t emit any VOCs. Homemade natural ant baits are mostly biodegradable, and they can be safely disposed of once you’re done with the ant de-infestation. By choosing them over chemical or synthetic ant traps, you can help keep our planet clean and livable.

Great Tips to Follow When Using Natural Ant Baits

For your homemade ant bait to be truly effective, you need to ensure that the ants find the bait, carry some of it back to their colony, and entice their fellow ants to collect the bait. With these in mind, you can follow these tips that’ll help you effectively use your ant baits to deal with any ant invasion:

1. Locate the infested areas first

Before you even begin making the ant bait, you first need to pinpoint where the ants have made their colony. Look for any signs of ant infestation, including ant corpses, ant trails, and dirt piles. Only after you know where they are should you proceed with making the ant lures.

2. Thoroughly inspect the infested site

Next, you need to properly appraise the situation and inspect the ant-infested areas. Do the routine practiced by pest control professionals, including switching on all the utilities, cleaning the area around the target site, and many others. Or you can have your trusted pest exterminator do it in case you don’t have time to do so yourself.

3. Place the bait properly and strategically

Once you’ve located the ant nests, inspected the site, and finished making the baits, you can proceed with springing them. When placing ant lures, you need to make sure they’re positioned strategically, preferably as close to the ant colony as possible. That is, it should be near enough so the ants can smell it. You should avoid placing the bait on countertops (where food is prepared) or in areas where it can easily get wet. Be sure to keep the bait out of reach of children and pets as well.

4. Control the amount of bait used

While you need to make sure enough bait is placed during the de-infestation, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend it wisely. As a rule of thumb, place more homemade ant baits in larger infestation areas, while using them more sparingly at smaller target spots. For best results, leave the ant bait for at least three days and replace them whenever needed.

5. Keep the surrounding area sanitized

Homemade ant killers work best when nothing is distracting your targets from it, so make sure to keep the area around the ant colony clean. Sweep away the dirt surrounding it, remove the clutter from the room, and make sure there’s no food other than the bait.

6. Check the bait regularly

Even the best homemade ant baits have limited shelf lives. They’ll start aging as soon as you place them near the infestation site. Factors like temperature, sunlight, and climate will also cause them to become inedible for ants over time. So make sure to check up on your traps regularly and replace those that have been rendered useless by the elements.

Read more: Ways to Deal With Ants Covering Bait With Dirt

Enjoy an Ant-Free Home With Positive Pest Management 

Ants may not annoy you as much as termites or other insects do, but you still need to get rid of them as soon as they come invading your house. Homemade natural ant baits will help you get the upper hand against these small but terrible creatures. With them at hand, you’ll gradually kick those pesky ants out of your beloved home.

Looking for a professional ant exterminator? Positive Pest Management offers quality pest control in New York City and Nassau County, Long Island. With our team of experts, we can easily help you deal with any ant problems, and we guarantee quality work.

Interested in our pest control services? Give us a call to get a quote.

Ants are a common household nuisance. They can be found in almost every nook and cranny inside the house and are mostly the top concern for homeowners. According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), ant infestation is the number one problem in American households.

So how do you successfully bait ants at home? Ant baits are popular insecticides mixed with substances that can attract worker ants searching for food. It can lure out ants from their nests and eventually eliminate their entire colony for good. It comes in different forms and anyone can easily make their own ant traps with store-bought ingredients.

Identifying Types of Ants Found at Home 

Identifying ant species is the primary step to managing infestation at home. Different ants require different methods and baits for management. By knowing their classification, you will find it easier to know what bait product will be used for effective ant elimination. Here are some of the common household ants:

1. Odorous house ant

These ants are dark brown to black in color and range from 1/16 inch (2 mm) to 1/8 inch (3 mm) in size. During the rainy season, they tend to forage inside homes for shelter and build their nests in wall cracks or under the flooring. These house ants are also characterized for the rotten coconut smell of butyric acid they emit when crushed, earning them the name “odorous.” They’re always on the search for sweets to eat.

Learn more: What Is the Best Bait for Odorous Ants?

2. Carpenter ant 

Carpenter ants are reddish-black in appearance and can be quite large, measuring 1/2 inch (13 mm) to 5/8 inch (16 mm) in length. They may cause structural damage as they prefer to build their nests in wood. They also forage into most structural lumber and crawl inside door cracks, holes, and damaged woods. They’re known as omnivores and can feed into almost everything from plant fluids and food crumbs on the floor to decaying insects.

3. Argentine ant

Argentine ants are dark brown in color and are usually small in length, ranging from 1/16 inch (2 mm) to 1/4 inch (6 mm). However, their colony is large, consisting of numerous nests built around an existing nest and containing hundreds of queens (mother of all ants in a colony). These ants usually thrive in a wet environment near a food source. While they don’t pose a health risk, they can be a source of food contamination and also excrete a foul-smelling odor when crushed.

4. Fire ant 

Fire ants typically appear dark reddish-brown and are usually 1/8 inch (3 mm) to 3/8 inch (10 mm) long. They build their nest, known as fire ant mound, in outdoor landscape areas and may invade structural properties through crawling in holes or cracks in the foundation.

Getting complete fire ant control may also be difficult since they are an aggressive species and may attack with painful stings and bites when their homes are destroyed. Those with allergies to bees or wasps may also have a reaction to fire ant stings. Springtime is the best season to lay down fire ant bait since it’s the time where they are most active in looking for food.

5. Pavement ant 

Pavement ants may vary in appearance from darkish brown to black color, and they’re commonly 1/8 inch (3 mm) long. As implied by their name, these types of ants may form their nests in or under cracks in pavements. Likewise, they’re discovered in sands and soils under patios, sidewalks, and driveways. Pavement ants are also attracted to food items, particularly those that are sweet or greasy.

6. Thief ant 

Thief ants have a yellow to light or dark brown appearance and are considered the smallest type of pests with their size measuring only up to 1/16 inch. Worker thief ants have an oblong abdomen and smooth body, while the queen has a thicker body and larger abdomen. 

They’re also commonly known as grease ant because they mostly feed on high-protein foods such as meats, fats, and greasy foods. They’re outdoor dwellers but may sneak inside homes to search for food sources. Their colonies can be found almost anywhere indoors in cracks, holes, cabinets, cupboards, and under kitchen sinks.

7. Pharaoh ant

Pharaoh ants are yellow or orange in color with a dark abdomen and measure about 1/16 inch in length. Like grease ants, they’re very tiny and difficult to control as they can breed and multiply quickly. They like to hide their colonies in humid areas such as corners in bathrooms and kitchens, around sinks and toilets, under door frames, or behind baseboards and appliances. 

They were believed to be one of the plagues in ancient Egypt which earned them the name Pharaoh ant. Moreover, they’re also known as sugar ants as they like to feed on sweets as well as other insects and fatty foods. They may become a serious concern as they carry infectious pathogens like salmonella and streptococcus.

How Ant Baits Work 

Baits are easy and inexpensive ant killers at home. An effective ant trap will lure out the worker ant, have them bring back small quantities of the bait to their nest, feed it to the queen, and recruit other workers to the trap until they’re eliminated. They can come in solid (powder or granular bait) or liquid forms.

Solid ant baits and liquid ant baits are usually applied along ant trails or directly in their nests. While solid baits are typically carried back to the nests, liquid baits are ingested by foraging ants and distributed quickly to the rest of the ant colony.

What’s crucial for the bait to work is to determine what substance or ingredient will be used. There are different approaches to creating homemade ant bait trap to help control ant infestations such as:

1. Baking soda 

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is known as a natural insecticide. Its composition contains an acid mineral that proves fatal to many insects like roaches, bugs, and ants. They also consist of granules that can penetrate through the body of pests and cause internal bleeding in their stomachs.

To create bait using baking soda, combine and mix equal parts of baking soda and powdered sugar in a small lid or shallow container. Place it in the area where ants usually pass through. There’s an option to add sweets like jam, peanut butter, or honey in the mixture to attract ants. 

Read more: Natural Ant Bait Recipes That Actually Work

2. Boric acid

Boric acid is a substance processed from borax (sodium tetraborate), which is a mineral used in most cosmetics, household cleaners, and detergent products. It’s considered a strong pesticide that can directly impact the stomachs, nervous systems, and exoskeletons of ants. It’s easily found in most grocery stores and pharmacies. 

It’s important to balance boric acid with the food that will be used as bait. There’s a chance that too much boric acid can subdue the aroma and taste of the bait, and ants may not consume it. Depending on how much ant food will be used, the bait would consist of about 3/4 of a teaspoon of boric acid.

3. Diatomaceous earth (DE) 

This is a type of solid ant killer that’s sprinkled along their usual ant trail. Diatomaceous earth is a powder made up of diatoms which are a fossilized type of algae. Its microscopic pieces can be likened to shards of broken glass that can cut through the ants’ skin. When the outer layer of their body is scratched or pierced, their fluids will dry up and they’ll die of dehydration.

4. Commercial bait 

An ant bait station or dispenser is an example of commercial bait. They can be filled with either liquid or solid ant bait and installed into the ground or areas where ants frequently leave their trail. Among the popular commercial bait traps are Terro Liquid Ant Bait and Raid Ant Bait.

Since sugar ants are also drawn to sweet food, a gel bait can also be used. Most gel ant baits have a sweet formulation that can attract ants. It can be either squeezed directly into the cracks and crevices or used in a small amount and placed onto a piece of masking tape before attaching to surfaces.

5. Castile soap

For homemade repellent insecticide sprays, castile soap is an essential ingredient that can kill ants indoors almost instantly. It’s made from petroleum or essential oils which can dissolve the bodies of the insects and eventually kill them from suffocation. To make a Castile soap spray, mix 1/4 cup of the liquid with 1 quart of water. Pour the liquid ant bait on a spray bottle and shake before using.

After you determine the type of bait that will be used, the next step is to know how to manage and strategically place the trap for it to be effective. Here are some tips to help with ant control:

• Inspect the area — Proper bait placement is the key to effectively mitigate their movements. It’s important to find the places where ants come and go. The kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room are common indoor locations of ant activity. Baits should be placed out of reach of children and pets, but near where the ant bases are so it will effectively lure them.
• Have enough bait — Make sure to provide enough bait and replenish it daily. Ants may immediately empty the bait and leave the area before it spreads within the colony if the bait is not refilled. Large ant colonies may also require more baits. Keep on checking and restocking the bait for 3 to 4 days until there are no more signs of ant activity in the area.
• Remove food sources — There should be no other food items accessible to the ants so they won’t be distracted from finding the bait. If possible, apply the bait in areas where there’s no food so that there won’t be risks of food contamination in the household.
• Have patience — Ant baits are slow-acting and take time to completely eradicate infestations. Smaller ant infestations may be controlled within 24 to 48 hours, while larger colonies may take up to a week to attain complete elimination.

Learn more: Ways to Deal With Ants Covering Bait With Dirt

Are Ant Baits Safe for Kids?

As a general rule of thumb, ant baits should be kept away from children. Most store-bought insecticides contain harmful substances that can irritate upon direct contact with the skin or eyes. Even homemade baits, especially those that use a boric acid mixture, may be damaging when exposed to the kids. Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of exposure of toddlers to ant bait products. However, washing off the bait by rinsing the mouth, skin, or eyes may provide relief and prevent further complications.

Read more: What Are Child Safe Ways to Bait and Kill Ants?

Eliminate Ant Colonies at Home With Positive Pest Management 

Ant infestations at home can be frustrating and worrying. Fortunately, anyone can buy or create their own ant baits to easily solve their ant problem indoors. Available in solid or liquid bait, they’re generally safe and work efficiently in baiting ants to eliminate the entire colony for good.

Pest management services are also widely available today. We, at Positive Pest Management, strive to provide convenient, hassle-free, and efficient solutions for ant control. We have dedicated and capable staff who specialize in providing high-quality extermination work that can get rid of pests for good. Contact us now for a free estimate and learn more about our pest control services.

Grease ants are some of the smallest pests you might find inside the house. While they’re tiny in size, the nuisance they cause is troublesome for many homeowners. The best way to eliminate the grease ants at home is to lure them out and find their colony’s nest.

So what’s the best bait for grease ants? As their name implies, these ants prefer greasy food that’s high in protein and fat like oil and peanut butter. Ant baits are also effective when luring grease ants out of their nests.

What Food Bait Do Grease Ants Like?

According to the Nation Pest Management Association (NPMA), ants are the number one nuisance pest in the country. Most pest control professionals even agreed that ant infestations are getting harder to contain.

One of the most notorious ants that visit homes is grease ants (Solenopsis molesta). They are only 1/16 inch long. Aside from their small size, they’re also distinguishable because of their shiny bodies that are yellow to dark brown in color.

These pesky creatures are usually attracted to greasy and high-protein food. They’re tiny pests that get food from the crumbs and leftovers left by humans. They’re also known for stealing the food stored in nearby ant nests. Grease ants also eat the remains of dead insects if they manage to find one.

Grease ants aren’t attracted to sweets like other species of ants, which is why it’s better to use meat, oil,  and other greasy food when luring them out. They also eat fruits and sugar-filled soft drinks. These pests also eat the grease off fast-food wrappers, which is why they’re also found in garbage cans.

Are Store Bought Ant Baits Worth it?

Ant baits are the most common treatment choice for eliminating the grease ant infestation at home. If the pesky creatures are always in your kitchen, store-bought ant baits might help keep them out. Here are a few things to know about store-bought ant baits first before using them at home:

Do Grease Ant Baits Work?

Ant baits are extremely effective when it comes to eliminating the grease ants at home. But for the bait to have the best results, it’s crucial to pick the right kind of bait for every situation. It might take some time to find the best product, but most ant baits are a permanent solution for grease ant infestations.

Ant baits bought from the market are mixed with oil to lure out the grease ants. The recommended ratio is one drop of oil for every 5 to 10 drops of bait. If this mixture isn’t enough to attract grease ants, try using another type of oil or increase its amount in the solution.

Most store-bought ant baits work in just two days. They were created to kill entire colonies, so you’re bound to witness some major changes with the ant infestation within the next few weeks.

Common Types of Grease Ant Bait

There are two main types of ant baits found in the market: solid and liquid baits. Solid ant baits are available in granule or powder form. They’re usually applied along the path of grease ants or directly on their nests. Worker ants take a small portion of the solid ant bait and return it to their nest, causing more grease ants to die.

Liquid ants work in the same way. The worker grease ants ingest the liquid and carry it back to the nest without digesting it. This allows them to distribute the liquid ant bait quickly to the rest of the ant colony. Liquid ant baits are better than solid baits because they work more quickly and efficiently.

Are Ant Baits Safe for Children and Pets?

Since store-bought ant baits contain harmful ingredients, pets might experience health complications when they ingest them. Most of them are not fatal unless the pet manages to ingest most of the ant bait.

Food baits are also attractive for pests, so make sure to keep them out of their reach. Many ant baits available in the market today use ingredients that don’t attract pets, so make sure to read the information on the label first using the ant bait.

Are Homemade Grease Ant Baits Effective?

Pesticides and ant baits bought in the market are usually loaded with toxic substances that might be harmful to humans and pets. Homeowners rely on natural ingredients to save more money or keep their family out of harm’s way.

How to Create Grease Ant Baits at Home

Boric acid is an effective yet minimally toxic substance that kills grease ants. It’s usually combined with a food bait to lure ants out of hiding. But like using any other pesticide, it’s crucial to read and follow the instructions carefully because boric acid may be harmful if mishandled.

Boric acid is usually sold in hardware stores or pharmacies. Make sure to buy the powder or granule form if you’re using it as ant bait. Mix about half a teaspoon of the boric acid with two tablespoons of honey and two tablespoons of peanut butter. Both honey and peanut butter are excellent grease ant baits because they’re high in sugar and protein.

How to Apply Grease Ant Bait

Place the ant bait where there are most ants. It’s crucial to place the bait along their regular pathway to attract more of them quickly. Put the ant bait in wax paper or cardboard and secure it in place using masking tape. The grease ants usually work within a few hours if it’s placed in a good location. If the bait doesn’t attract grease ants after a while, move the bait to a different place.

How Grease Ant Bait Eliminates Grease Ants at Home

Boric acid is a stomach toxin for grease ants. The worker ants carry the food bait mixed with boric acid to their nest. All the ants that eat the bait are guaranteed to die after a while. Scientists are not sure how boric acid exactly affects the ants’ metabolism, but the chemical has been a reliable ant toxin for years.

While the boric acid only has low toxicity, it’s still important to keep pets and children away from the bait. Store the ant bait in an airtight container if you made too much of the mixture. Always remember to replace the ant bait every once in a while because dried peanut butter won’t attract the grease ants well.

Here are a few tips to make the ant bait work more effectively:

• Consider the bait’s location. It should be placed in a spot where the grease ants travel. The bait should be out of children and pets’ reach. The bait shouldn’t be placed near sinks and countertops because the water might contaminate the mixture.

• Ensure that there’s enough bait on the location at all times. If the grease ants manage to take away all of the bait before you add more, they might leave the area and look for another food source. Larger ant colonies require more ant baits placed in multiple areas.

• There should be no other food near the bait that might distract the grease ants. Make sure that there are no greasy surfaces or leftovers near the location before placing the ant bait.

Get Rid of Grease Ant Colonies at Home with Positive Pest Management

Eliminating grease ants in a home requires diligent efforts. Here at Positive Pest Management, our dedicated staff is experienced in providing high-quality exclusion work for the ant infestations in a property. We utilize IPM-based methods to get rid of the pests for good.

Experience guaranteed ant extermination work by Positive Pest Management now. Call us at (800) 294 – 3130 for a free estimate.

Read more: What to Do If You Find a Cockroach at Home

Ant infestations might happen during any time of the year, but it’s never a welcome sight. These tiny pests make use of their small bodies to enter houses through the tiniest cracks. The best preventative measure to keep them out is by eliminating the reasons why they’re attracted to the house in the first place.

So why exactly are there grease ants inside a house? Grease ants find comfort in houses with food sources they may exploit, such as leftover food and sticky garbage bins. They’re also attracted to houses with greasy surfaces and leaky pipes.

4 Possible Reasons Why There Are Grease Ants at Home

Grease ants are a species of pesky ants that steal food from people’s houses or another ant colony near their nest. They are typically found in soil and rotting wood, but they also get inside properties through the tiny gaps in the foundation. According to a survey conducted by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), around 80% of ant infestations occur inside single-family homes.

Here are a few possible reasons why there might be grease ants inside a house even if it’s regularly cleaned:

1) Leftover Food

Grease ants need food and water to survive, which is why they’re especially fond of kitchens that are full of leftovers. These pests eat anything available to them, but they’re especially fond of high-protein food like butter, soy, beans, tofu, cheese, and meat. They’re also attracted by peanut butter and oil, which makes them the best food bait for luring grease ants. Leftover food is one of the main causes why grease ants visit a home, but it’s also the easiest one to resolve.

2) Greasy Surfaces

Grease left on different surfaces is a lot less obvious than leftover crumbs of food around the kitchen. Many homeowners forget to wipe off things like oil bottles, syrup containers, honey jars, and jam bottles after using them. Sauce and bacon splatters that weren’t wiped leave sticky and oily residues that attract grease ants.

3) Sticky Garbage Bins

Ants won’t hesitate to raid the dumpster and garbage bins in search of food. Discarded cans and bottles have residues that attract grease ants, so make sure to rinse the garbage bins now and then. Pay extra attention to the food storage waste and garbage bins placed in the kitchen because they’re the most prone to attracting grease ants.

4) Leaky Faucets and Pipes

Aside from food and shelter, grease ants also need water to survive. Ensure that there are no leaks in the bathroom, basement, laundry rooms, or other parts of the house. These pests typically hang around moist areas of the house.

How to Prevent Grease Ants from Entering the House

Grease ants are persistent creatures that invade homes in large numbers to exhaust the food source they found. They’re quite difficult to eliminate because their nests are hard to locate. The best pest control approach for grease ants is to prevent them from entering the house in the first place.

Here are some of the pest management professional-approved methods to keep grease ants out of the house:

• Seal Them Out – Ants and other kinds of pests won’t start an infestation in the house if they can’t find a way in. The tiniest holes and cracks on the wall are enough to let these pests in, so make sure to seal them as soon as possible. Homeowners may hire a professional to seal the cracks or do it by themselves. Hiring a professional might be expensive, but it ensures that the gaps are completely covered using the best sealant.

• Keep the House Clean – The house must be free of food crumbs and any kind of food residue. Grease ants are quick to act when they find a food source, so make sure to wipe off all food spills and oil splatters after cooking. The garbage bins should also be cleaned regularly, and the trash should be taken away immediately.

• Put Away Leftover Food – Avoid leaving food out in the open, whether it’s newly cooked or leftover. All food should be put away in pest-proof containers with tight lids. Refrigerate the food instead of leaving them on the dinner table overnight. Don’t let any dirty dishes sit in the sink for too long because they attract grease ants. Make sure to wash the dishes as soon as mealtime is over.

• Indoor and Outdoor Controls – Pest control for grease ants vary depending on their location. Ant baits work best for ants that are usually found inside the kitchen or other parts of the house. The store-bought ant bait is usually mixed with oil, peanut butter, or dough to attract the ants. The mixture is enough to put a dent in the grease ant’s population.

On the other hand, the best treatment for grease ants found outdoors is to locate the ant nest first and treat it. Just follow the trail of grease ants until they arrive at their nest. Spray the colony with ant spray to get rid of the pests.

Eliminate the Grease Ants at Home with Positive Pest Management

Grease ant infestations often persist until the homeowners can’t take care of them anymore. In such cases, it’s up to a pest management professional like Positive Pest Management to ensure that the grease ants are gone for good.

Here at Positive Pest Management, we find the location of grease ant nests accurately. Our specialists also have the skills and experience in using the right ant baits and insecticides to eliminate these pests completely. Contact us at (800) 294 – 3130 to get a free estimate for your home.

Read more: How to Identify Between German vs. American Cockroach