Ants are a common problem for many homeowners in Australia. Once they’ve established a sanctuary in your home, they can be hard to evict. In fact, ants can be real pests when it comes to your kitchen, and even in your dining area.
There are many types of ants such as ghost ants or sugar ants, fire ants, pharaoh ants, atta ants, or black garden ants. Some of these ants can also get into your food bags, storage room, trash bins, and pantry. They will forage over leftover food and crumbs.
The problem is ants can easily multiply in number when ignored for a long time. We understand that many of you know that ants are easily attracted to food, but sometimes it’s very easy to forget to keep the kitchen totally free of loose food items. In this article, we have discussed the 10 ways you can prevent ants from taking over your kitchen.
Have a Proper Food Storage
Admittedly, your pantry is the perfect playground for ants. That’s why having proper food storage is a good way to start when getting rid of them. You can start by transferring dog and cat food from their original packaging into an airtight container. Do the same with your cereals, milk, chocolate powder, sugar, or cream.
Having an airtight container prevents the sweet smell of food from spreading to the air and reaching out to the colony of ants. Keep all perishable food, including fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, instead of leaving them out in the kitchen country to avoid a swarm of these critters. Keep your fridge clean and use the right type of container for every type of food.
Clean up your Kitchen
Wash your kitchen and scrub the tiles with bleach or detergent. Clear any clutters from the countertops and surfaces, wash the dishes, or load them into the dishwasher. It is better to wash the dishes right away after eating since letting them sit on the sink will just attract more ants. Wipe down all surfaces with a damp cloth or sponge, and mild cleaning solution, paying extra attention to areas that come into contact with food, such as the stove, countertops, and sink.
Clean appliances, such as the refrigerator, oven, and microwave, using appropriate cleaning products. Sweep or vacuum the floor, and mop it with a solution of warm water and floor cleaner. Finally, take out the trash and recycling, and wipe down the exterior of the garbage can.
If you have a dirty kitchen, eliminate possible nesting areas for ants such as the shed and stacking firewood. Leave at least six inches between your home and the mulch to prevent insects from entering your home. Mulch is a perfect nesting place for many types of insects. If you have a patio near your kitchen or you have a kitchen extension, make sure you clean them. Vacuum all areas in your kitchen, especially if you have carpets.
Utilize Natural Deterring Scents
Just like many insects, ants rely on their sense of smell to find where their next meal will be. Instead of reaching for harsh and dangerous sprays, certain scents will do the trick just as well. Some of the best anti-ant sprays are peppermint oil, lemon, and cinnamon. Try spraying diluted oils around your kitchen to trap ants and prevent them from climbing onto the top. These scents disrupt the olfactory scent receptors of ants, which prevents them from picking up scents.
Make Some Small Home Repairs
The ants in your kitchen could actually come from somewhere else in your home. As you approach spring, it may also be the best time to make home repairs. Spring season is also the time for ants to start going out and collecting food for the rainy season. But you could be wiser and start sealing tiny crevices, replacing damaged windows, installing door screens, and replacing rotten wood around any entry points in your home. Simple repairs are great preventive measures to keep ants and other pests away.
Sprinkle Some Pepper
Sometimes, sprinkling some pepper on a colony of ants will do the trick. Pepper can be hot for ants and its strong smell will definitely drive ants away. This could be a great option especially if you have kids and pets at home. Using pepper is a natural and effective way to repel ants, and you can use it barely everywhere.
Another natural means of killing ants is using salt, or vinegar solution. You can sprinkle rock salt on the ant’s nests, easily killing thousands of them. Or you could mix regular table salt with boiling water and wait for it to be slightly cool enough to be poured into a spray bottle. Then spray it all over the ant-infested area.
You could also mix a bran-sugar-and-salt solution to kill ants. Just mix 65% bran, 10% sugar, 25% salt, and water to make a paste and spread it around your kitchen or ant-busy areas. The mixture will attract ants and eliminate them eventually. You can also put it in an ant mound and kill thousands of ants.
Use Borax
Using borax is a great way to eliminate kitchen ants for good is ant killer. In fact, it can kill an entire ant colony and prevent it from coming back. Just combine 1 part sugar, 1 part borax, and 2 parts waters. Then, soak cotton balls in the mixture to increase its retention and prevent it from evaporating quickly. Place the borax-soaked cotton balls on the ant trail. Once the ant passes on it, the poison will stick to the ant’s body. While it doesn’t kill the infected ant, it will buy some time to reach the colony and infect them. If the ant reaches the colony under the mound, it can infect millions of other ants inside that colony including the eggs. That makes borax a very effective ant-killer.
Maintain your yard and landscaping
Your lawn plays a crucial role in the rampant growth of ants. Lawns with longer weeds and more mulch can easily attract pests and ants. Ants can easily hide their mounds through thick grasses and most likely, trash and food debris can easily be left unnoticed in an unkempt lawn. Hence, you must mow your lawn regularly. Apply neem oil on your plants or other natural pest repellants. Trim your branches away from your home as they can be used as bridges where ants can crawl to access your home interior. Eliminate dense areas of vegetation near your property that provide a safe haven for pets.
Clean and disinfect your kitchen cupboards
Cabinets and cupboards are good hiding places for ants. Even if you’ve killed all ants on your countertop, the other members of the colony will keep coming back if you don’t eradicate the ones living in your cabinets. So, empty your cabinets and clean them with detergent or you can use a spray. Note that ants have poor eyesight, so they only rely on the scented pheromone trails they leave behind to navigate the world.
What household detergent do is remove these trails to keep ants out. For the best result, mix detergent with water and scrub the interior of your cupboards. It’s easy, safe, and non-toxic.
Ant Baits, Traps, or Spray
Ant baits are small, covered pods that you can place in areas where ants have been trafficked. These pods have poison in them, so once ants’ step on them, they can bring them back to the colony. When other ants in the colony consume the poison, it kills them. Conversely, traps work very much like baits. They can be in a form of covered pods that you can place in the areas of your kitchen where ants usually pass.
Professional Pest Control
If you’re dealing with a severe ant infestation in your kitchen or home, it’s crucial to call a pest control company. Ants can be a nuisance, and some species can cause significant damage to your property. A professional pest control company has the necessary equipment and expertise to identify the ant species and use the appropriate treatment to eliminate the infestation.
Trying to deal with an ant infestation on your own can be challenging and potentially dangerous. Ants can bite or sting, and some species release harmful chemicals when threatened. A pest control company will take the necessary precautions to protect you, your family, and your pets while treating the infestation. Don’t let an ant infestation take over your home. Call a pest control company today.
What Services Do We Offer?
We offer a bunch of services and treatments to control pest infestation for the masses all across Australia. Our pest control services can manage:
- Flying insects (wasps, bees, flies, mosquitoes, etc.)
- Crawling insects (termites, spiders, cockroaches, ants, etc.)
- Birds and rodents (rats, mice, birds, etc.)
Our team of experts works towards returning your home back to you just so you can resume your life without any disruption or hassle, which is exactly what makes The Local Guys Pest Control the absolute best in the game!