Controlling Ants

With the summer months nearly upon us, it's time to start thinking about holidays, pool parties, and barbecues. Unfortunately, while we get ready to spend more time outside our homes, all sorts of pests are more than happy to move in in our absence.

For some, it is an annual battle, while for others it is an unexpected source of frustration. But once you've found that you have an infestation, what is the best way to control it? We want to be sure that the substances we're using in our homes will not pose a threat to the health of our family or our environment. Fortunately, in many instances, everyday pests can be controlled through simple and safe do-it-yourself methods.

Ants

Easily one of the most common nuisance insects one finds in their home, ants can be daunting opponents when they just never seem to stop coming back. Of course, the first step to keeping ants away is maintaining a clean house. No crumbs lying about, no dishes in the sink, nothing at all that could make them mistake your home for an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Often, however, once they've been attracted inside, it can take more than a pristine home to prevent ants from returning. If the infestation doesn't seem too bad, there are a few very simple strategies that can keep ants from returning.

First, try to determine where the ants are coming from by following their "train", usually to a window or doorway. Then, get rid of ants that are already inside by spraying them with a mild mixture of soap and water. If you were able to find their point of entry, place a deterrent such as black pepper, mint leaves, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ground cloves, or coffee granules in their way and, if possible, plug the hole.

Next, you want to destroy the scent trail the ants were using to get to your food. Plain white vinegar does a great job of eliminating this trail and the odour quickly dissipates, so spray some along the path the ants were taking once they got inside.

If the ants keep coming even after you've done all this, you will have to become more aggressive. Should you happen to know where the anthill is outside of your house, or believe you can find it, pouring a pot of boiling water down the anthill at midday can be very effective.

If you cannot find where they are coming from, setting up a trap is most effective. All you need is Borax (which can be found in the laundry detergent aisle), a small jar of jam, and some bottle caps. Mix the Borax and jam together at about a 1 to 20 ratio, then leave small amounts of this combination out in bottle caps where the ants congregate. They will love the jam and bring what they don't eat back to the colony, where they will feed it to their friends and queen, eventually killing the whole colony. The whole process can take up to a week to be thoroughly effective.

All that will be left to do is clean up the ants who don't make it back home. BE AWARE: Borax is toxic, so pets and small children should be kept away from the mixture at all times and it should only be used for indoor ant control!

Additionally, there are some environmentally friendly and safe commercial products that can aid in ant control as well. Nemasys Ant Control and Nippon Ant and Crawling Insect Killer Trigger Spray are environmentally friendly products that will not harm your family or pets, but will kill ants and may prevent them from returning.

NOTE: Many sources suggest diatomaceous earth as a solution for ants. Be aware that inhalation of diatomaceous earth can be very dangerous for people or pets, especially over prolonged periods of time.

Article provided by SDA Pest Control