-
- Are ants pests?
- Where do ants come from in the apartment?
- Want to exterminate ants? This is how
- Remedies against ants: what really happened?
- Drive away ants gently and sustainably
Home Remedies For Ants
You switch on the coffee machine and want to reach for the sugar bowl – then you discover nimble little animals that were determined and crawling faster than you, as if in single file. Maybe the first ones are already carrying away their sweet booty. Now it’s time to keep calm. Advice on how to get rid of ants in the kitchen is to know when ants entered an apartment, don’t be taking action against individual animals. Rather, careful countermeasures are appropriate. When choosing the means of repelling ants, resort to tried-and-tested home remedies, especially where food is stored. Here you can read tips on the question: What helps with ants in the kitchen?
Are Ants Pests?
Apart from wood-eating species, the colony-forming insects are not pests like food moths or clothes moths. On the contrary: ants fulfill an important task in ecosystems, for example as predators of harmful insects. But even if ants are generally among the beneficial animals, conflicts with humans will inevitably arise as soon as they romp around in places where they are out of place – such as in the kitchen.
What Are Ants Doing In The Kitchen?
Ants feed on different things, depending on the species. For example, there are predatory ants or seed eaters. When ants show up in the kitchen, they are one of those species that have sugar in their diet. In nature, such ants use plant nectar or “hold” aphids that excrete honeydew. However, they do not scorn sources of sugar, which they discover in human dwellings. The same applies to protein-rich food, which is important for the broad care of insects.
Where Do Ants Come From In The Apartment?
Outside the ant nest, animals are constantly on the move, their job being to locate food sources. On their missions, such scouts accidentally get into apartments through open doors or windows or on clothing. There, isolated crawling animals are not immediately noticeable.
However, when an ant scout finds a worthwhile food resource, it returns to the nest to pass the information along. On this occasion, this pest reject immediately a trail of scented attractants, which the following animals use to orient themselves. This explains why ants move so orderly on a track.
An ant infestation in the house has nothing to do with poor hygiene. An open dish, fruit bowls, storage containers that do not close tightly, or bowls with dogs – or Cat food.
Want to Exterminate Ants? This Is How
Asking yourself how to curb ants? As mentioned: No point in fighting the insects reflexively with hot water or a fly swatter – new ones will erupt.
-
Determine Origin And Destination
First, try to know what gets ants’ attention such as a plate of biscuits on the table or the pool of fruit juice next to the leaking bottle. Then determine the origin of ants.
Attention: If it turns out that the ants have found their way through walls or cable ducts, the building fabric may be damaged and a rent reduction may be possible. Then you should seek expert advice on combating it.
-
Block Paths
The easiest way is to simply lock the ants out. Close windows and doors and seal cracks if necessary. Damp kitchen paper is very practical as a short-term, tightly fitting, and malleable barricade. Leave the doors closed for a few hours until the stragglers give up.
The ants locked up in this way can be collected with the vacuum cleaner in the meantime. (Caution: Dispose of the bag immediately before the animals crawl out again!)
-
Eliminate Scent Trail
As described, an ant orientates itself on the scent mark of the “scout”. You have to erase this trace as soon as possible. Clean the affected floor and surfaces with vinegar-based cleaner or spray a vinegar-water mixture (alternatively, lemon juice with water) if the ant path is over carpeted floors or upholstered furniture.
-
Keep Tight And Prevent
Make sure that future temptations for ants do not arise in the first place. Always close opened food carefully, leave nothing open, and scattered items immediately.
Remedies Against Ants: What Helps?
The issue may already have been resolved with these measures. But how can we curb recurrent ants invasion?
If you notice an ant invasion too late and the animals have scanned (tagged) for food sources based on the meal they originally located, the defense becomes more complicated. The same applies if the ant’s nest is in the immediate vicinity of the scout ants drop by regularly. But even in these cases, before you resort to poison, use home remedies.
Prevention: What Works Against Ants?
We have numerous tricks for ant prevention you can try out when you visit chemical stores. However: These home approaches do not work (or are not equally reliable) for all ant species as does the best ultrasonic pest repeller. You may have to test different methods for their suitability in your specific case.
- Chalkdust: Scattered along the ant trail, it is said to make it difficult for the animals to breathe.
- Adhesive tape: Glued over the scent trail, this is interrupted. Double-sided tape can deter ants on stairs.
- Essential oils: The aromas of mint, sage, or lavender are said to disturb ants’ sense of direction. Set up a test scent dispenser. Planted in the bed near the nest, you could create an “odor blockade” with the herbs as a preventive measure.
- Baking soda: Used as an alternative to ant poison, it kills ants that consume it. However, this does not apply to all species.
Drive Away Ants Gently And Sustainably
If all measures are unsuccessful and the ants can no longer be dealt with, you will receive effective chemical agents for use against ants as bait, powder, or pouring agents. Insecticides should always be well thought out. Insecticides are not unproblematic, especially indoors, because the animals naturally (and invisibly) spread the poison further. They carry it from the bait into nature, where it can also harm other insects. With sustainable methods, you gently show the insects the way out of the kitchen door.
