Having ants walk around the kitchen is a common sight in many homes and is one of the most common pests requiring home owners to contact a pest control company. When you start spotting ants in the kitchen, you can be sure they found a nice food source nearby. Usually caused by sugar granules left on the ground, spilled tea, or other sweet stuff. That is why it is very important to always clean up spills immediately. You don't need to roll out the welcome mat for ants.
Although ants may not be as dangerous to humans as some other pests, having them march around your kitchen can be very annoying. besides just being unsightly, ants can spread diseases from surface to surface. If you do not get rid of them quickly, they will find a way into food containers in the kitchen or pantry and render the contents inedible.
Are you constantly seeing ants in your kitchen, and you need effective ways of getting rid of these ants? This article will provide you with some of the most simple and effective methods of getting rid of ants in the kitchen.
One of the first things you want to do is store your food away from where they can easily reach. Look for containers with good covers and store your dry pantry food in them.
Wipe off any drink and food spillages around the kitchen right away. Telling yourself "you'll get to it later" is just rolling out the red carpet for ants. You should also avoid leaving used dishes in the sink for a long period. Try washing them immediately after use, or at least give them a good rinse.
Furthermore, avoid leaving your trash sitting for too long in the kitchen, dispose of it regularly.
Also, avoid leaving dead insects such as cockroaches and flies lying around the kitchen for too long. Dead insects tend to attract ants, so make sure you dispose such regularly. Doing all these will go a long way in getting rid of ants in your kitchen.
Cut off the source of their food in your kitchen. Ensure the containers where you store your dry good and raw ingredients are tightly sealed. Things like sugar, flour, cornmeal, etc. If there's nothing to attract them, they don't have a reason to come in. These ants have a way of entering containers of food that are not tightly covered. This is why it is best to properly store or get rid of anything that could attract ants in your kitchen.
Clean up food spillages immediately and always give your kitchen a full cleaning on a regular basis.
Nothing will keep ants away like professional pest control. But until you can get one to you home or office, you can make a natural ant repellant to help fight back in the short term.
Ever wondered how ants march together as an army? Ants generally leave behind scented trails for others to follow, and that is how other ants can follow.
Give the floor and counters with a thorough wipe with an eco-friendly anti-ant spray. Making one is very easy. All you need to do is mix vinegar with water. 1 part vinegar to one part water. Vinegar can kill ants and ants do not like being around it. Sprinkling or spraying a diluted solution around the kitchen will repel and help keep them away.
Whenever you find an army of ants in your kitchen, use a mixture of water and vinegar to wipe off the trail. Although this won't kill the ants already in the kitchen, it will prevent others from coming in since there's no trail for them to follow.
Another natural method of keeping ants away from your kitchen is citrus. Ants generally do not like the smell of citrus. Apply some around the doors and windows of your kitchen. Also, apply some around the entry points used by the ants into your kitchen. The smell of the citrus will keep them away from your kitchen. You can also place a few lemon peels behind your kitchen doors to discourage them from going in.
Another natural method you can use in keeping ants away from your kitchen is herbs. Herbs such as bay and sage leaves can help keep ants away. Find any of these leave and place them around your kitchen to keep ants off. Consider growing some of your own. A nice little indoor garden of herbs can help make some tasty dishes and keep ants away.
Sometimes, ants may not come in through the doors or windows. It could be through the cracks and holes on the kitchen walls. You can make use of caulk or any other thing you can find to seal off the cracks and holes. This will prevent ants from coming into your kitchen.
As you already know, ants like sugary things, dirt, and dead insects. Not cleaning your kitchen properly and regularly could attract ants.
But all those dark hard to reach spots. Around the stove. Under the refrigerator. Probably you do not clean the nooks and corners of your kitchen as often as your counters. There could be plenty for ants to eat somewhere in these hidden parts of your kitchen, such as drawers, cupboards, and so on. Make sure to spend some time on these parts of your kitchen regularly.
Ants are very resilient and can living in huge colonies. Where you see a few, there are many more waiting for them to bring back food. The only sure way to be rid of ants in your kitchen once you spot them is to call the professionals at Hitman Pest of Yuma.
