How to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen

Here, we’ll break down four steps for getting rid of the ants that are infesting your kitchen.

Step 1: Find and Kill the Ant Colony

Remember those scent trails that let ants march in formation? Use those to your advantage to track the path of the ants in your house. Make sure you follow the trail in both directions to see where they’re coming from and where they’re exiting.

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Simply eliminating the ants you see won’t do much good, since they’ll be replaced with more from the colony. This colony may be nesting in cabinets or appliances, behind walls, in door or window frames, or under floors. If you can actually spot the nest, you can apply insecticide directly to it to kill the infestation at its source. Make sure you use a non-repellent pesticide since if you attempt to repel the ants at this stage, the colony will simply reform somewhere else.

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Ants commonly nest in hidden places. So if you can’t get to the actual source of the nest, you can use bait stations to destroy the colony. Bait traps attract ants with the smell of food and get them to take a slow-acting poison back to the nest. Make sure to place these bait traps near the paths of ants as they travel back to the nest.

There are also bait gels that may be applied directly to the surface the ants are walking on. Remember, though, not to use bait and then attempt to spray the ants you see with an on-contact ant killer. You need those ants to take the insecticide back to the nest. Give the bait a chance to work.

Step 2: Seal Ants Out

While you’re looking for the colony, make careful notes of the ants’ entry points and exit points to your kitchen. You don’t want to seal them before the bait has a chance to work, but once you’re confident that the nest has been mostly eliminated, you can start ant-proofing your kitchen. Seal any cracks or crevices with caulk or joint compound. You can also put boric acid in crevices.

Step 3: Kill Remaining Ants

Here’s where your kill-on-contact ant spray bottle will come in handy, but since it’s your kitchen, be careful. Read the directions on the pesticide packaging carefully, and don’t use toxic spray on or around your own food. Wash any surfaces or utensils that may have come into contact with the spray, and use common sense.

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You may not want to use any synthetic chemical pesticides in your kitchen. Once you’ve treated the ants at the source, you can use some simple household products to get rid of stragglers. A mixture of water and a few drops of dish soap is quite effective for getting rid of ants on kitchen countertops, since the soap will break the surface tension of the water and trap the ants, making them easy to wipe away.

Similarly, equal parts white vinegar and water will disrupt the scent trail left by the ants, which means they’ll no longer have the equivalent of a neon sign directing them through your kitchen. Water and lemon juice may have the same effect. Wipe down all surfaces that recently had ant traffic.

Step 4: Prevent Ants From Coming Back

Once you’ve taken care of the problem, make sure you do your best to keep it from coming back. Always store food, including pet food, in airtight containers, and never leave food or drinks uncovered. Some preventative measures are obvious, such as quickly cleaning up food spills and washing dirty dishes as soon as possible.

However, you also want to keep your kitchen sink as dry as you can, since moisture can attract ants, as well. Sweep, mop, and vacuum frequently to get rid of fallen crumbs, and take out your garbage regularly. Use durable garbage bags to prevent holes and leaks, and seal the lid on your garbage can tightly.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens