May 29th, 2018 by Chris Chapman

Ants are fascinating creatures, and we can learn a lot from them. That doesn’t mean to say they’re welcome in your kitchen, however! Ants are a particular nuisance in spring and summer when they emerge looking for food to take back to their colony. They aren’t picky about what they’ll take, meaning ants are often found near bins and in kitchens. Ants will farm flocks of aphids for honeydew It’s not just in the home that ants can cause chaos. Ants can lead to headaches for gardeners, too! They’re incredibly clever creatures, who have evolved to farm other pests like aphids. Aphids will eat your plants and secrete a substance called honeydew, which ants love. The ants will actually “milk” the aphids for honeydew by rubbing their abdomens. Ants will also protect aphids from predators which might otherwise get rid of the aphids for you. This is an amazing fact unless it happens to be your prize rose bush that’s been turned into an ant’s farmland! If you’re finding yourself under siege from a swarm of ants, read on. Ants are crafty, but ultimately predictable creatures that you can get rid of with a few easy steps, so don’t fret! Follow our advice below and you won’t be living the bug life anymore!

How to Prevent Ants

When it comes to ants, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! It’s much easier to prevent ants from entering your life than it is to get rid of them once they’re in there. You can easily reduce the risk of an ant infestation by following a few simple steps.

Clean Living

Make sure any food waste isn't disposed of near your building as it'll attract ants Keep your house clean and don’t leave food waste or dirty washing up lying around too long. Be especially wary of leaving spills and food waste that’s high in sugar. This can include bowls after you’ve been baking, cake crumbs, and sweet wrappers. All food contains sugar, so poses a risk of attracting ants, but ants will naturally gravitate towards sugary foods the most. If you have pets, make sure you clean up any spilt food or water as soon as you notice it and always keep food and treats in a sealed bag or container. Ants love treats just as much as your pets do, so try not to give them any!

Get Rid of Aphids

As we mentioned above, ants love to farm aphids. Be on the lookout for aphids infesting your plants, as it’s likely an ant infestation isn’t far behind. It’s much easier to deal with one infestation than it is to deal with two infestations of different species which are both protecting one another, so make sure you wipe out any aphids as soon as you can.

Seal Every Crack

Ants can get into your home from just about anywhere - don't make it easy for them! Ants will treat every tiny crack and crevice as a doorway into your home! While it’s impossible to seal every single hole, you can still make it a little harder for ants to enter your property by sealing up any obvious cracks in your walls or skirting boards. This is especially important in your kitchen, where ants will be naturally drawn to, so you should spend the most time there and go over every skirting board and window frame with your sealant.

Keep Dry

Some species of ant – such as the ghost ant – are attracted to warm, moist areas. This means they’re most commonly found under kitchen sinks and in bathroom cabinets. Check these areas regularly to make sure there’s no leaks or drips that can create ideal conditions for ants.

How to Get Rid of Ants

You can carry out all the measures we’ve listed above, but unfortunately, sometimes it just won’t be enough. Ants are clever and resilient, and they can break into your house easily if they really want to. With that in mind, it’s always wise to keep a few ant-busting techniques in mind, especially in summer!

Set Bait

Ant bait stations are a great way to quickly wipe out ant colonies even if you don't know where they are If you see a lone ant in your house, it might be tempting to squash it and forget about it. This isn’t always the best idea, though; solo ants are usually on a scouting mission, and if you kill them, they’ll just be replaced by another, and another, and another… you get the picture! Scout ants will take back some food to their colony and lead the rest of their gang into your house for more. It’s remarkable behaviour, but you can use it to your advantage. Ant bait stations offer ants an irresistible snack laced with poison. The ants will take this bait back to their colony, where it can poison dozens of them. If you have an infestation, ant bait stations can wipe out a whole colony in under a week as more and more ants take back more and more poison bait to their colony. It’s always smart to keep a couple of ant bait stations out by your bins in the spring and summer to ward off any potential ant infestations before they even start. We’d recommend doing the same if you’re a business where hygiene is important such as a kitchen.

Dust Off

Even if you think you’ve sealed off every nook and cranny in your house, that won’t deter the most determined ants. That’s why it’s advisable to use some dusting powder like Residex P around cracks and crevices whenever you see ants gathering there. Residex P proves especially useful when dealing with ants on your driveway or paving. Ants love paving as it tends to be laid on top of soft earth that’s perfect for ants to build a colony in. It also conducts heat very well and forms a hard, protective barrier that makes it hard to get to any ants hiding beneath it! Sprinkle some Residex powder not just on cracks and ant mounds, but liberally around your paving surface to make sure that you give the ants nowhere to go.

Spray, Don’t Pray

Protector C is an effective ant killer used around the world You can also use insecticidal sprays to cover any surface in your home or garden and protect yourself from ants. PelGar’s Protector C spray is known the world over as an effective treatment for ant infestations and is ideal for use indoors or outdoors. Simply spray and allow it to dry, and you’ll have ant-free surfaces for 6 weeks. Once dry, the area will be perfectly safe for children and pets, too!

Smoke Them Out

If you’re unlucky enough to have a really bad indoor ant infestation, you might need to make use of a smoke fogger. If sprays and powders don’t give you thorough enough coverage, smoke bombs certainly will! When you do use a smoke bomb, remember not to use it in isolation. Always re-treat the area at least once after about 5 days to make sure you’ve done the job properly. In fact…

Combo Up

It's not unheard of for ants to pack up and move to a new colony, so keep fighting back with pest control and you'll be free of ants in no time! As with many pests, the best way to get with ants isn’t to rely on one method, but to combine them. This will make sure you cover the most area. For example, if you use a powder and a spray, then the spray will mop up any ants who manage to escape the powder. It’s always wise to look at ant infestation kits which will give you the best chance at getting rid of an ant infestation. It’s important to get the most coverage you can when dealing with ants. This is because ants like to leave scented trails to and from their colony, which is why you often see ants walking in straight lines and following one another. You should aim to disrupt all of those trails by making sure you cover as wide an area as possible. Ants are notoriously resilient but follow all the steps we’ve laid out above and you’ll get rid of them soon enough!