Your Guide to Getting Rid of Ants for Good

Ants usually aren’t a concern, but when left unchecked, ant infestations can cause serious damage to you, your pets, and your home. Ant infestations can build up over time or appear overnight, and are a site that causes panic for many. Found yourself with ants?

We want to help. Take a deep breath, and let’s get rolling onto this blog. This is your 10-minute guide to getting rid of ants for good.

Step 1: identify the Ants in Question

There are over 700 ant species, but luckily, there are only a handful of ant species that tend to infest human homes. You want to identify the type of ant because different ants are attracted to different baits, and cause different problems.

For instance, carpenter ants are notorious for wreaking havoc on your home’s infrastructure by digging tunnels in lumber. Once you identify the ant in question, you’ll know what needs to be checked and what doesn’t post ant infestation. Here’s a great resource that can help you identify the ants infesting your home.

Step 2: Clean Your House

Ants are attracted to food, plain and simple. If a few ant scouts come to take food, you should expect hundreds of their friends to come later on. The best way to prevent more ants from coming is to secure food in airtight containers and clean up around the kitchen.

Note that ants are particularly attracted to sugary liquids (e.g. soda, honey, maple syrup), so make sure to clean up spills quickly and with a bit of dish soap.

Step 3: Renovate Damp Spots and Rotten Wood

Here’s a fact: ants can actually roll droplets of water from your home to their colonies because of their size. They can also store water in their mouths and transport it that way.

Either way, this is precisely the reason why you need to renovate damp spots and rotten wood. Both areas are concentrated with moisture, and this will inevitably attract ant mounds surrounding your home. Look for leaks, fix them, and then renovate any water-damaged material.

Set 4: Set Ant Bait

Ant baits are a mixture of insecticides and various food items designed to lure and kill ants that infest your home. Set them anywhere you see ants and let the party begin. Just make sure to select the ant bait most effective for your problem. For example, black ants are attracted to fatty foods while carpenter ants are more attracted to sugary food.

Caution: If you have pets, please check the packaging carefully and keep mindful of where you place the ant bait.