How To Get Rid Of Ants

Here’s what to do if you find ants in your house.

Maybe you’ve spotted a single ant wandering around on the kitchen floor, or perhaps there’s a trail of them marching across the counter. Regardless, it’s time to act fast. “Once a worker finds food, it takes it back to the nest to recruit the other ants,” says Eric Benson, PhD, professor emeritus and extension entomologist with Clemson University. “It will lay down a pheromone trail that the other ants can follow back to the food source.”

Like wasps and bees, ants are social and live in a colony with one or more queens. That means the workers have to keep finding food to keep everyone alive. “Ants are constantly foraging,” says Benson. “They’re champs at what they do. They’ll find that single Cheerio or cookie that fell out of the package in the back of the pantry.”

You may see ants anywhere in your home, including in your kitchen, pantry, or bathroom. They need water, too, so they’re often found on sweating pipes, or they may be in potted houseplants. While there’s no need to freak out if you see ants in your house, you shouldn’t ignore them. “One scout ant will become lots of ants in a very short period of time,” says Benson.

Fortunately, while there are hundreds of species of ants in the Southeast, most of them aren’t considered indoor pests. “Most types aren’t going to come into our houses to establish nests,” says Matt Bertone, PhD, entomologist and director of North Carolina State University Plant Disease and Insect Clinic.  “They’re generally just a nuisance and sanitation issue indoors.”

Meet The Expert

• Eric Benson, PhD, is a professor emeritus and extension entomologist at Clemson University.

• Matt Bertone, PhD, at an entomologist and the director of North Carolina State University Plant Disease and Insect Clinic.

Here’s what else you need to know about how to get rid of ants:

Types Of Ants

Common types of ants that infest houses in the Southeast, according to Benson and Bertone, include:

· Argentine ants, which are about 1/16-inch long; they may travel 200 feet or more with thousands of ants following each other to a food source.

· Odorous house ants are about 1/8-inch long and are fast movers; they smell like rotten bananas or blue cheese when crushed.

· Little black ants are 1/16-inch long; they’re slower-moving and also make trails; they may nest in wall voids and masonry.

· Carpenter ants vary in size from ¼ to 1/2 inch; they do not eat wood like termites, but they will excavate damp wood in your house to create galleries where they nest.

Another type of ant you may hear people talk about is the “sugar ant.” However, this isn’t a specific species but rather a common name or catchall term people use when describing tiny ants such as the odorous house ant or little black ant, says Benson. It’s not a term used by entomologists.

How To Treat Ants

· ID the type of ant you have because they have different behaviors which impact what management method will work best. A photo may not be clear because they’re tiny, so drop a few ants in a lidded jar containing alcohol and swish around, says Bertone. Then contact your local university coop extension service (find yours here) for identification.

· Set out baits. They can be bait stations, or gel baits and dusts, which work well in voids. “House-infesting ants share food and feed one another, which is why baits can be effective,” says Benson.  Place baits where you see ants coming in, or at least outside the house or on an outside wall. Keep the baits out of reach of kids and pets.

· Be patient. At first, you may see more ants feeding, but that’s a good thing. They will take the insecticide back to the colony to share with the babies and queen(s). You should start to see a reduction in activity after a few days, says Benson.

· Put out new baits regularly. Check and replace if the bait is depleted. Bait stations also may need replaced about every three months, though gel bait may dry out more quickly and need reapplied sooner.

· Toss foods the ants may have fed on. Some types of ants, such as Argentine, can contaminate foods because they also feed on garbage, sewage and dead animals.

· Avoid indiscriminate spraying. “Maybe you’ll kill a hundred, but that’s the tip of the iceberg,” says Benson. “There’s a whole colony, including the queen and babies, that you haven’t touched.” In fact, some types of ants will avoid an area that was sprayed and undergo “budding,” which is when the workers produce viable queens to create new nests. “Now you’ve just increased the number of colonies,” says Benson.

· Don’t get complacent. While ant activity tends to taper back in some parts of the Southeast in fall, they’re not gone. “They’ll be back. Start treatment again in late winter and early spring before their numbers are high,” says Benson. “This is especially important if ants are a perpetual problem for you.”

Why Is My Ant Bait Not Working?

The good news is that ants do not become resistant to insecticides like cockroaches and flies can, says Benson. But depending on the species and time of year, ants have different food preferences, so they may not be attracted to what you’re using. For example, protein-based baits are appealing to some types of ants when they’re raising babies, but carbohydrate and sugar-based baits are more attractive if they’re getting ready to go into winter, says Benson.

If the product isn’t working, it could also be that it’s a gigantic colony (so there’s just not enough bait to go around), or you may not be baiting in the right places, says Benson. It’s reasonable to try a different type of bait, but if you don’t see results within a few days, you may need a professional pest control company, which has access to additional products.

Related: How To Keep Flies Away From Your House

How To Prevent Ant Infestations

Ants are tiny so that it’s nearly impossible to keep them out of your house, says Bertone. But these tips can help:

· Remove thick mulch up against your home, and trim tree limbs and shrubs so they don’t touch your house and provide easy access for foraging ants, says Benson.

· Seal obvious gaps around the foundation and under doors, says Bertone.

· Repair leaks. All ants like moisture, and carpenter ants excavate soft, water-damaged wood and can cause further structural damage to your home. Replace soft wood ASAP, says Bertone.

· Store birdseed in a sealed container, says Benson.

· Pick up pet food bowls every day so ants aren’t attracted, says Benson.

· Keep pantry items in sealed containers. Depending on the species, ants like everything from flour and sugar to cereal, snacks, and oils. “Ants can get into containers you wouldn’t expect, but containers that are water-tight are your best option,” says Benson. (Hint: Fill the empty container with water to check if it’s really water-tight).

· Forget about “repellents” such as tea tree oil or basil essential oils. “There’s no research evidence that these things work,” says Benson.

· Minimize clutter and clean up leaf litter in the yard, which provides a safe haven for ant nests.

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