In the bathroom, toilet, living rooms, and most often in the kitchen, black and red ants appear very often, unfortunately. If they do not find suitable living conditions for themselves, but only temporary food, they quickly disappear. But if everything suits them, getting rid of the misfortune will not be so easy. In our article, you will learn the most effective pest control methods in the kitchen.
Reasons For The Appearance Of Ants And Habitats In The Kitchen
In the kitchen, ants appear most often. Here they have all the conditions: food, water, and the opportunity to hide.
Almost always, insects settle in the kitchen. They enter other rooms in search of food and then return to their main place of residence again. Yes, ants, having found a constant source of food, do not leave the house, but, on the contrary, invite relatives to their place. And they start making nests. Learn a great approach to get rid of ants in kitchen easily.
Where Do They Come From?
During the day, ants in search of food can overcome from 100 meters in one direction and the other. Given their tiny size, they can even climb into closed containers. Enough free space of a couple of millimeters and a small amount of food for the “guests” to enter the room. First comes the scout. If he finds conditions suitable for life, the next time he returns with a flock that is getting bigger and bigger. Interestingly, while moving on the floor, they leave a trace invisible to humans, but very noticeable to other individuals. Thanks to this path, not only relatives of the discoverer but also representatives of other anthills can appear in the house.
Any food can be used by insects. Most of all they love sweets. But the remains of food in the bin and even microscopic crumbs will fully satisfy their needs. They place their nests under the sink, under food cabinets, and in other remote places where it is dark and damp and there is food.
It is generally accepted that ants are harmless insects, but they are carriers of many infections and can even damage communications by gnawing through electrical wires and even plastic pipes.
What To Do About Kitchen Ants?
Someone, noticing uninvited guests, immediately rushes to the household chemicals store for poison, and someone acts in the old-fashioned way, using methods from people that have been proven over the years.
Lures And Traps
The use of baits and traps helps a lot in the fight against insects, and not only ants. So do not be surprised if you find other crawling and flying representatives along with them.
The most effective is a mixture of boric acid and maple syrup. These components are even used in the production of ready-made baits that are sold in stores. But homemade remedies are no less effective.
The easiest option is to pour a little maple syrup on a saucer (a tablespoon is enough) and sprinkle the boric powder on top. Put the bait in a place where insects most often appear. Leave for 7-10 days.
The smell of maple syrup attracts ants the most, but if it is not available, honey or any jam can be used. Sometimes yeast is added to the mixture to enhance the effect. But then you need to prepare new baits more often, once every 3-5 days.
A dry mixture of boric acid with sugar works well. The components are taken in equal amounts (sugar may be a little more) and scattered in places of accumulation of uninvited “guests”.
When working with boric acid, you must use a mask and protective gloves.
Folk Remedies
If there are no animals and small children in the house, you can use chemistry to repel ants. Yes, most drugs are more effective and cope with the problem the first time. But when safety comes first, it is better to use folk recipes.
The Most Effective Are:
- Yeast. You can prepare the bait by dissolving a spoonful of yeast in jam or liquid honey. And if the place of residence of insects is known, you can pour the powder directly there. Once ingested, the yeast swells and causes the death of the ant. The most important thing is to get to the uterus. Working individuals after her death will leave themselves.
- Garlic. One of the simplest and most humane means of dealing with the invasion of intruders. Ants can’t stand the pungent smell of garlic, so it’s enough to cut the cloves into several pieces and spread them all over the room. The method works great. There is only one minus – everything around will smell of garlic, including clothes.
- Vegetable oil. If you smear the ant “paths” with oil, the insects will no longer follow this path. But this method also has a drawback. So expelling “guests” will not work. They just hide for a while and then reappear in the field of view.
- Soapy water. But this tool works 100%. It is best to use the usual household. Dissolve the bar in 2 liters of water and pour over those places that are most often visited by ants. For a person, the smell will be practically invisible, but insects cannot stand it. In addition, soapy water is an excellent disinfectant.
Ready-made liquid laundry soap is also suitable, like any dishwashing detergent. And if you add a couple more drops of essential oil (mint, eucalyptus, tea tree), the effect will be several times more noticeable.
- Lemon. Lemon slices spread around the perimeter of the room, which the ants liked, work better than any poison. Moreover, insects do not die but simply leave. You can use orange and grapefruit peels.
- Tomatoes. Tops from tomatoes have a very sharp smell of insects. If you spread the branches in the kitchen or another room that tiny workers have chosen, they will go looking for a better place to live.
- Spices. Red and black pepper, as well as cinnamon, are proven ways to deal with ants. Their smell repels insects, and no traces remain on the surface of furniture and floors, as, for example, after applying vegetable oil. You just need to sprinkle the powder on the floor, in all remote places, and along the paths that insects have chosen.
It has been proven that millet is excellent for fighting ants. It is enough to sprinkle cereals in the habitats of insects so that after a short time they leave the room.
Conclusion
Now you know what to do if ants appear in the house and how to prevent the appearance of these insects. Using folk methods, one should prepare for a long struggle. Chemicals are more effective, but they can harm other inhabitants of the home, so they must be used in compliance with all safety measures. All the above methods work but the best Ever pest repellers is the tool that can help you achieve this aim fast and easily.
