How to find ants and get rid of them at home

Ants may not be as harmful as termites, cockroaches and many other pests, but one should not discount the damage they can cause to your home. These pests seem to be nowhere and everywhere at once-and when you try to track their trails, you just cannot figure out where they are coming from. Common frustration?

Ants are small and can enter home through the tiniest gap

Because they are significantly small, they can easily slip into your home even through the smallest of cracks or crevices, where they will be constantly on the lookout for food, water, and places to build their nests.

Ways to locate ant nest in your home

To find ants that are invading your home, you have to know what and where to look for. Locating their entrance points and eventually, their hiding places will be helpful in your ant control home remedy.

Ways to locate ant nest in your home

To find ants that are invading your home, you have to know what and where to look for. Locating their entrance points and eventually, their hiding places will be helpful in your ant control home remedy.

Where do ants enter into your home?

• Cracks and Seams - The indiscernible cracks, gaps, and seams in your walls, windows, doors, vents, and foundation may be large enough to invite ants into your home as they search for food, moisture, and warmth.
• Underneath the Floor - Ants crawling on the floor is a typical sight. What is not visible are the ants travelling underneath your floor too. The gaps underneath the flooring may provide a highway for these pests.
• Doors and Windows - While open windows let the sunlight and fresh air into your home, they may also be providing ants’ access to your home. The same goes for your doorway, particularly when they seal poorly.
• Utility Lines - The gaps where your water, electricity, natural gas, telephone, and cable lines connect to your home can also serve as an entryway for ants.
• Items Brought in Home - A colony of ants may can intentionally brought into your house through a variety of items including infested plants, toys, used furniture, and even groceries that are taken inside.
• Hatched in the House - Although ants are often brought in, there may also be a case when ants are born and bred inside your home. Some ant species prefer to build nests indoors, often within wall voids or rotting wood. Read here to learn the types of ants species usually found in household.

Where to inspect for ants indoors

Kitchen: It is no secret that the kitchen is a favourite ant’s hangout. Besides food access, the kitchen sink provides moisture that the ants need to survive thus if you neglect to maintain your housekeeping, then you could be inviting more ants than you ever know.

How to Keep Ants Out of the Kitchen

• Store food in airtight containers
• Check the fruit bowl for overripe fruits regularly
• Clean up crumbs and spills from the surface immediately
• Keep the sink dry and keep an eye out for leaks around the faucet
• If you have pets, make sure to wash the bowls and dispose of leftover food after every feeding
• Rinse out any empty food and beverage containers before throwing away and dispose of trash regularly

Bathroom: If the moisture in the kitchen sink is enough to attract ants, what more with the dampness in your bathroom? Carpenter ants, for instance, typically build nests in damp areas such as behind bathroom tiles or under the sink.

How to Keep Ants Out of the Bathroom

• Inspect sinks, tubs, and toilets for any leaks or drips occasionally
• Give the bathroom a deep clean on a regular basis
• Make sure your bath and shower products are secured
• Dry surfaces and place a bathroom mat to trap water

Other Ant Hideouts

Besides these places, statistics show that ants can also be hiding in the following areas:

• Door and Window Frames
• Walls and Floorboards
• Living Rooms
• Bedrooms
• Garage and Basements; and
• HVAC Units

Why are ants challenging to eradicate in homes?

They may be small and occasionally turn up in pairs or a small group, but ant infestation can escalate with a colony and nest hiding somewhere. There are times when a line of ants crawl along tabletops and walls, and despite various ants’ elimination efforts, success rate to get rid of ants are small. Besides, certain ant species might resemble to other pests that we mistook for such as termites, and hence pest control methods may be incorrect. In addition, we could be using off-the-shelve pesticides and baits with lesser efficacy due to dosage and dilution rate suitable for self-use. Finally, the locations applied on may not be the ants’ key activities area and hence still not eliminating the root source effectively.

You may also like: What are the 21 ways to get rid of ants in your home?

Effective ways on how to get rid of ants

1. Follow the Ant Trail
By tracking these trails, you should also be able to track the food sources the ants are rummaging for as well as the entry point where they are coming from.

2. Seal the Entry Points
As soon as you locate the entry points, use a silicone-based caulk to seal them up and prevent the ants from getting into your home. Do not forget the gaps around your windows, baseboards, and utility lines and once you close off these areas, you can then spray an ant pesticide for the extra defence.

3. Clean Up
Remember to keep your home clean from any food particles, grease, and crumbs that can attract ants to visit. Other than that, fix the leaking pipes, dripping faucets, and clogged drains that can further make your home enticing to ants.

Read also: What do ants feed in your home?

Engage professional pest control service

Sure, these techniques can help in controlling ant infestation in your home, but the most effective way to get rid of the pests is to engage the help of a pest control professional like Rentokil. We offer ants control program that will save you the headache and the inconvenience of an ant trouble.

Give us a call today on (65) 6347 8138.

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