How to get rid of ants in your house forever without resorting to poisons

What to expect from an unpleasant “neighborhood”

Ants can be found not only in the wild. Such insects can appear in an apartment, and most often the invasion is carried out by a whole group of pests. Having noticed the first scout ants, immediately begin fighting them. It is necessary to remove the ants from the apartment as quickly as possible, before they have time to build colonies and cause serious harm to your home, equipment, and even health.

There are many reasons why uninvited guests appear in an apartment. Ants can be accidentally introduced on clothing or animal fur. Sometimes pests sneak out from neighboring houses in search of additional food or climb up plumbing pipes from basements.

Facts about insects

To determine how to permanently get rid of ants in the house, you need to understand with whom you are going to wage war. There are 8,800 known species of these insects. And only a few of them live in apartments. Moreover, domestic insects are much smaller than their forest relatives. On average, a house ant weighs 1-10 mg, while the weight of a queen ant reaches 150 mg.

Ants do not live alone. They can only exist within a colony. Moreover, the way of life in an ant’s nest is subject to a strict hierarchy. The colony includes three "social systems".

1. Adult females. They are called queens. Depending on the size of the nest, females can number up to 200 individuals. The queen is significantly different from other ants. Its dimensions reach 4 mm, almost twice the length of the working individual. Females never leave the colony. Their main task is to lay eggs. Some queens can be up to ten months old.
2. Samtsov. Such insects are smaller in size than females, but larger than worker ants. They, like the queens, do not leave the colony. On average, the lifespan of sexually mature males is 18-20 days.
3. Soldier. These are worker ants that scour your house all day long in search of food. Asexual soldiers are characterized by the smallest sizes - only 2 mm. Their responsibilities include obtaining food, delivering food to the colony, and caring for laid-off larvae. Worker ants live much longer than males - approximately 60 days.

In one clutch, the queen is capable of laying about 400 eggs. Only a quarter of them develop into adult insects. Ant eggs take 38 days to develop if we are talking about soldiers, and 42 days if a sexual insect hatches from the larva.

Varieties

Despite the fact that the natural habitat of ants is nature, some species have been able to successfully adapt to home conditions. The main varieties are listed in the table below.

Table - Types of domestic ants and their characteristics

What harm do they cause?

Do not confuse house ants with forest dwellers. The latter, unlike indoor ones, are useful. And domestic ones can cause serious harm to human health and become a real source of unsanitary conditions. The appearance of ants in an apartment can be accompanied by four unpleasant moments.

1. Transfer of infection. Ants, in search of food, can visit trash cans and touch food waste, not only yours, but also your neighbors’. Having picked up germs, viruses, bacteria, they can easily transfer them to fresh food, dishes, and clothes.
2. Fungal development. Insects store stolen food in places inaccessible to the human eye. These could be cracks in the wall or openings behind baseboards. In such places, mold develops over time and fungus appears. This may have a negative impact on your health.
3. Attack on the weak. House ants practically do not bite. But pharaoh insects can be very aggressive. Sometimes they gather in groups and attack bedridden people or babies. Their bites can lead to irritation and allergies.
4. Decomposition of excrement. Ants have certain places where they carry excrement from the colony. Sometimes such “garbage” can be located in the kitchen near food products or in the nursery.

What types of ants are found at home?

Let's look at several types of insects commonly found in the home.

War with uninvited "guests"

When you see the first scouts darting around the kitchen in search of provisions, immediately begin to think about a military strategy. Do not forget that these pests are capable of multiplying very quickly, and in just a month or two they can occupy your apartment.

Destroying a nest

No matter how much you crush the ants running around the table, or spray poison on them, their ranks will constantly replenish. After all, the queen continues to lay eggs. To get rid of insects, it is necessary to destroy the females. And to do this you need to find a nest of ants in the apartment. Searching for a colony is a very difficult task that does not always give a positive result. But try it anyway. To make it easier to find the nest, consider the following features of anthills.

• Warm place. Most ants like a warm, moist environment. So start looking for a colony in the kitchen or bathroom.
• Hard to reach areas. The nest may be located under tiles, in sockets. And sometimes anthills are located even outside the apartment, for example, between floors, in ceilings. In this case, it is impossible to find the nest.
• Surveillance. To determine the location of a colony, you simply need to follow a line of insects. They will lead you to the nest.

If you have difficulty finding a colony, arm yourself with silicone sealant or polyurethane foam. As soon as the horde of ants disappears into the gap, immediately seal it. This will cut off the insects' path home.

Preparation for processing

Don't despair if you can't find the nest. You can destroy the female without even touching the colony. This is not difficult to do. It is necessary to force the soldiers to take poisonous substances in order to take them to the nest as food. Many folk traps and insecticides are built on this principle. Don't forget to prepare thoroughly for the fight.

• Wash surfaces. Wipe all countertops and tables with a damp cloth, removing crumbs, food debris, sugar, and rinse the floors with vinegar and Domestos to destroy the paved paths and disinfect the apartment from ants.
• Remove food and trash. Hide baked goods and cookies in plastic bags, carefully close the trash can with a lid, or better yet, take it out of the apartment altogether.
• Inspect the plumbing fixtures and baseboards. Fix the faucets, repair the water pipes so that the house does not have dripping water necessary for insects, identify any cracks and seal them with caulk.

Safety regulations

Chemical insecticides and even some folk remedies can be dangerous not only for insects, but also for animals and people. Therefore, before you start killing food ants, be sure to take safety precautions.

• Isolation of residents. To protect children, elderly relatives or pets from possible intoxication while fighting ants, place them with friends or relatives.
• Means of protection. Wear gloves. If the drug has an odor, wear a respirator. In the case of insecticides, try to protect your body, limbs and head as much as possible from getting chemicals on your skin. Take care to protect your eyes as well.
• Disposable tableware. Do not use food plates to prepare solutions or powders, even if we are talking about folk remedies. It is not safe. Buy disposable tableware, which you immediately throw away after baiting insects.

Ways to combat invasion

In addition to the above methods, there are mechanical ways to combat an ant colony. The principle of their operation is to protect the house from insect invasion by sealing all cracks and holes.

Putty

This ant repellent is used to seal all apartment windows and cracks between the door and the floor and pipes. Thanks to this, insects will not enter the home.

Glue

Used as traps. Special glue against rodents and insects is applied to paper wound on the trunks of fruit trees, so that the fruit trees remain intact from the invasion of aphids and the ants themselves. Besides lime, this is the most effective method of repelling insects.

You can also coat the legs of furniture and the bottom of cabinets indoors to prevent ants.

Silicone sealant

A good way to control ants is to use silicone caulk. Apply a thin layer to the joints between frames and other places. The mass hardens and insects cannot get inside the house.

Plasticine

The same principle of action applies to plasticine. Treat gaps between windows. In this way, you can quickly expel uninvited ants from your home if, along with plasticine, you use repellent strong aromas.

How to get rid of ants in an apartment using odorous folk remedies

Folk remedies will help get rid of pests only in the initial stages of the spread of ants. If you only find a few scouts in your kitchen, then you can make do with herbs or products that have a repellent aroma. House ants are afraid of five powerful odors.

1. Garlic. “Decorate” the kitchen with cleaned teeth. To enhance the effect, prepare garlic paste and place it on plates or paper. If you have noticed insect trails more than once, then rub such paths with fresh garlic juice.
2. Chili pepper. This is another component whose aroma repels pests. But even people cannot stand such a smell without sneezing and watery eyes. So don't get carried away with red pepper.
3. Cinnamon. If you manage to find a nest, you can safely fill it with a few pinches of ground spice. Or place cinnamon sticks around the house. The substance, harmless to humans and animals, will gradually do its job, completely driving out the uninvited guests.
4. Herbal. You can easily combine business with pleasure. Collect armfuls of wormwood, anise, chamomile, and elderberry in the forest or meadows. Tie them into bouquets, weave wreaths. Decorate your kitchen with this decor. Herbs have a specific smell that pests do not like, so they will have no choice but to leave the apartment of their own free will.
5. Disinfectants. Thoroughly rinse tiles, door frames, handles, and furniture with vinegar solution. Ammonia is no less effective. Such smells will instantly drive ants out of your home. But they are also very unpleasant for humans.

Consequences of the appearance of ants

The appearance of insects at home brings not only psychological and physical discomfort. Ants move over long distances, encountering garbage cans and decomposed animal corpses on their way.

When migrating and settling into living quarters, they are able to carry on their paws pathogens of infectious diseases that are dangerous to humans.

Hordes of uninvited guests move across the surface of tables, cabinets, beds, leaving behind dirt and bacteria brought from the street. Ants can cause the following diseases:

• Helminthiasis. Children are at risk for the disease, as they often put everything they can pick up in their mouths.
• Salmonellosis. Infections that affect the gastrointestinal tract cause intoxication of the body.
• Dysentery. A dangerous disease characterized by serious dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Diphtheria. An acute infectious disease that affects different parts of the body (including the larynx, genitals, skin, eyes).
• Typhoid fever. An infectious disease associated with damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
• Cholera. The disease is characterized by severe dehydration of the body and is extremely life-threatening.

Additionally, pets living indoors with ants are also at risk of infectious diseases. Frequently occurring among them: plague, panleukopenia and parvovirus enteritis.

Edible bait recipes

Sometimes repellent scents are not enough to get rid of insects. In this case, influence the pests not only with the smell, but also with the prepared poison.

Yeast balls

Peculiarities. To get rid of pests, you can prepare small yeast balls. This mixture is ingested by insects. Due to the yeast, it gradually swells, which leads to the death of the parasites.

Compound:

• sugar - 40 g;
• yeast - 35 g;
• water - 30 ml.

What to do

1. Mix sugar with water.
2. Add yeast to thick syrup.
3. Stir the mixture until you get a paste-like mixture.
4. Roll several small balls.
5. Place them around the house.

Essential Oil Blend

Peculiarities. If you need to get rid of black ants in your apartment, then feel free to use any strong scents. These pests cannot tolerate garlic, mint, or lemon. You can drop a few drops of citrus oils onto a napkin and leave it in the kitchen. To enhance the effect, use a more effective recipe that will get rid of not only black insects, but also red, yellow and red ones.

Compound:

• ethyl alcohol - 250 ml;
• lavender oil - ten drops;
• peppermint oil - 20 drops;
• water.

What to do

1. Combine alcohol with essential oils.
2. Dilute the resulting mixture with cold water to obtain a half-liter solution.
3. Pour the product into a spray bottle.
4. Irrigate all ant paths daily with a fragrant solution, shaking before use.

Sugar-soda poison

Peculiarities. When deciding to get rid of ants in the kitchen, consider an option that combines baking soda and sugar. This drug does not work instantly. The sugar-soda poison captured by the soldiers is brought to the nest as food for the inhabitants of the colony. The acid in the body of insects reacts with soda, causing their death.

Compound:

• baking soda - one tablespoon;
• powdered sugar - one tablespoon.

What to do

1. Mix the baking soda and sugar thoroughly.
2. Pour the resulting powder onto plates or paper.
3. Place bait throughout the kitchen.

Semolina mixture

Peculiarities. Semolina works on the same principle as yeast. After entering the body of an ant, it gradually swells, causing the death of the latter.

Compound:

• semolina - one tablespoon;
• jam - one tablespoon.

What to do

1. Mix the ingredients.
2. Roll into small balls.
3. Place them around the perimeter of the room.

Video on the topic

Boric acid

Peculiarities. White crystalline powder remains the leader in the fight against ants to this day. However, if ingested, boric acid can cause severe intoxication in humans. Strictly adhere to the recommended proportions. This will protect you from the consequences and allow the ant to carry the poison into the colony. Otherwise, you will only destroy the soldiers.

Compound:

• egg yolk - three pieces;
• boric acid (powder) - half a packet;
• honey - two tablespoons.

What to do

1. Mash the boiled yolks.
2. Add boric acid.
3. Mix with honey.
4. Roll small balls and place them around the kitchen.

Boric acid will help get rid of all types of ants, including red ones, which easily survive poisoning with various substances.

Destructive starch

Peculiarities. The effect of starch on the ant's body is completely similar to boric acid. But, unlike the latter, starch does not cause intoxication of the body in people or pets.

Compound:

• jam (honey or sugar);
• starch.

What to do

1. Make special baits by dropping a little honey or jam into the center.
2. Surround the treat with starch on all sides so that insects cannot get past it.

Don't expect quick results. This means is aimed at destroying the entire colony, and not just the working soldiers. Therefore, give time to the “hard workers” to bring the poison into the nest.

How to deal with ants in the house - proven tips

The fight against ants, in addition to searching for a nest, should begin with general cleaning. Food supplies, especially sugar, should be kept in hard-to-reach places and tightly closed. Vacuum, remove small crumbs from carpets, and wash the floor. All surfaces must be wiped with a sponge soaked in disinfectant.

The cracks through which ants enter the apartment should be walled up with any available means:

• putty;
• glue;
• silicone sealant;
• plasticine.

The discovered nest can be poured with ordinary boiling water, which will “cook” its inhabitants alive. However, hot water is unlikely to reach the uterus.

Practice shows that ultrasonic ant repellers based on ultrasound and electromagnetic radiation that have appeared on the market are ineffective in the fight against ants, but they help someone.

Chemicals

Many insecticides have been developed to get rid of house ants. Therefore, do not give up if the folk remedies described above do not bring the desired result, pay attention to the chemicals listed in the table.

Table - Effective insecticides for ants

Some drugs can have negative effects on humans. Therefore, it would be a good idea to carefully study the instructions before using an insecticide and do not forget about safety measures.

Calling a pest control service

If the moment when you could kick out the uninvited guests on your own has been missed, and the apartment is almost completely “covered” with red or black insects, do not despair. Don't waste your time looking for effective remedies. In this case, the SES or a private pest control service will help you. This treatment has many advantages:

• guarantee - specialists themselves will select the necessary types of exposure that are guaranteed to destroy all pests;
• absence of chemicals - exterminators can completely abandon chemicals (at the client’s request) and use chladonite - the latest method of freezing parasites with nitric oxide;
• result - professionals will give recommendations for further prevention.

However, there are some disadvantages to this procedure. First, you will need to leave the premises for the duration of the treatment. Secondly, you will have to pay the craftsmen for the work.

Prevention measures

There is only one method to protect your home from the invasion of the red, yellow, red or black horde - by keeping your apartment clean. This is precisely what prevents the appearance of ants. If the scouts who entered the house do not find food, they will quickly leave it. So, try to stick to simple rules:

• Clean the house regularly - especially the kitchen and bathroom;
• do not leave garbage - crumbs, grains of sugar, leftover food;
• close the tap carefully - if necessary, repair the plumbing;
• Take out the trash in a timely manner - always cover the bin with a lid;
• do not leave anything in the sink - wash dirty dishes immediately after eating;
• Store food in the refrigerator or in tightly closed bags or containers.

Now you know what scents you can use to fight ants in your apartment. However, not all strong odors repel insects. Some of them can serve as bait. For example, eau de toilette with vanilla, cosmetics with the addition of honey, rich sweet aromas. Therefore, if you do not want to encounter crowds of operating “aliens,” try to keep such funds tightly packed.

How to destroy the queen

Ants are a very organized system, headed by a queen, or queen. She is the one who lays the eggs, and the others protect and care for her, even bringing her food.

If the queen dies, then most likely the entire flock will disperse, since it is thanks to her that the ants multiply in apartments. On very rare occasions, they find a young replacement for their queen.

It is quite difficult to destroy the uterus, since it is located in the most secret place. It is for this reason that sweet baits with poison are considered the best way to fight ants - this way the poison will definitely reach the queen.

If the exact location of the shelter is known, then you can use a special spray with poisons.

Photo comparison of what the queen looks like in relation to an ordinary ant.