Ants are quite common and they force their way into our houses especially kitchen countertops and dishwashers. It is very irritating to see those crawling things going from one corner to other.
Identifying ants
Detective work plays an integral role in eradicating the ants out from their houses, in order to stop the menace that they spread. Different ants have different ways through which they could be shown the way out of the house. In order to find out effective ways to removing the ants, it is essential to know the type that is invading the home. For example, the odorous ants are mainly found inside the kitchen and are attracted to sweet food items.
It is essential to remove the entire pheromone trail that these ants make which is followed by others even if a few are killed. Spongy solution could be used to eliminate the trailing lines.
Killing Odorous ants
Borax solution is an effective way to kill these ants. You can make bait at home for them by mixing one part of borax with thrice amount of powdered sugar. Once the solution is prepared, it can be filled in small vessels that could be placed in the way to prevent the ants from roaming here and there.
You could also use this alternate solution by mixing one cup of warm water with half a cup of sugar and three tablespoons of borax. Now soak cotton swabs with the solution and place it on shallow vessels.
Other ways
- Vinegar is known for its killing properties. It can be sprayed and sprinkled near the base boards, cracks, and even on the counter tops to eradicate them. Once the vinegar is soaked by the surface, the chemical trail will be removed and it deters the stragglers.
- Zip-top bags can be used or air tight containers are important to stop the entry of these ants from entering the food. The counter tops and dishwashers should be clean and all the crumbs or spills should be removed from the kitchen. Once the food has been cooked, it is vital to clean the counter-tops, dishwashers, before marching to have your meal; else the ants come and take the left over left by you.
- Ants prefer all the locations where food gets collected such as dishwashers or between the stoves and counter-tops. It is essential to keep these areas clean.
- All the water sources should be eliminated. They could gather around the leaky faucets or drains to drink. Such places should be kept pat dry with a cloth. All the leakages and cracks should be repaired.
- Combat baits can be kept around the kitchen in order to prevent the ants from making a visit.
A few more tips –
- Ants are fond of protein as well as grease. Therefore, peanut butter can help in removing them. One spoon should be mixed with same amount of sugar and equal amount of borax. Now straws could be filled with this mixture and cut them into two halves. They can be placed near the trail of ants.
- Cotton balls when filled with peppermint oil and kept around the area where the ants are usually spotted, can be very useful.
- Cinnamon can be used near the entry points. The powder should be sprinkled with care as it could be poured on things that might stink.
- Baby powder can be sprinkled around the house; ants quite dislike the powder.
- Vaseline is yet another great solution.
Permanent steps –
- Keep the ants outside – All you need is an outdoor spray that needs to be sprinkled inside the house once a month. Then all the cracks and drains should be repaired by using caulk.
- Seal the spices – If you find ants in the flour you were about to make food from, it is quite bad. Ants could be avoided in getting inside by sealing all spices in snap shut plastic bags. Bay leaf could be kept inside the container cabinets too.
- Adhesive tape – Cookie jar is one place where ants can’t enter if adhesive tapes are used over them by placing the sticky side upwards.
- Home remedy – A few interesting home remedies such as borax, cinnamon can be used. Calcium carbonate is again useful in keeping the ants away. The chalk powder would repel the ants from entering your kitchen dishwasher or countertops.
- Orange peels when blended with warm water and poured over the ant hills is again very useful way to get rid of ants.
- Cayenne pepper may be poured along the side of cabinets or baseboards.
These tips when followed precisely will go a long way in keeping the ants away from the kitchen. No longer, would you be entering and able to notice a large hill of these crawling creatures roam there.