Ants are habitual residents of the suburban and forest park territory. When you notice one such guest in passing in your kitchen, you smile, remembering the summer and the summer house. When their number gradually increases, it becomes not funny. If you do not take the necessary measures, one day you will notice that uninvited guests have stuck around the entire sugar bowl. Now an urgent question is brewing: how to get rid of house ants in an apartment?
Domestic ants: who are they?
Let's just say: this is not the kind of hard-working insects that build large anthills in the forest or on the lawn. Although if their home is located not far from the house, then these insects will not be too lazy to get into the house in search of food. We are talking about a completely different variety. Domestic red ants are close relatives of the forest. Only their sizes, in contrast to the wild counterparts, are smaller. They are also called "pharaoh ants."
Where live?
In an ant family, all responsibilities are strictly distributed. Those first individuals that you saw once are “scouts”. Their task is to find edible food and bring here “movers” who will carry supplies to their queen and other family. Hardworking creatures travel very long distances, so their appearance does not mean at all that their home is somewhere nearby. How to get rid of house ants in an apartment if these neighbors nest in places where it’s hard to get there: under the baseboard or tile, in the cracks of the lining or between the panels? Physical extermination is difficult, and poisons - sprays do not always achieve the goal.
What do ants eat?
Ants are insects that are almost omnivorous. The remnants of any food, crumbs, particles of fruit, meat and cheese - all the working individuals will be dragged to the place of settlement. The basis of the diet is proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore, sweets, eggs, meat products are the most delicious dish. They do not disdain garbage from the bin either. To stop these gluttonous insects, you need to prepare a special tool. Remember: boric acid helps to get rid of ants in the apartment. The recipe is simple. Preparation of the drug does not require expensive components.
What are the dangerous ants in the house?
Ant - a creature respected by all for hard work, the organization of colonial life, a clear distribution of responsibilities and discipline. It is these qualities that make it difficult to fight insects if they are planning to develop your territory. In nature, goosebumps can not be thoughtlessly destroyed. There is much more benefit from them than harm: they destroy the larvae of fleas, spiders, bugs. In an apartment, even with a strong love for all living things, ants are unwanted guests. Exploring bins, sewage, they carry many pathogenic bacteria. And not only inside one apartment. The aesthetic side of the issue is also important: the kitchen with products in which small insects flock is not very appetizing.
Means of combating domestic ants
How to get rid of them? There are several varieties of effective measures:
- Physical. Try to block all inputs and outputs of insects. Having found their nest, scald it with boiling water. When doing repairs or spring cleaning, try to cover up all the cracks. The disadvantage of this method is that it is very difficult to find a home and roads for such small insects.
- Chemical. We are talking about sprays, pencils, traps with capsules. Modern gel-shaped poisons are practically safe for humans and pets. The use of sprayers in the apartment is possible only if the house is temporarily empty. Exposing households to chemicals is dangerous.
- Fragrant. Treat the ants' attack area (and especially their routes) with smelling substances that they cannot stand. For this purpose, garlic, mint, wormwood, cinnamon, camphor, lavender, bay leaf are suitable.
- Sweet yeast. The effect of this remedy is based on the fact that after such food and water the ant bursts from the inside and it dies.
- Of the improvised means, the most effective among the people is sugar with boric acid.
Why boric acid?
Boric acid is a weak inorganic substance. It is obtained mainly by the interaction of sulfuric acid and a solution of borax. It is widely used in medicine and in agriculture. For medical purposes, boric acid is used as an antiseptic for conjunctivitis, otitis media, purulent inflammation of the skin. This drug also enters into the composition of some anti-pedicular agents. Boric acid from ants in an apartment is effective - the recipe will also be the same for cockroaches, bugs. The drug acts on all insects. In hardware stores, boric acid powder is sold as a fertilizer. It is believed that it helps to accelerate the germination of seeds, disinfects plant bulbs.
Boric acid from ants in an apartment
There is more than one recipe. The following are some effective varieties:
- Take one teaspoon of sugar and boric acid. Add enough water to this mixture to make something like batter. They need to cover the possible passage of ants. Patience: let them walk along the bait enough and take it to their producer.
- Powder (20 g) is mixed with hard-boiled egg yolk. Something sweet is added for the bait: sugar, honey, jam. From the resulting mixture, stick small balls and arrange them along the path of insects. The loaders will not only eat the found food themselves, but will carry it for the entire colony.
- Make sugar syrup. Proportions are not important here. Place it in a small bowl in the places of ant paths. Sprinkle boric acid around the dishes. Attracted by the sweet bait, the insects will pass through the acid: they will lick the paws and swallow the poison.
- Prepare mashed potatoes for uninvited guests according to a special recipe. Mash three boiled tubers with three boiled yolks, a pack of boric acid and one teaspoon of sugar. Spread the mixture in the places where the insects accumulate and on the way they follow.
Boric Acid Safety
Despite the general availability of this drug, it must be remembered that it is included in the list of substances hazardous to humans accepted in Canada. Boric acid has a particularly strong effect on young children and on the development of the fetus in pregnant women. Pets are also sensitive to the drug. Before removing ants from the apartment with boric acid, read the simple safety rules:
- Keep powder away from food. After working with it, thoroughly wash and rinse dishes and appliances. The same goes for the hands.
- Boric acid from ants in an apartment, the recipe of which is described in the article, is a sure remedy. For the safety of others, place the bait in such a way that children or pets cannot see it. And they were not tempted to try it.
- During the action of the poison for ants, especially make sure that insects do not crawl over open products that cannot be washed.
Ant Attack Prevention
No one is immune from the penetration of small and impudent dodgers. But still, the best cure for the disease is prevention. How to protect yourself from many insects? Since we already know that the ants in the apartment are looking for food, the main prevention is cleanliness. Firstly, remove crumbs, cleanings, sweet smudges after cooking and eating immediately. Do not leave unwashed dishes for a long time. Secondly, do not wait for the bin to fill over the edge. Take out less, but more often. Thirdly, you need to keep clean the bowls of our smaller friends. Unfinished animal feed is food for ants. Fourth, foods, especially sweets, and everything ants eat should be kept tightly closed. Use the initial protective measures immediately after the appearance of the first scouts. Know - working porters will not be slow to appear in your home.