The appearance of ants in living quarters is a very unpleasant phenomenon. If only a few individuals run around the house, then a whole colony will soon appear. You can find them near the remnants of food, near garbage barrels and sinks, on the floor, on the table and in other places. Naturally, the question arises, how to get ants out of the house? But first, it’s worth understanding what caused them to appear.
Such an unpleasant neighborhood
Fighting ants in the house will be most effective if it becomes clear the reason for the appearance of insects. But who will refuse neighborhood with a man? Most often, yellow, red and, of course, black ants settle in the houses. These insects choose the warmest and wettest rooms. They can be found in cabinets with food supplies, under baseboards, in the bathroom, under sinks, and also under ceramic tiles, which are slightly behind the wall. It is extremely rare to meet other "neighbors" - red pest ants.
But this is interesting! Due to the high temperature in the room and under the influence of dyes in food, insects are able to change their color. Small red ants in a house in the past might have been yellow, and brown ants might have been black. But, as a rule, insects that settle in human habitation are much smaller than wild counterparts.
It is worth noting that those who live in warm countries often have to fight with pharaoh ants. They choose the wettest and warmest places: under linoleum and furniture, in old boxes with things, etc.
Why are they coming?
Where do the ants in the house come from? Of course, from the street. They penetrate the human home in search of food and warmth. Therefore, settlement begins in garbage chutes and basements, as well as in ventilation shafts. In some cases, insects enter the house on human clothing or on animal hair.
But the "guests" are delayed where it is easy to disguise the nest and eat well. Ants are attracted by crumbs under kitchen cabinets, open containers with goodies, garbage bags.
However, the question arises, why do some colonies settle in the bathroom? Experts concluded that the insects echoes the sweet aroma of shower gels, soaps and fresheners.
Is such a neighborhood dangerous?
Since getting rid of ants in a house is not so easy, many are in no hurry to start a fight, believing that it is not dangerous. Is it so? Not everyone knows that insects constantly running on tables, cabinets and on the floor, not only bother, but also can harm a person. So:
- Ants who settled in the house constantly visit garbage dumps, garbage cans, dumps. On their tiny paws they bring eggs of worms, pathogens of dangerous infectious ailments.
- Red small ants constantly spoil food.
- Black ants can equip aphids on indoor plants. Naturally, the flowers begin to wither and perish because of this.
- Overlappings, beams and log cabins from wood are successfully destroyed due to the activity of red-chested wood-borers.
- In the mating season, winged individuals fly into the house and equip their nests. If this is not prevented in time, even the most effective ant medicine in the house will be powerless until a uterus is found.
Do not forget that small insects can not only harm, but also bite. After this, pathogens can enter the bloodstream. And in some cases, an allergic reaction is manifested.
Repellent
So how to get ants out of the house? The easiest way is to prevent their settlement. To do this, you can use deterrents. Here is a list of the most effective:
- Baking soda. Sprinkle abundant insect paths with this powder. Leave for a few days. Repeat the procedure until the ants leave the home.
- Ethers and spices. These insects do not tolerate harsh, pungent odors. Treat the premises along the entire perimeter with spices and spices, not forgetting the paths along which insects run. For these purposes, use clove, citrus or lavender oil, garlic, camphor, red pepper. Peppermint tea bags are also suitable.
- Vinegar. This product has a pungent aroma. Sprinkle ant trails on it.
Boric acid
How to bring ants out of the house without filling it with pungent smells? In this case, mono use boric acid. For humans, it is harmless, but for "uninvited guests" - a real poison. When working, observe safety rules:
- It is forbidden to use containers used in cooking or eating food to prepare traps.
- It is forbidden to try the cooked “delicacy”.
- Wash hands thoroughly after handling;
- If the house has children or pets, you should abandon the traps.
Application methods
Boric acid from ants in the house can be used in several ways. Let's consider each of them.
So, the first method. Take 5 g of boric acid and 1 tbsp. l granulated sugar. Mix and add just a few drops of water (cold). The result is a liquid mass. Pour the poison into small caps and caps. Place the lures near the ant paths. Note that the fluid will gradually dry out. Therefore, periodically it will have to add water.
Take a piece of paper, preferably thick. Pour sugar and acid in equal proportions. Use as a paw.
Fill a half-liter jar with half water, add 1-2 tbsp. l honey or sugar and some acid. Put on the kitchen table.
Mix acid with sweet, such as honey, jam, etc. This will attract insects. They will carry pieces of sweet mass into the nest. Gradually, the insects will die out.
Yolk and Boiled Potatoes
You can prepare the bait with boric acid yourself. To do this, you need 1 egg and potato tuber. Boil the root vegetable, peel and grind. Add a bag of acid, a little sugar and yolk to the mass. Mix everything thoroughly and roll the balls. Lay the resulting blanks in those places where insects are found.
For the bait to work, block the insect's access to water. The procedure is recommended 2 times with a break of 2 weeks.
Herbs to help
Some plants are effective not only in the treatment of certain diseases, but also in the fight against insects. Some aromatic herbs do not really like ants. These include:
- Wormwood. This plant perfectly repels not only ants, but also other no less harmful insects.
- Thyroid. From the leaves of this plant is to cook mulch.
- Tansy. The dried leaves of this plant are a great way to scare off insects.
Sweet water
Who will refuse sweets? You can make sweet water and pour it into a glass. Place the container in the place where the most insects. Ants will climb into it and just drown. True, this method is not very effective, since insects will quickly realize that sweet water is dangerous for them. Therefore, it is worth considering other means to combat ants.
Radical measures
How to get rid of ants in the house, if there is no desire to bother with home remedies? In this case, you can resort to the use of chemicals. To fight insects:
- gels;
- traps
- aerosols;
- crayons and powders;
- insecticides.
These substances will quickly get rid of insects in the house. But they have their advantages and disadvantages.
What gels are worth buying?
Such substances are very dangerous not only for ants, but also for animals. Therefore, you should not use them if a pet is constantly in the house. Such a tool is used easily. Squeeze out the contents of the tube and evenly distribute on the surface, of course, in the place where the insects live. Ants use gel. However, they do not die immediately, but manage to bring particles into the nest and feed the rest. If you follow the instructions, then you can remove "uninvited guests" from the house within a month.
You can use the Clean House, Raptor, Sturm, or Clobol gel from ants.
Crayons and powders
Such products are significantly weaker than gels. However, with their help, you can get rid of insects. Crayons and powders are used only in those places where ants were noticed. What drugs are worth buying? The products of domestic manufacturers have proven themselves excellently:
- Pyrethrum (powder);
- “Clean house” (powder);
- "Mashenka" (chalk).
Traps
Today, if necessary, you can purchase bait. There are several varieties. This and adhesive tape, and electric, and closed with a bait in the form of poison. Most popular and effective:
- "Raptor";
- Raid
- Combat
- Deadex
- Delicia
It is worth noting that electric and sticky traps are designed to combat working individuals. With poisonous bait - are more effective, since insects carry their contents into the nest.
Insecticides
Not sure how to get ants out of the house? Try insecticides. These substances act on any kind of ants: black, red, and red-breasted. If individuals with wings appeared in the house, then it is worthwhile to purchase a tool in the form of an aerosol. Best recommended: “Combat”, “Fumitox”, “MultiSpray”, ORO, Raid.
When using such compositions, do not forget about the safety rules that are indicated in the instructions. Close the premises after processing. After 2 hours, the house can be ventilated. Finally, thoroughly wash all surfaces using a soap and soda solution.