Seeing bugs of any kind in your home is not a welcomed sight. But seeing a trail of ants marching into your home can be overwhelming. Your mind may be suddenly filled with questions like: Where are they coming from? How can I stop them? and What should I do?
Fortunately, you are not the first nor the last person to deal with a trail of ants coming into your home. There are several preventative tips and ways to eliminate your current ant problem that you can implement yourself. If the ant problem turns into an ant infestation, you can always call in a professional to eliminate the ant invasion in your home.
Prevent ants from getting in
Ants are always on the lookout for food and water. Knowing what attracts ants can help you keep them out of your kitchen. A few ways to prevent ants from coming into your home are:
Thoroughly clean up spills
If you accidentally knock over a cup of juice or sugary drink, it can be difficult to reach all the places the liquid can spread. But if you really want to make sure you won’t have ants marching into your home, cleaning up every bit of that spill is essential. Make sure to look behind countertop appliances and even in drawers where drips can creep into. Ants have an incredible sense of smell and can find all the places you miss when cleaning up a spill, so take your time and be thorough.
Wipe down your surfaces
If the ants can smell it, they will find a way to get to it. After you prepare food or eat a meal, be sure to wipe down all surfaces, such as the dining table and countertops, with an all purpose spray to prevent ants from finding a morsel that keeps them coming back for more. The cleaning spray eliminates the smell of food so the ants aren’t tempted to come looking for crumbs in your kitchen.
Keep all food in air tight containers
To keep ants from finding your pantry, place all food in airtight containers. Not only will this prevent ants from finding your cookies, sugar, and other foods, it will also keep other pests from discovering your pantry as well.
Caulk around windows
After normal wear and tear, the caulk around your windows may be missing or damaged, leaving the tiniest entrances for these little, marching insects. Inspect the trim around your windows for any possible damage and apply fresh caulk around the exterior and sometimes interior of the window.
Pet food
If you have a dog or cat, you may keep their food and water bowls in your home. Both pet food and water can attract ants. Ants are always searching for a food source but as the summer heats up, finding easy access to water will also get their attention.
Repelling scents
There are some scents that ants can not stand. You can actually use an ant's strong sense of smell to repel them from your home instead of entice them. White vinegar is at the top of the list of most hated scents for ants. Cleaning with white vinegar is a great way to safeguard your surfaces from attracting ants.
Essential oils such as lemongrass, peppermint, and tea tree oil also repel ants from marching into your kitchen and getting into your food.
Call a pest professional
Keeping regular pest inspections is a great way to prevent pests like ants from coming inside. Any potential ant problem is eliminated before it is able to develop into an infestation. If you are in Summerlin, NV give Pest Raiders a call so we can help you get rid of that trail of ants in your home.