How do you get rid of ants in your kitchen?
While it’s true that ants don’t really contaminate food and don’t carry disease, they’re still an annoyance that should be avoided. These pesky insects can show up anywhere in your home, but the most common place for an ant infestation is your kitchen.
Many people ask us, “How do I get rid of ants in my kitchen?” Today, we’re going to share some of the easiest ways that you can prevent and eliminate these tiny, annoying pests.
Keep Your Kitchen Clean
The most obvious thing you want to do to prevent ants from invading your kitchen is to keep everything clean. Ants are attracted to even the smallest amount of food. If there are ants right outside your home and you leave food on the counter, you could have ants in your house in less than half an hour. If you spill anything on the floor or make a mess, clean it up right away.
Locate the Ant Trail
The most obvious way to get rid of ants in your kitchen is to eliminate the ant colony itself. But first, you’re going to need to find the ant trail. Sometimes, this is quite easy because you’ll see a line of ants making their way from the wall to your trash can or your counters. But, it’s also common for just one or two ants—often acting as scouts for the colony—to be skittering around a table or counter.
Seal Off Entry Points
One of the biggest reasons why any type of pest gets inside your home is because you have cracks, gaps, and holes that act as entry points. These are very often found around the edges of your doors and windows, but they can also be located near your foundation, garage, attic, etc. You can keep ants out by sealing these areas with either caulk, spray foam, or weather-stripping.
Set Up Ant Bait Traps
Ant bait traps are a great solution for eliminating an ant colony. They contain small amounts of food laced with a deadly, slow-acting poison. The ants take the poison back to the nest, where it becomes part of their food supply. As the chemical is released, the ants and their queen are exposed and perish after a relatively short period of time.
Call an Exterminator
In some cases, you may be dealing with multiple ant colonies or a very large colony that seems to be never-ending. If you want to take care of the problem as soon as possible, you should call a professional exterminator. You can even ask that they only use green pest control methods if you prefer.
Store Your Food Properly
Keeping your kitchen clean may not be enough if you’re not storing your food properly. If your food is in the refrigerator on a plate or otherwise out in the open, the ants will be able to smell it and will come running. You should always store food in plastic, airtight containers. Not only will this prevent ants, but it will also help food last a lot longer.
Regularly Take Out Trash
It’s very common for an ant trail to appear leading up the side of your trash can. You can keep this from happening by taking out the trash on a regular basis and not letting it overflow. If you throw away food that’s gone bad or is otherwise especially odorous, then someone should take it outside right away so you don’t wake up the next morning to find an ant problem.
Use Diatomaceous Earth
In the past, many people would reach for insecticide to get rid of ants, but there are plenty of natural alternatives. One of the most popular is called diatomaceous earth. Simply sprinkle some of this non-toxic substance around the edges of your kitchen, and it will penetrate the exoskeleton of the ants that walk through it. If you can locate the colony itself, spread some around the entry hole.
Use Natural Deterrents
Lastly, there are several types of natural deterrents that you can use to keep ants at bay. Ants are effectively repelled by vinegar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and peppermint, to name a few. You can either apply these natural deterrents in areas where the ants are entering your kitchen or soak some cotton balls and place them in various spots around the room.
Contact ProHealth Pest Control for Ant Control
ProHealth Pest Control knows how to get rid of ants in the kitchen, along with any other pests that may have invaded your home. If you have any questions about our residential or commercial pest control services, or would like to receive a free estimate, reach out to us at (727) 308-4087 today.
