With the arrival of the rainy season, ants are moving into houses for food and dry shelter. Use these five safe and affordable ways to get rid of them.
Ants may be tiny insects, but a colony inside your home can be a threat to your belongings and health. Long trails of ants may damage your books, furniture, and cabinetry. While they don’t carry diseases unlike other bugs, ants crawling all over your home may spread illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli. Having ants bite you all the time is also painful and annoying.
With the rainy season here, colonies of ants are moving to find food and dry shelter. You might want to prevent them from moving into your home. Here are five affordable and safe ways to deal with ants and their colonies:
Use Ant Baits
What's Inside
Ant baits are made with food scraps, such as sugar, cookie crumbs, or chocolate bits, mixed with substances that are deadly to ants. These substances could be borax or boric acid. But don’t worry! These chemicals may be fatal to ants, but they are harmless to humans. Borax also doesn’t harm wooden surfaces, so residents of St. Joseph Richfield can use it to eliminate the annoying colonies.
Place your ant baits close to their trails and the entrances of their colony. The worker ants will carry the food to their nest. As they feast on their spoils, the substance will slowly kill the workers, soldiers, and eventually the queen. You may have to replace your bait should the ants eat all of them. You also may have to wait for the ant population to decrease; however, it will be worth it.
Use Coffee Grounds
Coffee is excellent for energizing professionals working from home. Used coffee grounds also serve as great fertilizers and fragrant mulch for plants. However, did you know that coffee is also ideal for eliminating ants in your home?
After brewing your morning coffee, leave your coffee grounds to dry a bit. Then, sprinkle them on a disposable surface, such as a plastic container lid on an index card, before placing them close to ant trails. You may also set the coffee grounds close to your pet’s bowls and plants, as these are items that attract ants.
You may also use your coffee grounds as a mulch to protect your lawn and other outdoor plants from becoming an extension of the ants’ colony. Wide green parks in Santa Rosa, Laguna, may also benefit front the health and protective benefits of used coffee grounds.
Spray Vinegar
For centuries, vinegar has been used to flavor foods and sanitize surfaces. It is also a cheap and natural substance to kill ants. Mix a 50-50 solution of water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz it on the ant trails. You can also use pure vinegar on the ants for a sure kill. The vinegar also prevents the ants from coming back.
Keep Food Sealed
Food is the main attractor of ants in any home. To keep them from coming and stealing your food, seal them properly. Use airtight containers to store sugar, powdered juices, and sweets such as cookies, candies, and chocolates. For unsealed packs of food, use food clips or a portable sealer to close them tightly. Store sugary drinks in your fridge, especially if they’re already opened. Proper food storage is crucial in keeping ants and other pests away from your home.
Clean Your Surfaces
Besides storing your food properly, clean your surfaces to remove food residue on your kitchen counter. Wipe away crumbs on your couch, work table, and gaming console to prevent ants from overtaking your living room and electronic devices.
Use a mixture of vinegar and water to clean surfaces where ants may always pass. As mentioned, vinegar is a natural repellent for ants. But did you know that it is also used as a natural wood cleaner and polish for centuries? By using a vinegar solution to clean your surfaces, you’re also ant-proofing your home.
To sum up, ants are tiny creatures that can pose significant threats to your home and your wellness. But thanks to these five cheap and doable ways of getting rid of them, you’ll have a clean and pest-free home.