Ants.com - The Authority on All Things Ants

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Ultimate Ant GuideAnt FarmsUniversity ProgramsAnt Control Ants.com The Authority on All Things AntsUltimate Ant GuideAnt FarmsUniversity ProgramsAnt Control Home Blog How to keep ants from coming inside your home Ant ControlRuss Carpenter - September 2, 20200 Ants are everywhere

Since there are more than 10,000 different kinds of ants in the world, it’s no wonder we seem to find them everywhere, both indoors and out. Did you know that in the U.S. alone, there are more than 700 different species of ants? While we expect to see ants and other pests outdoors, ants inside your home are a less-welcome sight.

That is especially true for one kind of ant commonly found in North America that plagues homeowners. Pavement ants, which are black or dark brown in color, are named for their most commonly known behavior – nesting underneath concrete slabs like driveways and patios. These pesky insects enter homes through small cracks in a home’s foundation, walls, or around windows and doors. They enter homes looking for food, water, and shelter – but once they’re inside, ants can be very difficult to get rid of. Pavement ants often burrow deep inside a home’s walls, including within its insulation and under floors, building nests.

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Fire ants are also found throughout the U.S. These ants are well known for their painful stings. Large, red, and angry, fire ants build nesting mounds near homes and other structures like fences and patios. They can enter a home the same way pavement ants do – through small cracks in a home’s foundation, as well as space between doors, windows, and exterior walls. Another entry point used by ants looking for food and water sources is HVAC and A/C units, especially ones that extend through windows.

What attracts ants into your home

Ants forage inside homes and businesses looking for food, water, and shelter. That’s why they are most commonly found in basements, bathrooms, and kitchens, where standing water can attract thirsty ants. In basements and crawl spaces without good circulation and waterproofing, moist conditions and standing water from leaks attracts ants. Any crumbs or leftover food also attracts ants, which can access pantries and kitchen cabinets through cracks in walls and doors.

While it may be simple to find and remove visible ants from your home’s kitchen, bathrooms, basement, and other areas, the problem may be harder than you think to solve. That’s because once ants find a way inside a home through cracks in the foundation, under doors, or through walls, they can nest inside the home’s walls, under floors, and inside crawl spaces. Once hidden inside the walls and floors, they can be much harder to find and remove.

Making your home less attractive to ants

The best solution to your ant problem is prevention. That starts with fixing a home’s foundation problems, which are the main cause of cracking pavement, walls, and floors. A settling foundation can also cause the seal around doors, windows, and A/C units to break away. Find and seal cracks and small holes in the home’s walls and around windows and doors to reduce these entry points. For outdoor areas, seal cracks in pavement around decking, the front door, driveway, and other areas. For windows and A/C and HVAC units, update the caulking around the units to close entryways to ants and other pests.

Cleaning bathrooms and kitchens also helps reduce ants. That means removing standing water by wiping tubs and sinks and fixing leaky pipes. Keeping kitchen counters and stovetops clean and free of food and crumbs is also a preventative measure for reducing ants. Improve food storage by keeping items inside a fridge or freezer or in airtight containers. Remove pet food promptly and wash bowls often.

If you find ants in your home, removing them promptly and then wiping down the area with vinegar to remove the ants’ scent helps reduce the chance that they will come back. Ants leave scent trails as a “map” to help their nest-mates find their way back to new food and water sources. In addition, indoor plants can also attract pests if the water is too damp. Remember to water plants infrequently and clean up any water that leaks out.

Reduce humidity in a home to deter ants

Another way to reduce pest activity inside a home is to reduce moisture build-up. Remember, ants come inside looking for food and water. If you have water inside the home from a leaky basement, broken pipes, or moisture build-up in crawl spaces and basements from poor ventilation, you are attracting ants. That’s why common hotspots for ants are basements and crawl spaces. A combination of poor ventilation, leaks that go unnoticed, and cracked floors and walls can attract ants to basements and crawl spaces and ensure they stick around. Start with a fan to improve air circulation and consider adding a sump pump to remove standing water in the basement.

By fixing cracks and other small entry points into your home commonly used by pavement, red, and other ant species, you can make your home less attractive to these pests. In addition, keeping your kitchen and bathrooms clean and dry, fixing leaky pipes promptly and waterproofing and dehumidifying basements and crawl spaces will make a big impact. Finally, ensuring your home’s foundation is healthy and not causing cracks in the walls, floors, and in between windows and doors is essential to keeping out pests.

Find out how Groundworks professional foundation, basement, and crawl space repair services can help keep ants away with a free home inspection to identify and fix problem areas.

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Ant Repellent vs. Ant Baits Ant ControlRuss Carpenter - September 2, 20200

Ant repellents and ant baits are two popularant controlproducts for either eliminating ants or keeping them out of the home. These options work very differently, so its important to understand your choices so you can select the right solution for your house.

What is Ant Repellent?

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An ant repellent is something that deters ants from entering your home. When ants encounter repellents, they will generally choose to look elsewhere for their food source. Repellents are not guaranteed to keep your home ant-free, but they do make it less desirable for ants that are looking for a place to build a nest or find food.

Do Ant Repellents Work?

If you already have ants in your home that have discovered a food source or constructed a nest, a repellent is unlikely to solve the problem. The ants may avoid the repellents, but they will likely find another route to their destination that bypasses your ant repellent. A repellent will redirect ants but does nothing to kill off an existing colony.

If your home is currently ant-free, using repellents can help keep it this way. Its best to use this type of deterrent to prevent problems, not to solve those that are already existing. Apply repellents around doors, windows, and other entry points.

What are Some Types of Ant Repellents?

Some commonant repellentsinclude:

Chalk lines.Talcum powder.Vinegar.Coffee grounds.Cinnamon.Chili pepper.Cloves.Cucumbers.Salt water.Peppermint, lavender, or eucalyptus essential oils.What is Ant Bait?

Ant baitsare products that are appealing to ants as a food source, yet poisonous when consumed. Ant bait is often placed in ant traps. The ants will ideally pick up the bait and take it back to the colony where it is consumed by other ants in the nest, including the queen. Ant baits are most effective when you eliminate all other food sources for the colony, so your bait is widely consumed.

Do Ant Baits Work?

There are many different types of ant baits that you might use. Some are more effective than others. When youre selecting your ant bait, its important to understand how it works. Some baits kill ants quickly while others take time to be effective. Baits that take longer to kill the ants have a greater chance of getting deep into the colony and impacting the entire nest, so a slower solution is often more effective in the long term.

When youre using an ant bait, its important that you resist killing the ants and leave their trails intact. The ants must be able to follow their trails to the bait and safely carry it back to the nest for this method to work. If you can identify the ant species in your home, this will increase the effectiveness of your baiting strategy, because you can select a bait that appeals to them. Some ants prefer sweet foods while others seek fatty items.

If youre using DIY ant baits, you may need to try several options. Ants can become resistant to certain baits, so you should try different choices, rotating them every few weeks to find a poison thats both alluring to the ants in your home and effective against them. Remember that ants wont pick up a bait that doesnt appeal to them as food. If you have small ants, a granular bait may be too large for them to carry back to the nest. Knowing your ants is the best way to ensure success.

Ant baits are a very common solution and one thats often employed by professionals. A knowledgeableexterminatorwill have access to effective ant traps that are suited to the exact ant species thats in your home.

Ant Repellent vs Ant Bait: What Do You Need?

Now that you understand the difference between ant repellent and ant bait, its time to select the right solution for your pest control needs. If possible, locate the ant nest to determine whether theyre living in your home or simply foraging for food there. If you have an ant nest inside the building, you need to use ant baits to kill the nest and eradicate the problem. If the nest is not in the house, you might be content to deter them with an ant repellent and leave them alone outside the home.

Identifying the type of ant that youre dealing with may help you make this decision as well. Destructive species like carpenter ant are undesirable. Even if theyre not in the home now, they may expand and begin building in your dwelling if left undisturbed. Red ants cause nasty bites that may deter children from playing outside. This is another species youre likely to want to simply get rid of no matter where they are on the property.

What About Ant Sprays?

Ant sprays are often categorized as ant repellents, but you need to examine the product youre working with to properly understand how it works. Ant sprays that kill on contact are only effective for the ants that you see in your home. These wont help you eliminate the nest, because the queen and ants that remain in the colony are not impacted by these sprays.

Some ant sprays contain a poison that doesnt kill on contact. Ants carry this poison back to the nest after walking through the spray and spread it throughout the colony. This may work, but its important to practice proper safety measures with a spray product. Make sure its not toxic to pets or children and that its used in a safe manner.

Understanding the difference in ant repellent vs ant baits will help you make the right choice for your home. Whether youre dealing with a current infestation or looking to prevent a future one, there are smart solutions available. Speak with a pest control professional to learn more.

How Do Ant Traps Work? Ant ControlCopyPress - September 2, 20200

Ant traps are one of the best products for getting rid of an ant infestation. Theyre affordable, easy to use, and effective when chosen properly. Understanding how ant traps work will help you use them effectively.

How Do Ant Traps Work?

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Ant traps have a misleading name. From this moniker, you might expect these products to physically trap the ants in your home and keep them from roaming freely around the space. If this is your conception, you may think your ant traps arent working when you see ants crawling in and out of them. However, ants must exit ant traps for these products to do their job.

Ant traps are small enclosures that house a type of bait. The ants are drawn to the bait because it poses as a food source. For an ant trap to be effective, the bait must have a low concentration of poison or the ants wont take it back to the nest. If you have the right bait in your trap, the ants will pick it up and take it back to the colony.

You want ants to enter and exit your traps, because those that dont return to the nest cant deliver the poison to the rest of the colony. The key toant controlis eliminating the queens and nest. An ant colony can hold anywhere from hundreds to million of ants. The worker ants leave to forage for food and take it back into the colony. Inside the nest, a queen ant is continuously laying eggs to replenish the worker supply. Other ants care for the queen and eggs or protect the colony.

Simply killing the visible workers wont wipe out the entire colony, because there are so many other ants in the colony and because workers are quickly replaced. Ant traps deliver poison, but they dont kill the ants on contact or even onsite.

How Long Do Ant Traps Take to Work?

An ant trap can take several days to begin killing ants after the ants have found the bait. Its most effective for this type of poison to work slowly. If it kills the ants too quickly, they will identify the ant trap as a dangerous source of food and simply avoid it. The ant bait must get deep enough into the nest for the queen to consume it. Thats why ant traps work more slowly than something like a spray that kills on contact.

You may have to wait several weeks for ant traps to wipe out an entire colony. Sugar baits typically work in two to three weeks while protein baits may take two months.

How to Select the Right Ant Traps

Each ant species has its own preferred food source. Your ant trap must contain the ants favorite substance or your ants will simply ignore it.Ant identificationis one of the first steps to properly eliminating an ant infestation. If you cant identify your ant species yourself, speaking to apest controlprofessional can help.

Some common ants and their distinguishing features are listed below.

Argentine ants are dark brown and about 1/8-inch long. Theyre found in the southern US and California. These ants eat sweet food.Carpenter ants are around half an inch in length. Theyre black in color and nest in wood. They eat both proteins and sugars.Fire ants are red or black in color and range from 1/4 to 1/2-inch in length. They enjoy fatty foods.Little black ants are tiny and glossy black. They eat proteins, grease, and bread.Odorous house ants give off the smell of rotten coconut when squished. Theyre brown or black and 1/8-inch long. They prefer sugary baits.Pavement ants are 1/8-inch long and dark brown. They prefer proteins.

Seek ant traps that are formulated for the particular type of ant in your home. If your traps arent attracting ants, consider switching to a different products. If youre asking How do Raid ant traps work? or How do Terro ant traps work? the answer is the same. All ant traps work the same way. The only variable is the type of poison used and the particular ants that it will attract. Read the packaging carefully if you take a DIY approach.

How to Place Ant Traps Properly

Place your ant traps in areas where youve already seen ants in your home. Setting them on ant trails will make these traps easy for your targeted ants to find. Ants often move along walls, so placing traps along baseboards or in the corner of a room is a good strategy if you havent seen a well defined ant trail.

Keep your ant traps out of the reach of pets and children, particularly if youre using open traps that youve constructed yourself withhomemade baits. The poison used to kill the ants can be harmful.

Ant Traps vs Other Ant Killers

Ant traps are widely considered to be one of the best products for getting rid of an ant infestation. This is because an ant trap is one of the few products that will help you get to the queen.

Its often difficult to locate an ant colony. Even if you find it, you cant typically get to all of the ants within. Attempting to dig up or otherwise disturb an ant colony will often cause the ants to simply relocate and set up in another part of the home. Sprays only kill the ants you can see. Ant traps will kill those you cant.

A well-placed ant trap that contains the proper bait should help you eliminate ants in your home. Dont give up if your first trap doesnt immediately work. Ant traps take time, and you may need to experiment to find the right bait. However, these are ultimately a very effective way to handle an infestation.

How to Identify a Queen Ant Ant Blog Knowledge CenterCopyPress - September 2, 20200

The queen ant is at the heart of the ant colony. Whether youre dealing with a colony that has a single queen or several, without this particular type of ant, there would be no way to perpetuate the species. Queens are typically protected and well cared for to ensure the future of the nest, so its helpful to know how you can identify her.

What is a Queen Ant?

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A queen ant is responsible for laying eggs for hercolony. This is her sole job, and other ants exist largely to help her accomplish it. Many ant species have nests with a single queen, while others may have multiple queens. Worker ants find and supply food to the queen and colony. Soldier ants protect the queen and colony. Drones are male ants that mate with winged females, which may later become queens themselves. Understanding these roles will help you tackleant controlat your home and property.

What Does a Queen Ant Look Like?

Queen ant identificationwill help you understand the hierarchy in your nest. If youre interested in studying ants outside or within an ant farm, this information will help you spot the queen so you can watch the fascinating activity that takes place around her. If youre trying to get rid of ants in your home, learning how to identify a queen ant will help you pinpoint the most important ant to get rid of.

The appearance of the queen ant varies by species. The midsection, or thorax, of a queen ant is particularly large. She may or may not have wings when you see her, but most queens fly at some point in their lives and have greater musculature in the midsection to support this. The thorax makes up about half of the queen ants size.

A queen ants trunk is usually as wide as the head. A smaller head indicates a worker ant rather than a queen. The queen ants abdomen is usually quite large as well, since her primary responsibility is laying eggs.

How Big is a Queen Ant?

The queen ant is almost always bigger than the other ants in the nest. However, her exact size depends on her species. The queen leaf-cutter ant is significantly larger than the workers in her nest, while carpenter ants and fire ants have larger workers, so theres less to differentiate between the queen and the workers. Ultimately, if an ant looks bigger than those around her, there is a good chance she is the queen.

Do Queen Ants Have Wings?

Queen ants typically have wings at some point in their lives. After mating and establishing a nest, the queen ant may lose her wings, so a lack of wings doesnt mean that an ant cannot be the queen. After losing her wings, the queen typically has scars or small protrusions from her back where the wings were. If you examine her closely enough, you may see these.

Male ants also have wings during mating season. However, male ants are generally more slender and have a wasp-like appearance, while the queen is larger and sturdier.

How to Find a Queen Ant

The physical appearance of an ant isnt always as telling as its behavior. Queen ants are treated very differently from the others in the nest. She gets a great deal of attention from worker ants. They feed her, clean her, and retrieve her eggs. If you see a larger ant with several smaller ants climbing on or around her, shes likely a queen.

The queen is usually found in the center of the ants nest. Shes well protected by the soldier ants and typically difficult to get to. A queen ant isnt found at the top of the nest and rarely moves around. Queens prefer dark, moist areas, so you might have to dig into an existing nest to find her. This type of disruption will often cause the ants to scatter and choose a new home, which will make them more difficult to get rid of if youre trying toexterminate an infestationin your home.

Does the Queen Ant Ever Leave the Nest?

Queen ants rarely leave the nest unless theyre looking to relocate the colony. If the current nest is under threat, the queen may exit in an attempt to establish a new home. You may also see new queen ants outside the nest on their mating flights. Though some ant species live in nests with a single queen, that queen will still produce other potential queens to further the species.

These new queens leave the nest with winged males on nuptial flights. After mating, the queens move on to establish new nests or return to their nest to expand it if they belong to a species that allows multiple queens. If you see flying ants around your home, this is a sign that theyre mating and expanding their reach. You should generally speak with a pest control professional in this situation to find the best way to address the problem.

How to Get Rid of a Queen Ant

If youre trying to eliminate an ant infestation in your home, you must get rid of the queen ant. Killing worker ants wont take care of the problem, because the queen can continuously replace them. Queens are very long-lived, often surviving for decades. The best way to kill a queen ant is to get poison into the nest. Ant baits that pass for food are often fed to the queen. This kills her and the other ants who eat the bait, effectively eliminating your problem.

While its fascinating to identity a queen ant, this isnt necessary to get rid of a nest. Simply approaching your ant infestation with the right ant traps and bait will help you reach the queen, even if you never see her. Speak to a pest control professional to learn more.

What Eats Ants? Ant BlogFun FactsKnowledge CenterCopyPress - September 2, 20200

When you think of ants, you might not think of lunch, but thats just what these insects are to many. Ants make an excellent food source, rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Due to their small size, they make ready prey for many creatures ranging from other insects to humans. Though predators probably wont provide enoughant controlto rid your home of an established colony, having animals that eat ants around may deter them from coming into your home.

Animals That Eat Ants

Ants are so small that theyre easily consumed by nearly all animals, often as theyre eating something else. However, there are many animals that seek ants out specifically as well.

The anteater is one of the best known animals that consumes ants. This creature is built specifically for the task. Anteaters have sharp claws that help them tear into anthills. Their long, slim snouts fit easily into the anthill to consume the feast. An anteaters tongue can flick out 160 times a minute to slurp up the ants within. This allows the anteater to feed quickly before attacking ants can get too many bites or stings in.

Bears seek out antsto eat the brood. Between late spring and late summer, ant brood is a popular food source for young cubs. Rather than digging into nests in the soil, bears seek out ants nesting in logs or under rocks, where the brood is easier to access.

Though ants have many defense mechanisms, these are often ineffective against larger predators. Carpenter ants in particular are a favorite of Eastern moles, striped skunks, and many other creatures.

Insects That Eat Ants

Other insects can consume ants in a variety of ways. Several types of spiders trap ants in their webs. When the ant walks on the web, the movement alerts the spider who will quickly strike and wrap the ant up for later consumption. Other types of spiders will lie in wait and simply pounce on passing ants.

Antlion larvae, also known as doodlebugs, dig pits designed to trap ants and other insects that they like to feed on. The doodlebugs hide in the bottom of the pit and attack ants that fall in.

The phorid fly is another major predator for ants, particularly the fire ant. These flies lay their larvae on the ants. When the larvae hatch, they consume the ant. This method is so dangerous to fire ants that these flies are sometimes actively used as an ant control method.

Birds That Eat Ants

Many birds enjoy consuming ants. These insects make up a major part of a birds diet, alongside the other insects that they will actively consume. Some birds that particularly enjoy feeding on ants include downy woodpeckers, wild turkeys, hummingbirds, grouse, starlings, and sparrows.

Birds also interact with ants in another way, participating in a behavior known as anting. When a bird is anting, it lands near an ant nest and either picks up the ants and rubs them on itself or sits and allows the ants to swarm over its body. The ants are often eaten afterwards.

There are many theories as to why birds engage inanting. This typically happens with ant species that produce formic acid. Some speculate that the acid kills mites and parasites. Others believe that the acid may be soothing to birds that are molting. Still others hypothesize that anting is a natural way to prepare the ants as a food source. After the ants have secreted their acid, they might make a tastier meal.

Fungal Infections That Eat Ants

One of the most fascinating things that eat ants is a fungus known as ophiocordyceps unilateralis, or the zombie-ant fungus. This fungus grows aggressively through the ants body and ultimately takes over the ants brain. The fungus compels the ant to leave the nest and seek the proper height, temperature, and humidity for the fungus to grow.

Once the ant is in a suitable location, the fungus forces it to clamp a leaf in its jaws and hold still. The fungus ultimately grows through the ants head and releases its spores. Since the infected ant will typically select a spot near its nest, these spores easily find other ants to infect and consume.

Ants That Eat Ants

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Many ants will readily eat other ants. Fire ants will consume other fire ants as well as smaller species. In response, ants that belong to the Pheidole genus have developed a habit of killing fire ant scouts. If they cannot wipe out the scouts, these ants will relocate their nests to avoid being eaten. Army ants are known for feeding on other ant species as well.

Humans That Eat Ants

In many cultures, human eat ants. The practice of consuming insects like ants is known as antomophagy. Ants are a good source of protein. Queen leaf-cutter ants are a particular delicacy in the Santander region of Colombia. There, the new queens are captured during their mating flights. These are a symbolic wedding gift. The ants wings are removed and theyre soaked in salt water before theyre eaten.

Insects like ants are so nutritious that the UN encourages their consumption. Insects require less feed and less space to raise as a food source, and as such have become the focus of the UN, which has spent millions on research about mass insect production. Raising insects takes no fertilizers, emits no harmful gasses, and consumes minimal water. Ants can be prepared and eaten in many ways and could become a staple food source around the world.

Ants live a risky life and are easily eaten by the predators described above as well as others like snakes, fish, lizards, snails, beetles, and caterpillars. If these arent keeping the ants under control in your area, however, talking to apest controlprofessional can help you take care of those in your home.

Outdoor Ant Control Ant ControlSafetyCopyPress - September 2, 20200

Ants are an integral part of the natural environment. They could even be considered natures cleaning crew. Ants further the process of decomposition by breaking down and eating dead animals, dead insects, and organic matter. When they are in their natural habitat, ants also provide a stable food source for other insects and animals.

Even if ants havent invaded your home, they can be just as devastating when they are on your property. Your lawn and garden can be at risk when ants infest the land around your house. Ants arent typically a major threat to your physical well being, but in mass numbers, ants can cause serious injury to your family and your pets. Learning the ins and outs of outdoor ant control can be the difference between a safe or unsafe yard for your family and pets.

Ants in Your Yard

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By comparison, ants in your yard may not seem as bad as ants in your house, but they can cause severe damage. Fire ants are an example of ants in your yard that have a negative effect. They are known for being aggressive, and when disturbed, they will attack the intruder, whether it is your kids or your pets. Fire ants can sting and release venom that causes pain and discomfort. People who are allergic to this venom can suffer from anaphylactic shock. Small pets have been known to die from fire ant attacks as well.

When ants pose a threat to your family and pets, you will need to implement outdoor ant control. The best ant treatments for your yard are non-repellent insecticides. Ants are unable to detect these types of insecticides and are unable to avoid them. Repellent insecticides, on the other hand, might be suitable for some applications, but if used to treat for ants on your property, may cause a bigger problem.

Repellent insecticides will stress an ant colony, causing them to split and relocate, and the result will be multiple new ant colonies that will need to be eliminated.Non-repellent insecticidesare odorless, tasteless, and completely undetectable. Ants will walk through them, eat treated materials, or contact the insecticide without even know that its there. This will lead to the eventual death of the ants.

Despite your efforts to eliminate a colony, sometimes it may be necessary to contact aprofessional pest control agencyfor help. A professional exterminator can assess the threat and create a plan of action to eliminate your ant problems.

Types of Ant Bait

There are two main types ofant bait, excluding sprays, that you can use to control outdoor ant infestations, including liquid and solid baits. Liquid and gel baits consist of a sweet solution used to attract ants. These baits are ideal for ants to consume and carry back to their nest for disbursal to the rest of the colony. Gel baits are typically applied with a syringe, making them ideal for treating crevices and cracks that other types of bait cant reach.

Solid baits can be in the form ofgranules or dusts. Granules consist of protein and can be applied throughout your yard. Diatomaceous Earth is a dust that can be used to cause ants exoskeletons to dry out. You can use both of these types of baits to defend your yard against many different species of ants.

Outdoor Ant Baiting

Liquid ant bait is the most effective type of bait to use for eliminating ants. Outdoor stakes with integrated weatherproof ant bait stations allow you to place liquid ant bait throughout your property strategically. Ants are instinctively drawn to the sweet liquid bait contained within the stations and ingest the liquid, taking it back to the nest. A slow-acting bait gives the foraging ants enough time to bring it back and distribute it to the rest of the colony. Ant bait typically disrupts the ants digestive system and eventually kills them.

For larger ant infestations, you can use a weatherproof granule ant bait. Using this type of bait around the perimeter of your property will help with ant control in your yard. The placement of bait stations is key to successfully eliminating ant colonies. You will need to find the areas of your property with the most ant activity and place the bait near foraging trails or close to ant nests. When the bait is located near where ants are active, they will be more likely to be drawn to it, eat it, and take it back to their colony.

You may need to use multiple applications as a means of eradicating larger ant colonies. How long it takes for the ant colony to be destroyed is directly related to the size of the colony. Small ant colonies can take up to 48 hours, and larger ant colonies can take up to two weeks before total ant control is attained. Be patient and allow time for the slow-acting bait to run its course.

After eliminating the nests in your yard, you can maintain control by continuing to use bait around the perimeter of your property and yard. Using a combination of liquid and solid baits can help keep ants from re-infesting your yard. As a result, you, your family, and your pets will have a safe space to spend time outside without the threat of ants.

Ants may be one of natures most incredible insects, but they can be a considerable nuisance when they are trespassing on your property. If ants have infested your yard and have become a threat, learning how to implement outdoor ant control will help you provide a safe outdoors environment for your family and your pets to enjoy. There is a place for ants in their natural habitats, but your yard, garden, and house are not on the list.

Everything You Need to Know About Ant Bait Ant ControlRuss Carpenter - September 2, 20200

Ants are one of natures hardest workers as they aid the natural process of decomposition. Ants help to break down leaf litter, dead animals, dead insects, and other types of organic matter. They are a sustainable food source for many creatures, as well.

Its when ants invade your lawn, garden, or home that they become a pest that needs to be dealt with. Ants carry many types of bacteria that can cause harm to your family and can pose a physical threat to your family and pets when their nests are disturbed. Some ant species, such as carpenter ants, can cause substantial cosmetic and structural damage to your home. Learning about the different types of ant baits and how to use them can help you to protect your family, pets, property, and home.

What Is Ant Bait?

Ant bait is a mixture of ingredients that work together to attract and kill ants. Ant bait can be purchased from many different retailers, or you can make ant bait as a DIY project with ingredients that are commonly found in your home. Regardless of whether you choose to purchase ant bait or make ant bait, when its used correctly, it will yield the same result of eliminating ants. In dire circumstances, aprofessional pest control agencycan help.

Ant bait can be solid or liquid and can be used in different applications depending on where the ant infestation is located. To deal with ants that are trespassing in your personal space, you must first find the source of the intrusion. The source of your ant problems can depend on the type of ant you are dealing with. Ants such as fire ants are commonly found infesting your property, in fields or your lawn, but rarely make nests within your home.

Carpenter ants can also be found infesting dead trees or firewood on your property but can move into your house, causing significant cosmetic and structural damage. Ants that are on your land are a little easier to deal with than ants that are residing in your home. Ants that have nests outdoors will often enter your house while foraging, and you can typically follow their trails and seal off the entryway or place ant bait in their path.

Where you find ants in your home can tell the story of why they are living or trespassing in your home. The common areas where ants are found in a house include the laundry room, kitchen, and bathroom. All of these rooms can provide what ants are searching for: food, moisture, and warmth.

Types of Ant Baits

As mentioned above,ant baitcan be solid or liquid, and each type can be used for different applications. Solid ant bait is available in powder or granule form. Solid ant bait works well indoors or outdoors. It can also be applied in the path of trailing ants or placed directly on suspected nests. Solid ant bait that is used far from an ants nest requires foraging ants to carry it back to their nest before consumption and can often be more trouble for the ants than its worth.

Liquid ant bait is the best bait to use. Ants prefer a liquid to a solid because solid bait cant be digested before transporting it back to the nest. Liquid ant bait allows for ants to ingest the bait and carry it back to the nest without having to process it further. That leaves them to immediately distribute it directly to the rest of the colony and the queen. Liquid ant bait will typically be more effective and provide the desired results more quickly than a comparable solid ant bait.

How Does Ant Bait Work?

Image viaFlickrby tjabeljan

Ant bait can be distributed in different ways, including ant bait traps, indoor ant traps, solid ant bait, and liquid ant bait. All of these disbursal methods work based on the same principles. Ant bait consists of ingredients that are made to draw ants to the bait and entice them to eat it, and then an underlying insecticide is dispersed throughout the colony to eradicate the ants.

One of the common active ingredients in an effective ant bait is borax.Borax, or sodium tetraborate decahydrate, is a mineral powder that occurs naturally. Borax has been used in the United States since the late 1800s when it became readily available for consumer use.

Borax can now be found in many household items such as cleaners, laundry boosters, eyewashes, toothpaste, and mouthwashes.

Ant baits containing borax are lethal to ants but have a low toxicity level for animals and humans, making them great for use in homes where children and pets live. Borax makes for a very potent bait, killing ants by disrupting their digestive system. It kills ants slowly, making it very useful for eliminating an entire colony, leaving time for foraging ants to consume the bait, bring it back to the colony, and disburse it to the other workers, their young, and the queen.

Ant Bait Application

Finding the source of the ants should always be the first step when using ant bait. When you have established where the ants are coming from, using a liquid form of ant bait is always best when its applicable to the specific situation. When it isnt possible to use liquid ant bait, solid ant bait will still do the job. Ant bait traps should be placed where ants have been observed foraging to be most effective.

Patience is necessary whenbaiting an ant colony. Depending on the size of the infestation, it could take from 24 hours to 10 days to eliminate the ants. When baiting, you should also avoid using contact killing insecticide sprays. These types of sprays may kill the ants before they have a chance to take the bait back to the whole colony. Ants.com has all the information you need to know concerning ants and ant bait.

What Are Floating Fire Ants? Fun FactsKnowledge CenterCopyPress - September 2, 20200

Fire ants are one of the most aggressive, invasive species of ants to be introduced to the United States. They are nearly impossible to eliminate, and they displace or kill off native species of ants as they spread. Though they are thought of as a nuisance in the United States, they do contribute in a positive way to the natural environment, whether in their native home or not.

As with most ant species, fire ants participate in the natural processes of decomposition by eating dead animals, dead insects, and other decaying organic matter. They also provide a food source for other creatures that have adapted to fire ants defense tactics. When you have fire ants on your property or invading your home, this can be a significant issue for your family and pets. Have you ever seen fire ants floating on water? Lets take a closer look into how fire ants survive and figure out how fire ants float in floodwater and why.

What Are Fire Ants?

Image viaFlickrby Rick Hagerty

Fire ants are an invasive ant species that have spread like wildfire throughout the United States. They are well-adapted to survive and thrive where ever they go and are becoming more common every year. Fire ants are most active during summer months and will quickly overtake your property and surrounding areas if not dealt with shortly after you discover them. They are burrowing ants that create intricate nests that consist of underground chambers and tunnels.

The soil they remove when constructing their nests is moved to the surface and creates a mound that can measure between 7 and 12 inches in height and up to 2 feet in diameter. This mound is a call sign that lets you know your property is being infringed upon by fire ants. Fire ants typically wont make nests inside of structures, including your home, but are capable of nesting in masonry or woodwork. These ants prefer to live in the ground and are only present inside your house when foraging for food and water.

Fire ants are considered to be armed and dangerous. Like many ants, fire ants have a toxic venom that they inject when they attack. Their stingers administer this venom. When a fire ant nest is disturbed intentionally or unintentionally, they use a coordinated attack in response. They will latch on to the intruder with their jaws and proceed to sting over and over again until they are removed or the intruder has been killed.

A fire ant attack can prove fatal to small pets, young wildlife, and humans that experience anaphylactic shock as a result of the attack. If you feel that you have a fire ant infestation on your property, aprofessional pest control agencycould be of benefit. Fire ants are omnivores and will eat just about anything that crosses their path, making them remarkable survivalists. Not only do they thrive on many types of food sources, but they can also survive catastrophic events that take out their nests, such as flooding.

What Are Floating Fire Ants?

Floating fire ants are precisely that, fire ants that are floating on water.Fire antshave adapted to the environments in which they live, including the flooding that occurs in the southern United States during hurricane season. This is typically a concern from June through the end of November. As hurricanes and tropical storms surge and bring a surplus of rain to the southern regions of the United States, flooding of these areas is to be expected.

Fire antshave several unique ways of surviving floodwaters so they can rebuild their colonies on dry land. They have a waxy coating on the exterior of their exoskeleton that protects them from dehydration during hot temperatures. As it turns out, this coating has a two-fold purpose. Not only does the fire ants waxy coating protect them from drying out, it also dispels water, increasing their buoyancy. When floodwaters hit a fire ant colony, they will form aliving floating raftby linking their legs together and holding on for dear life.

These floating rafts of venom are a significant concern and should be avoided at all costs. These rafts consist of entire colonies of fire ants just waiting to bump into something dry and stable, and you definitely dont want that something to be you. As a reference, a fire ant colony with one queen can easily consist of 7 million ants. If you make that two queens, this number could rise to 40 million ants. Coming in contact with this many floating fire ants would be disastrous and could result in a lethal encounter.

If you are experiencing a floating fire ant problem on your property during flood season, contacting a professional exterminator might be the best course of action for you to take. Otherwise, it is recommended for your family and pets to avoid contact with floating fire ants at all costs. As of now, there hasnt been any discovery of how to eliminate these floating colonies of fire ants on a massive scale, but research is being conducted to find a solution.

Meanwhile, if you have safe access to a floating fire ant raft and can safely disperse soapy water onto the raft, you can sink the raft and eliminate up to 90 percent of the colony. Dish soap will disrupt the raft by causing the ants to lose their grip and buoyancy. This has only been tested in small applications, and the soapy water also affects other insects such as water striders, so it isnt a viable option for eliminating all floating fire ants.

Fire ants are bad news all around, especially when they are floating on water and in full-on survival mode. Avoiding these floating rafts of fire ant colonies is highly recommended for the safety risk they pose to your family and pets. Learning all you can about floating fire ants could save your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Best Outdoor Ant Killer Ant ControlKnowledge CenterCopyPress - September 2, 20200

Ants are some of the most remarkable creatures on the planet. They contribute to the natural process of decomposition of organic matter such as dead bugs and dead animals. Burrowing ants also help to keep the soil turned, providing nutrient-rich topsoil. They also offer other creatures a sustainable food source.

When ants encroach on your property and in your home, they quickly become a nuisance and a health risk for your family and pets. They also cause cosmetic and structural damage to your house. Dealing with ants and preventing them from entering your home starts with outdoor ant control. Learning about the best outdoor ant killers and how to use them will help you protect your family, pets, and home from an ant invasion.

Where Do Ants Build Nests?

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There are many different species of ants in the United States alone, and though they all have similar traits, they can build remarkably different nests in the most peculiar places. Ants such as fire ants are burrowing ants that create elaborate tunnels and chambers underground, building up a mound over the nest with the displaced soil. Carpenter ants build their nests in the rotting wood of decaying logs, firewood, or water-damaged wood inside of your home.

Pavement ants are burrowing ants as well, but they will create their intricate network of tunnels and chambers underneath slabs of concrete or under your homes foundation. And then there are army ants, which build temporary nests with their bodies, complete with tunnels and chambers to house their young and protect their queen.

The best defense is often taking preventative actions when it comes to ants. Keeping ants out of your home typically starts with outdoor ant control, but if not done correctly, you could encourage ants to enter your home as a means of escaping from your efforts to eliminate them. For severe ant infestations, you may want to contact aprofessional pest control agencyfor help.

Preventative Methods

Determining the answer to this question all depends on the type of ants you are dealing with and where they build their nests. Preventative methods should be implemented before using ant killers such as ant baits, repellent or non-repellent insecticides, chemical or powdered insecticides, and granular insecticides. A few of the methods you can take to prevent ants from being enticed onto your property are as follows:

Keep all deadfall and leaves cleared from your property.Remove debris such as logs, firewood, large rocks, and anything that provides ground cover.Keep your lawn and landscaping plants well-manicured.Keep mulch at least 1 foot from the foundation of your home.

If you have taken these steps to deter ants from infringing on your property and in your home but are still plagued with ants, you will need to consider using outdoor ant killers. Ant killing insecticides come in many forms and work in different ways. Choosing which ant killer is best for your situation can be a daunting task, so lets look at some different ant killers and how they work.

What is the Best Outdoor Ant Killer?Powdered and Granular Insecticides

Powdered andgranular insecticidescan be used to treat your lawn, garden, and the perimeter of your property. These ant killers provide lethal doses of pesticides combined with enticing ingredients that the ants mistake for food. Foraging ants take these forms of bait back to their nests and distribute them throughout the colony, eventually killing off the nest.

One downside to these forms of insecticides is that ants wont take the time to consume the ant killer on the spot, opting to carry it back to the nest instead, which takes more time. It is also susceptible to elements such as rain or sprinklers and can be washed away before being productive. If you use sprinklers or live in a region with lots of rain, granular and powdered forms of insecticides may not be the best option.

Ant Killing Insecticide Sprays

Ant killing insecticide sprays are available and consist of repellent and non-repellent insecticides. Repellent sprays have earned a bad reputation due to misuse of the product. This product works best when used as a perimeter spray or to create a barrier around the exterior of your home to keep ants from entering your property or your house. Using a repellent insecticide directly on an ant nest is where people can go wrong with this product.

When applied to an ant nest, repellent sprays disrupt the nest, causing the ants to split to create new colonies as a protective reaction to the insecticide. This behavioral trait is called budding and could even cause ants to seek refuge inside your house.

Non-repellent Sprays

Non-repellent sprays are more useful for killing ants because the ants cant detect the insecticide as it is being applied. These types of sprays can be used directly on foraging ant trails or ant nests, but are limited to killing the ants that the insecticide comes in contact with. A non-repellent ant spray is excellent for spot treating in your home, on patios or porches, and in gardens.

Chemical Insecticides

Chemical insecticides can be applied directly to an ant nest and work best when treating the nests of burrowing ants such asfire ants. This product is most effective when an ant nest is thoroughly saturated, and depending on the size of the ant colony, several applications may be needed to eradicate the nest. There is also a risk of the colony budding as an effort to conserve and rebuild in another location.

Ant Baits

Ant baits, especially slow-acting ant baits, come in solid or liquid forms and are by far the best indoor and outdoor ant killers. Though solid ant baits are effective, they suffer in the same way as granular and powered insecticides do by taking longer to work.Liquid ant baitis the best choice as ants can drink as much of the bait as they can and carry the metabolized insecticide back to the colony and disperse it directly to the queen, workers, and young without delay.

Indoor and outdoor bait stations allow you to place the bait where it will be most effective in controlling the ants in your home or on your property. Dealing with ants comes along with the responsibilities of being a homeowner. Learning how to deter ants and deal with ant infestations with outdoor ant killers will help you protect your family, pets, and your home.

Best Homemade Ant Killer Ant ControlCopyPress - September 2, 2020 0

Ants are mother natures clean-up crew and contribute to the environment in many different ways. They are masters of decomposition and help to clean up dead animals, dead bugs, and other types of decaying organic matter. Many ants turn the soil and produce fertile topsoil as they burrow into the ground to create nests. Others make their nests in logs and deadfall, speeding up the breakdown of decaying material.

Ants arent always a nuisance, but they can become one when they have intruded upon your personal space, especially in your home. Ants can pose a severe health risk to your family and pets, and some ants can be aggressive and cause physical discomfort or death under the right circumstances. Learning what the best homemade ant killer is and how to use it will not only save you money but will help you protect your loved ones and your home.

Why Do Ants Invade Your Property and Home?

Ants are opportunistic by nature and seek out food, water, and shelter in a variety of places. Your lawn, garden, and house are prime real estate for ants who are seeking those three necessities. Most ants are omnivores and will eat just about anything they can find that has nutritional value. Initially, they may find their way onto your property while foraging, and if they find a substantial food and water source, they will ultimately take up residence closer to these sources.

Ants needfood, water, and shelter, and as they spread onto your property and begin to deplete the sources that initially brought them there, they will start to seek out new sources of food and water, thus leading them into your house. Ants, such as fire ants, wont typically create nests inside your home as they prefer to have their colony underground, but they will invade your house and continue to as long as they have access to food and water. Other ants like carpenter ants can and will nest inside your home, especially if they find water damaged wood to move their colony into.

Even if your home only provides access to food and water, it will be enough to entice the ants to stick around. This makes preventative measures most important when it comes to deterring ants from seeking refuge where they dont belong.

A few methods of prevention that you can take are as follows:

Seal off any cracks, crevices, or gaps in window seals or door frames.Maintain a well-manicured lawn.Keep landscaping plants trimmed away from the side of your house.Thoroughly clean the inside of your home.Keep stored foods in sealed, airtight containers.Fix leaky faucets and humidity issues inside your home as quickly as possible.

These few preventative actions can go a long way to keep ants off your property and out of your house. If you have used these methods and still find yourself battling against an ant infestation, you can benefit from contacting aprofessional pest control agency. They will be able to identify the pest, diagnose the issue, and implement a plan to eliminate the threat and prevent future invasions.

What Are the Best Homemade Ant Killers?

Image viaFlickrby Ben Sutherland

Sometimes the best ant killers are the ones you make yourself. Homemade ant killers are easy to make, and you likely have all the ingredients in your house, saving you time and money. Lets explore a few DIY ant killers that you can make at home:

Borax and sugar: Borax is a common product used in many different ways for cleaning and containsboric acid. All you need for this homemade ant bait is 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of Borax, and 2 cups of sugar. Mix the ingredients together in a saucepan on the stove and boil it for about three minutes. Give the mixture time to cool before use. As it cools, it will thicken into a paste that you can apply to trouble areas where ants have been observed.Borax and peanut butter: If you find that the Borax and sugar arent working as you had hoped, you may be dealing with ants that prefer fat and protein-based foods. Another DIY bait can be made using 2 tablespoons of Borax and peanut butter. Combine the mixture until you reach a consistent paste. This bait can be a bit messy, so you will want to use cardboard or paper plates and place it where you have seen foraging ant trails.Dish soap, oil, and water: This is a simple DIY bait that is easy to make. For this homemade ant killing solution, you will need 1 quart of water, 1 teaspoon of cooking oil, and 1 teaspoon of dish soap. You can use this solution in one of two ways. You can spray ants where they have been observed entering your home to create a barrier. You can also use this in a small bowl or container placed in the path of the intruding ants. The ants will be attracted to the cooking oil and the sweet smell of the soap, but when they try to drink the substance, it will trap and drown them.Baking soda and powdered sugar: Baking soda is another active ingredient to use in a homemade ant bait as it disrupts the digestive system of ants, slowly killing them. Ants wont take the baking soda by itself, so adding powdered sugar is vital, as the ants are unable to distinguish between the two ingredients and will eat the bait and carry it to the rest of the colony. For this DIY bait, you will need to mix one part powdered sugar with one part baking soda. You can use a milk jug cap or another small container to distribute the bait to the ants.

The best homemade ant killer is the one that you find yields the results you are looking for. If you are experiencing ants in your house, give a few of these homemade ant killer ideas a try. When you find the one that works best for your situation, you will be well on your way to protecting your family, pets, and home from pesky ants.

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