ants, ants, everywhere! Those pesky insects have a way of finding small cracks and openings in your home right away. When spring comes around I will see scout ants here and I want to nip it in the bud before they take my life (and my kitchen counter).
Every spring I start asking questions about how to get rid of ants in the house, especially when they appear so quickly and seem to multiply overnight. Sometimes they are so small that they cannot be seen at all. Sometimes they are small black ants that move in a perfect line. Sometimes they even have wings.
Since children and pets spend a lot of time on the floor, I don’t want to spray pesticides around my house that will put them at risk.
But ants…
Fortunately, there are many ways to get rid of ants without putting your family at risk. I’ve talked about natural pest control before, but today I’m going to focus specifically on ants. How to get rid of ants in the kitchen, how to get rid of ants permanently, and even how to get rid of carpenter ants (if you suspect a large trap).
How do ants get into the house?
Ant colonies send out explorers to find their food source. The insects will zig and zag and explore their path until they find food to take back to their home town, leaving a trail of pheromones behind them. other ants will follow the trail releasing their own pheromones, making the trail stronger. Eventually all the little ones go, back and forth, taking all your goodies back to their homes.
Fascinating and annoying at the same time.
If you’ve ever wondered why you suddenly see dozens of ants, here’s why. The same inspector found something beautiful on your desk, under the stove, or even behind a tree on the windowsill. Soon, all the crew are marching into your room as they decided to enter.
And what they do is not always kept up to date. Sugar ants are often blamed for invading our honey or maple syrup jars, but ants have a chance. They will follow crumbs in the carpet, sticky spots on the floor, pet food dishes, and even leftovers in the bathroom. I have found them near toothpaste drips and wet areas more than once.
Understanding how they work is the first step in learning how to get rid of ants effectively.
How to Get Rid of Ants (Really, Really!)
There are different ways to get rid of ants. First, repel them from entering your home in the first place, then control and eliminate them once they enter. Finally, kill them where they come from.
If you are dealing with larger species such as carpenter ants (which can damage wood in interior walls or other areas), your plan may be more important. I will touch on how to get rid of carpenter ants directly below. However, for most family ants, prevention is the best place to start.
How to breed ants
The first step is to make sure that every sweet item in your home is properly sealed. Wipe the dribbles off the side of the honey jar and make sure your maple syrup coating is brief. It’s recommended that you clean all the floors and counters without any food or spills, but that’s not always good or possible in a busy household like mine. Just do your best with this.
When I focus on how to get rid of ants in the kitchen, I pay special attention to:
- Crumbs under the application
- Cabinet handles and grips
- Pet food
- A garbage dump
- Any food preparation area at the counter
Even a small smear can attract a line of visitors. Some ants are attracted to oil or protein, so pay attention to all foods, not just sugar. Here are some ideas to prevent ants from entering your home:
Create a barrier
Many people have luck creating barriers that ants don’t like or won’t cross. Some examples would be to paint a chalk line or sprinkle cinnamon, cayenne pepper, or coffee grounds around a common entry point.
This works well around door sills, window sills, and baseboards. If you’ve noticed ants coming from a yard or a crack leading outside, treat those spots first.
- Citrus peels – citrus also attracts ants (plus it smells!). Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, etc. contain D-limonene, which is effective in killing ants. I like to save my orange or lemon peels and dry them. I will grind them in a food processor to make a powder and sprinkle this around the entrance to the house. You can also sprinkle these around your garden or around plants outside.
- Essential oils – I have good results in deterring ants who are determined to come under my screen door and need to spray oil. Fill a small spray bottle with water and add about 20 drops of peppermint oil. Run well and spray around the door and window sill. It repels ants and masks the scent of food and any pheromones.
- cotton balls – You can also put several cans of peppermint, orange, or lemon oil in a ball and put it in the cupboard to prevent ants from wandering around looking for food. This is one of the ways I go when I want to deal with the problem quickly, especially if I see them crossing the kitchen floor.
- Wine – Spraying alcohol around doors and windows is another option. This has the same effect as peppermint oil spray. Mix alcohol 50/50 with water in a spray bottle. Add peppermint oil or citrus oil to make it more effective. You can also soak citrus peels in vinegar for a few weeks, strain, and spray them with this vinegar. Alcohol is especially helpful for erasing the pheromone trail so that other ants or sugar ants cannot follow the same trail.
What if ants are already in your house?
The ants have already arrived, so what?
First, find out where they are coming from and where they are going so you can figure out the best way to handle their removal. What attracted them to that will need to be cleaned. Then find their entry point so you can use the same tips from above.
If you are trying to find out how to get rid of ants in the house, this research is important. Are they in the kitchen? The bathroom? Wandering around the floorboards in the living room? I saw a passageway that disappeared behind the bookcase in the room, but sure enough, there was a small opening in the trim that led outside.
Once you have found point A and point B, proceed to wash. You are sure to get rid of ants from your counter, floor, cabinet or wherever they are. You can clean them with a cloth (or a paper towel if you don’t want to try to remove them from your clothes).
It is also really important to remove the pheromone trail. You can use soapy water, a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar, or essential oils. If you don’t do that, other ants will be able to find the same food.
How to Get Rid of Ants Permanently (By Minding the Colony)
I don’t know about you, but my first instinct is to kill every bug I see in my house (or have my aggressive daughter do it for me). However, this may not be the best way to get rid of ants in your home in the long run.
If you really want to know how to get rid of ants permanently, you should think about more than a few crawling on your floor. The real goal is to clear the area. However, there are some reports that if an ant smells another blown ant, they will alert the colony and leave.
The most effective way is to make an ant excrement that they will take back to their colony and feed all their friends. It takes patience but it pays off in the end.
Option 1: Borax Ant Trap
This does not immediately remove ants from your kitchen, but it works well in the long run. It may seem like it attracts others at first, which is actually a good thing as Borax helps eliminate the entire colony and not just the ants that enter your home.
Mix equal parts Borax and corn syrup and spread it on index card. Ants are attracted to corn syrup and carry it back to their backs. All ants that feed on the corn syrup mixture will be killed by Borax. I would put this away from pets and curious children. (I cover the safety of using Borax here.)
If you are looking for how to get rid of carpenter ants, this method can also help, although carpenter ants sometimes want to find and treat their nest directly in the tree.
Option 2: Baking Soda
If you are uncomfortable with Borax, you can try baking soda. Mix equal parts baking soda and baking powder and put it on the lid near where you think the ants are coming in. powdered sugar will attract them, but since they cannot tell the difference between sugar and baking soda, they will take both back to their homes.
When ants eat baking soda, it reacts with the acidic substances in their bodies and kills them. Again, it’s not an instant fix, but it’s very useful in the long run.
Other killer tips to try
Castile soap will also break down the waxy coating that protects ants. Make a spray with 1 quart of water and 1/4 cup of bleach. Spray around the door and window sill and anywhere else you see ants coming in. Repeat several times a day until the problem is solved.
Diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth fertilizers are very effective at killing ants and other crawling insects, rather than flies. This includes many black ants and other small house types, although they are not flying insects until they arrive.
DE is a fine powder derived from fossilized diatoms, a type of algae. Because it is very good, it is good for people and animals, it is really good to eat. However, ants dry out when they come in DE because it destroys their waxy coating which will kill them. They won’t bring it back to their territory but it will prevent them from making any progress in your home.
Spray DE around doors and window sills, as well as any other entry points, in trash cans, and around crates and baseboards. I have also sprinkled it liberally on my carpet during the worst attacks. After a few days the ants were gone and I cleaned the DE.
Use extreme caution if you are going to use this outdoors and avoid any areas that may contain honey bees. DE will stick to their feet and they will eat it while dressing. DE is sharp to small insects and will kill them. We want to kill ants and fleas, but not honey!
Quick entry on ants and flying wings
If you see winged ants gathering around a window or light fixture, you may be seeing ants that are giving birth. These can sometimes be confused with cans. If you don’t know, it might be worth having a professional identify them, especially if you suspect damage.
In most cases, although it means that the colony is reborn and removing the entire colony will solve the problem (see the steps above).
Dealing with more than ants?
If you have other pests bothering you, there are other pest control options for your home and some organic ideas for your garden and yard.
Ants are persistent, but they are not invincible. With patience, you can learn how to get rid of ants in the house and kitchen, and even how to get rid of ants permanently without harming your family’s health. If you’ve dealt with ants coming out of the house, these tried and true methods can really make a difference.
How do you deal with ants? Did I miss any effective tips that have worked for you? Leave a comment and let us know!
