When ants show up they’re most likely to be Black Garden Ants. If you look at them closely, they’re actually very dark brown in colour and it’s the worker and scout ants you’ll find in your home in their search for food.
Ants love sweet sugary food which they collect and take back to their nest to feed the queen and growing larvae. When you see flying ants these are the males and females emerging to reproduce. They emerge for just a few days during July or August and mate in the air. Females then find a new nest site where they’ll stay hidden during the Winter and lay eggs in the Spring starting up a new colony.
Getting Rid Of Ants
Ants in kitchens are a common problem, and you’ll notice the worker ants marching to and from their nest searching for food often keeping to the same trail or line. This is because ants leave a pheromone trail for more ants to follow, leading them to a source of food. Cleaning thoroughly with a disinfectant or 50:50 mix of vinegar and water can help to remove the pheromone trail, which will discourage ants as well as making it harder for any outside ants to discover your food.
Ants can be repelled by soapy water. Mixing a capful of liquid hand soap or washing up liquid with water and spraying over the ants whenever you see them in your kitchen can help. Another ant repellent is lemon juice. Mixing 1 part lemon juice to 4 cups of water and then cleaning the whole area thoroughly may deter ants. Pepper and coffee can also be used as a natural ant repellent.
If you can find the entry hole the ants are using to get into your home, sealing it might do the trick. However if all these steps fail and you don’t want to share your home with ants then it’s worth putting some ant bait down. They should take this back to the nest which ends the colony and so stops the problem. Some off the shelf products are more effective than others and if you’re still having no luck then it’s worth contacting a reputable pest controller who has an ant pest control service.
It’s worth bearing in mind that ant pest control is for ants coming into buildings and homes, ants in gardens are not necessarily a pest control issue.
Stop Ants Coming into Your Home
Preventing ants returning can be helped by keeping food sources sealed, cleaning all surfaces including floors regularly and making sure any food is cleared away including washing up and bins emptied. If the ants can’t find anything to eat, they’ll go elsewhere in their quest for food.
