Ants, ants, everywhere! Those pesky insects have a way of finding every little crack and getting right into your home. Come spring, I’ll be seeing ant scouts everywhere, and I want to nip them in the bud before they take over my life (and my kitchen counter).
Every spring I start receiving questions about how to get rid of ants in my home. This is especially true when ants appear quickly and appear to breed overnight. Sometimes they are small and barely noticeable. Sometimes they are little black ants marching in a perfect line. Sometimes they even have wings.
With young children and pets spending a lot of time on the floor, you don’t want to be spraying pesticides around your home that will put them at risk.
But ants…
Fortunately, there are many ways to get rid of ants without putting your family at risk. We’ve talked about natural pest control before, but today we’ll focus specifically on ants. How to get rid of ants in your kitchen, how to get rid of ants permanently, and even how to get rid of carpenter ants (if you suspect a larger infestation).
How do ants get into the house?
Ant colonies send out scouts to find food sources. These tiny bugs zigzag their way, leaving a trail of pheromones until they find food to take back to their habitat. Other ants leave their own pheromones and follow the trail, making the trail stronger. You end up with all these little hunter-gatherers marching back and forth and taking home all the food you brought.
It’s fascinating and frustrating all at once.
Have you ever wondered why you see one ant and then suddenly see dozens of ants? This is why. That one scout found something fascinating hidden behind plants on counters, under stoves, and on window sills. Soon, the entire crew is trekking inside the house as if they’ve decided to move.
And it’s not always clear what they’re after. Sugar ants are often blamed for infesting honey pots and maple syrup, but ants are opportunistic. They remove crumbs from carpets, sticky spots on floors, pet food bowls, and even residue left in toilets. More than once I have found toothpaste drippings or near wet areas.
Understanding how ants work is the first step in learning how to get rid of ants in your home for good.
How to Get Rid of Ants (Obviously!)
There are several ways to get rid of ants naturally. First, try to chase them away from your home in the first place, and once they do, control and eradicate them. Finally, kill it at its source.
If you’re dealing with larger species, such as carpenter ants (which can damage wood in bedroom walls or other structural areas), your strategy may be more aggressive. We’ll cover specific details on how to get rid of carpenter ants below. However, for most common ants, prevention is the best place to start.
How to get rid of ants
The first step is to make sure any sweet stuff you have at home is tightly sealed. Clean any drips from the sides of the honey jar and make sure the maple syrup lid is securely closed. It’s also recommended to keep your floors clean and all counters free of food or water drips, but in a busy household like mine, this isn’t usually practical or possible. Do your best with this.
When I focus on how to get rid of ants in the kitchen, I pay special attention to the following points.
- Debris under the device
- sticky cabinet knobs
- cooking pet food
- trash can area
- All food prep space on the counter.
Even a small stain can attract a small line of visitors. Some ants like oils or proteins, so pay attention to all foods, not just sweets. Here are some additional ideas to prevent ants from entering your home:
create a barrier
Many people have good luck creating barriers that ants typically don’t like or won’t cross. Some examples include drawing lines with chalk or sprinkling cinnamon, cayenne pepper, or coffee grounds along common entry points.
This is especially effective for thresholds, window frames and baseboards. If you notice ants entering your yard or through cracks leading outside, treat that area first.
- citrus peel – Ants are also repelled by citrus fruits (and they smell great too!). Oranges, lemons, and grapefruits contain D-limonene, which is effective in killing ants. I like to store and dry orange or lemon peels. Then pulse it in a food processor to make a powder and sprinkle it on the entry points of your home. You can also sprinkle it around the garden or near plants outside.
- essential oil – I have had good results using essential oil sprays to deter ants from trying to get under my screen door. Fill a small spray bottle with water and add about 20 drops of peppermint oil. Shake well and spray on doorways and window frames. It repels ants and masks the smell of food and pheromones.
- cotton swab – You can also put a few drops of peppermint, orange, or lemon oil on a cotton swab and place it in your cabinet to keep ants from wandering around looking for food. This is one of the methods I use when I want to deal with a problem quickly, especially when I find it racing across the kitchen floor.
- vinegar – Spraying vinegar along doorways and window frames is another option. It has the same effect as peppermint oil spray. Mix vinegar and water 50/50 in a spray bottle. It is even more effective if you add peppermint oil or citrus oil. You can also soak citrus peels in vinegar for a few weeks, strain them, and then use this vinegar to sprinkle. Vinegar is especially helpful in erasing pheromone trails so other black or sugar ants cannot follow the same path.
What happens if ants are already in your home?
The ants are already in. What happens now?
First, find out where they come from and where they go so you can figure out the best way to get rid of them. Something has attracted them and it may need to be cleaned up. Then find an entry point so you can use one of the tips above.
If you are looking for a way to get rid of ants in your home, this detective work is essential. Are you in the kitchen? restroom? Crawling along the skirting boards in your bedroom? One time I noticed a trail disappearing behind a bookcase in the living room, and sure enough, there was a tiny gap in the trim leading to the outside.
Once you’ve found point A and point B, it’s time to start cleaning. You need to get rid of ants on your counters, floors, cabinets, or wherever they are. You can wipe it off with a cloth (or paper towel if you don’t want to remove it from the cloth).
It is also really important to remove any traces of pheromones. You can use soapy water, a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar, or an essential oil spray. If you don’t clean your tracks, other ants may find the same food.
How to get rid of ants permanently (for colonies)
I don’t know about you, but my first instinct is to kill any bugs I find in my house (or call my adventurous daughter and ask her to do it for me). However, this may not be the most effective 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 have to think bigger than just a few ants crawling on the floor. The real goal is to eliminate the colony. However, there are also reports that when an ant smells another crushed ant, it alerts the colony to danger and stays away.
The most effective way is to make ant poison, take it back to your colony, and feed it to all your friends. It may take some patience, but it will pay off in the end.
Option 1: Borax Ant Trap
This won’t get rid of ants in your kitchen immediately, but it works well in the long run. At first it may seem like it will attract more people. This is actually a good thing here. Borax helps eliminate not just ants that enter your home, but entire colonies.
Mix equal parts borax and corn syrup and spread on an index card. Ants are attracted to corn syrup and take it to their nests. Any ants that eat the corn syrup mixture will be killed by the borax. I will place it in a place where curious pets and children cannot access it. (Here we cover the safety of using borax.)
If you are looking for a way to get rid of carpenter ants, this method may also help you. However, carpenter ants sometimes find nests in wooden structures and you may have to deal with them yourself.
Option 2: Baking Soda
If you’re uncomfortable with borax, try baking soda. Mix equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar, then place a lid on the area where you think ants will enter. Powdered sugar attracts ants, but ants can’t tell the difference between sugar and baking soda, so they take both to their nest.
When ants eat baking soda, it reacts with acids in their bodies and becomes fatal. Again, not an immediate fix, but very beneficial in the long run.
Other ant extermination tips to try
Castile soap also damages the wax coating that protects ants. Make a spray of 1 quart of water and 1/4 cup of liquid Castile soap. Spray in doorways, window frames, and anywhere ants enter. Repeat several times a day until the problem is resolved.
diatomaceous earth
Food grade diatomaceous earth is very effective at eliminating ants and other pests that crawl rather than fly. This includes most black ants and other small domestic varieties, although ant scouts usually do not fly around until they land.
DE is a fine powder made from the fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of algae. Because they are so tiny, they are completely safe for both humans and animals and actually beneficial to consume. However, when ants come into contact with DE, their wax coating is damaged and they die, leaving them dehydrated. They won’t take it to their habitat, but they won’t make any progress into your home either.
Spray DE along doorways, window frames, other entry points, trash cans, cabinets and baseboards. I also sprayed it liberally on my carpets during a particularly bad ant infestation. After a few days the ants were gone and the DE was vacuumed.
When using outdoors, use extreme caution and avoid areas where bees may be present. DE attaches itself to the leg and consumes it as it grooms itself. DE is sharp on small insects and will kill them. We want to kill ants and fleas, but we don’t want to kill bees!
A quick note about flying ants and wings.
You may see breeding ants if you notice winged ants gathering near a window or light fixture. They can sometimes be confused with termites. If you’re unsure, it’s a good idea to have a professional check it out, especially if you suspect structural damage.
However, in many cases this means that the colony will multiply and removing the entire colony will solve the problem (see method above).
Are we dealing with more than just ants?
If there are other pests bothering you, there are other natural pest control methods you can use in your home and organic ideas for your garden and yard.
Ants are tenacious, but not invincible. With a little patience, you can learn how to get rid of ants in your home and kitchen, and even how to get rid of ants permanently without harming your family’s health. If you’ve ever dealt with ants appearing in your home, these tried and true methods can really make a difference.
How do you deal with ants? Did we miss an effective tip that worked for you? Let us know by leaving a comment!
