Thursday 19 May 2011

DIY Pest Control - Ants


The truth about ants is that they are pests. When an ant scout finds a source of food, the army soon follows to get as much of the food out of the area before a larger predator comes along and starts eating the ants. The unfortunate thing is, ants are very versatile and can be incredibly difficult to get rid of. Fortunately, there are ways to get rid of them.

Begin by cleaning up the area that the ants are infesting. If there area is dirty or has a lot of scrap food, the ants are going to continue coming back. If you cut their source of nourishment, they aren’t going to come nearly as much because there isn’t any food there.

Get rid of any scouts. A scout ant is an ant that patrols around on its own. When it finds food, it goes back to the colony, leaving a trail behind it to follow back. Once the scout gets back to the colony, more ants will come to start collecting the food. Killing the scout means no ants will know the place exists.

Fill any cracks that might be in the walls. Seal windows and doors. If you get rid of any of these doorways for the ants, they will have to search for other ways in. More importantly for you, though, it’ll save money on energy because cold air won’t be able to get in during the winter to combat the heat you’re using.

Get rid of the nest. Finding the nest can be tricky; however, when it is found, completely destroy it. This doesn’t mean filling the hole in because they will simply dig it out. This means pouring boiling water down into the nest so that it completely floods the entire nest. This will kill the queen which will result in the extinction of that colony.

Mix boric acid powder with sugar and water. Take one cup of water, mix it with two cups of sugar, and two tablespoons of boric acid. The ants will come, take the food, and then bring it home. However, because there is acid in it, it will kill the entire colony. The trick is to create a poison strong enough to kill the colony over time, but not strong enough to kill the ants before they get home.

Mix a teaspoon and a half of dish soap and a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle. Fill it to the top, shake, and then spray. Spray it on the openings where the ants are coming. It’ll kill any ants on contact and, more importantly, they won’t come back again. Wipe up when you’re done and it is safe for kids to be in the area.

Killing ants can be difficult and it does require a little tact because they are tricky pests. However, cleaning up the area that the ants are coming to is one of the most effective ways of getting rid of ants. Don’t give them an environment that they can use and they won’t stick around.


Source: www.getridofants.org

No comments:

Post a Comment