HOW TO GET RID OF ANTS IN YOUR HOUSE

For such tiny pests, ants can pose a giant nuisance for your home. While ants serve their purpose in the outdoor environment by eating other potentially harmful pests, these pests serve no purpose indoors. Killing or getting rid of ants you find in your home can be tricky because of their large numbers and industrious work ethic.

Learning how to identify ants and understanding their habits are important, but the key to getting rid of ants is to kill them and their nests both inside and outside your home, and to prevent them from coming back.

What Types of Ants Are Found Inside Houses?

In the United States, there are more than 7,000 types of ants. In general, you can identify ants by these characteristics:

• Ants can be easily identified by their three-part bodies, which include a head, thorax, and abdomen.
• Ants have notably thin waists and elbowed antennae.
• Some ants even have wings, but it's important to distinguish these flyers from termites.

Some of the more common ants found in the United States—and inside homes—are carpenter ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, and pharaoh ants. Though less common inside houses, you may also see fire ants, especially if you live in the South. To learn more about how to identify each of these ants, check out this article.

It's worth noting that when flying ants appear to be swarming the exterior of your house, they're interested in mating, not getting inside. This happens during certain times of the year when environmental conditions are optimal

Where Do Ants Come From?

Ants live in colonies that can range considerably in size. A small colony might include a few hundred individuals while a large, well-established colony might include several thousand ants. Ants typically establish colonies underground or inside trees; however, they can also establish them within the walls of homes or behind baseboards. Each colony will have its queen as well as ants that perform specific tasks that depend on their station. Ants can be a nuisance at any time of year, but they are especially active in spring, when they come out of their winter hibernation in search of food, and in fall, when they're in search of shelter. 

Typically, ants enter your home for those reasons: they're searching for food, shelter, or both. Ants spend their lives foraging for food and water; chances are, if they get inside of your home, they'll discover a veritable jackpot of materials that suit their basic needs for survival. The first ants that enter your home are scouts. If they like what they find, they can return with hundreds more. 

What Are Signs of an Ant Infestation?

One of the most obvious signs of an ant infestation is seeing ants crawling around in areas of your home. Ants typically make their way to the kitchen or pantry in search of food, but it's not uncommon to find them in bathrooms or laundry rooms because they may be attracted to the moisture.

Aside from trails of ants crawling around your counters and walls, you might also see these other signs if you have an infestation:

• Ants congregating around a pile of crumbs, near your indoor trash receptacle, or even in your dog's food bowl 
• The presence of frass (ant waste) and tunneling debris, which appears as brownish powder
• Ant mounds just outside your home's exterior

If you encounter an infestation, it's important to take care of it quickly. Untreated ant infestations can lead to increased colony size, resulting in more damage and food contamination. It can also be incredibly frustrating to try to keep ants out of your food, as they can be quite determined. Here's what you might be looking at if you leave an infestation alone:

• Carpenter ants can damage the structural integrity of your home with their tunneling and nesting activities. 
• Some types of ants, like fire ants, will bite or sting, especially if their nest is disturbed. 
• Ants contaminate food and may even introduce harmful bacteria. Once ants have contaminated a box of cereal or a bowl of fruit, you'll have to throw those items out, leading to food waste and extra expense. 

How to Get Rid of Ants

Repel ants inside and outside your home. If you've spotted ants on your countertop, use a 50/50 spray of water and white vinegar to wipe down your counters. Not only do ants hate the smell of vinegar, but the vinegar will destroy their scent paths, which temporarily disrupts food-hunting efforts. This won't kill them, of course, but it will buy you a bit of time so you can spray to control them. Other aromatic materials that can help keep ants away include cinnamon, cloves, baby powder, peppermint, coffee grounds, and citrus peels. You can place these materials outside foundation cracks to dissuade ants from venturing inside your house.

Kill the ants already inside your home. When it comes to getting rid of an existing ant infestation, there are several highly effective options. Remember to always read and follow the label directions.

• Get rid of the ants you see crawling around your home with Ortho® Home Defense® MAX® Kitchen Insect Killer.
• Use Ortho® Home Defense® MAX® Indoor Insect Barrier 1.5L Quickhand to apply a bug barrier to prevent ants from entering in areas such as kitchens and bathrooms and around windows and doors.
• To kill ants hiding in nooks and crannies, use Ortho® Home Defense® Max Indoor Insect Barrier with Extended Reach Comfort Wand®. The Extended Reach Comfort Wand® allows you to get into tight places where bugs may hide, and the non-staining no-fume formula controls ants for up to 365 days when used on non-porous surfaces.

Kill ants in the lawn before they come inside. Treat your lawn, landscape, and perimeter with Ortho® BugClear™ Lawn Insect Killer Ready-to-Spray to kill ants and many other insects before they have a chance to get into your house. 

Get an extra layer of protection against ants. Spray entry points around your home with Ortho® Home Defense® Max® Indoor Insect Barrier with Extended Reach Comfort Wand® to help prevent ants from entering your house. Indoors on non-porous surfaces, it will continue to kill ants for up to 12 months.

While ants can be a major problem, you can fight back—and win. The key is not to wait too long before controlling them both inside and outside of your home.