Sugar ants can be both an annoying and frightening sight when they march across your kitchen looking for food scraps or that piece of candy your toddler may have dropped on the counter. But they won’t bite and should be easy enough to eradicate with diligence and persistence.
Start by sealing any cracks or crevices where insects might enter, then clean up food spills as soon as they occur and store items in airtight containers.
Seal Cracks and Crevices
Sugar ants are an annoying household pest that can be hard to manage. Commonly referred to as pavement or odorous house ants, these tiny insects are drawn to sweet food sources in homes, often seeking them out and entering homes in search of them. Although sugar ants do not bite directly, their presence is disruptive and could damage surfaces around your home where they settle down. Luckily, there are ways you can repel or destroy these pesky creatures!
One of the best ways to prevent sugar ants is sealing any possible entry points around your home, including window cracks, door gaps, and electrical outlets or light fixtures. Caulk, weather stripping, or other sealing products can help block their entrance and stop these insects from nesting inside.
Keep ants away by restricting their access to water and food sources. Store food and beverages in airtight containers, wipe down countertops regularly where ants have been seen, and maintain an organized pantry and kitchen space, as sugar ants can quickly take advantage of any open food sources that come their way.
If you want to use insecticide to kill sugar ants, always read and follow the directions on the product label carefully. Bait stations can also be placed where ant activity has been seen, such as under sinks or near windows and doors – these baits contain poisons safe for pets and children that will quickly deter and kill ants in specific locations.
Identification is also vital when dealing with sugar ants in your home, as this will make deciding the most effective strategy more straightforward. Odorous house ants typically have one node on their abdomen, while pavement ants typically feature two.
Clean Up Food and Water Spills
Sugar ants often invade homes searching for food and water, drawn to moist areas like sinks and kitchens. They also search out sweets or other sugar-based products which could provide sustenance. As such, you should immediately clean up sticky messes that occur – particularly any sticky substance such as honey or jam – to deter sugar ants from entering. Keeping food stored in airtight containers may help prevent these invaders further.
Signs of sugar ant infestation typically include trails in your home and bite marks on skin surfaces. Although sugar ants aren’t dangerous, seeking medical advice if there are a vast number of bites or a profound effect should be considered necessary.
Suppose you are experiencing a sugar ant infestation in your home. In that case, all entry points into the structure must be identified and sealed off, including cracks in the foundation, gaps around windows and doors, and tears in the door and window screens. Otherwise, use non-repellent insecticide to kill off these unwanted visitors before calling a professional pest controller to use appropriate products.
White vinegar and citrus peels can both help repel sugar ants naturally. Coffee grounds can also be added to ant traps to deter these pests; many of these natural solutions have strong scents that sugar ants find repellant.
Alternative approaches for killing sugar ants may involve purchasing commercial chemical solutions online and at local hardware or garden stores. Such products tend to last long and effectively control indoor and outdoor ant control.
As well as the above strategies, it is also wise to treat the area surrounding your home with a granular ant bait to deter sugar ants from entering and foraging within. Furthermore, prune or treat trees, shrubs, and woodpiles near your house for potential infestation.
Keep Ant Traps in Place
Sugar ants invade homes looking for food and water sources, so eliminating items they find appealing is critical to stopping them. Store food in sealed containers and clean up any sugar, syrup, or honey spilled on surfaces in your kitchen immediately. Furthermore, tie and take out the trash on time to avoid attracting ants scavenging through it!
One way to protect against ant invasions is by planting pest-resistant plants. You can also mix a natural ant repellent with equal parts of peppermint, cinnamon, clove, or tea tree oil into water – spray this around your home to ward off insects like ants! Plus, this DIY solution is good for the environment, garden critters, and you!
Before purchasing commercial ant baits to rid yourself of ants without resorting to harsh chemical sprays, read and follow their product instructions closely. When placing bait stations around your pantry or kitchen area, for instance, be sure to use enough concentration of bait and place them appropriately – for example, if ants have found their way there, too!
If your infestation is more extensive, professional help should be sought immediately. Ant control experts possess the experience and tools to eliminate sugar ant colonies quickly and effectively, including pinpointing their source, treating affected areas rapidly, and creating a plan to keep sugar ants away.
While you can do much on your own to eliminate sugar ants, it may be wise to seek professional help for more severe infestations. Waynes Services provides licensed pest control services that specialize in sugar ants. They will identify their species in your home and find their nest. They’ll then set up bait stations where they are most active, including your kitchen pantry and flower bed/vegetable garden areas. Contact us now for further details or a free estimate!
Hire a Professional
Sugar ants are a frequent problem for homeowners. Although small and nonvenomous, the pests can quickly invade homes in large numbers to cause significant disruptions and cause headaches. Attracted to sweet food or liquid spills, sugar ants rapidly become an eyesore in any kitchen and should only be treated by professionals for ongoing infestations. At the same time, home treatments can work on individual infestations or one-time issues.
Sugar ants must first be identified and eliminated through detection and blockage of entry points. Ants often gain entrance through cracks in house foundation, door frames, windows, and even light fixtures – ensure these areas are sealed off with caulk! It’s also vital that any open food sources that attract them be removed. Keep food in airtight containers or immediately clean up any crumbs or spills on counters, tables, or floors; cleaning spray should also be used since ants leave scent trails behind to communicate with their colony!
Try cinnamon, peppermint, or black pepper sprays to deter ants from entering your home. Mix these sprays with water and apply them to various locations around your house, such as trails or entry points – including cinnamon trails and entry points! Additionally, diatomaceous earth contains tiny fossil bones that cause dehydration upon contact, resulting in the death of insects that come into contact with it – including ants.
Preventative measures may help lower sugar ant infestations, but hire a professional pest control provider like Waynes Services to rid your home of them effectively. Pest control professionals possess the training and tools to eliminate sugar ants while preventing future outbreaks quickly. Waynes Services offers free consultations to discuss how we can assist in ridding yourself of this pest! Schedule one now so we can show you how to reclaim your home from these pesky invaders!
