The Wrong Way to Get Rid of Ants

Nobody is fond of seeing a marching troop of ants along their kitchen or bathroom counter or elsewhere in their home. It may seem like an easy enough matter to dispatch these little critters on your own, but you need to know that there is a wrong way to get rid of ants that can make your problems worse.

Ants are a colony creature, which means they work together to accomplish the goals of the nest. Each ant is tasked with a specific job, whether that is housekeeping at the nest, protecting the queen, mating for reproduction, or foraging for sustenance for the colony. Experts believe that the colony is well aware of the others in the colony and recognizes when there is absenteeism, particularly if in large numbers. This means that if you try to get rid of ants the wrong way, you will have pushed the colony into doing something you may not want: increasing reproduction. This is what will happen if you eliminate the ants that are in your home with an over-the-counter spray or just try to squash them all.

There are two proper methods to consider instead to get rid of ants. The first is making the area they are heading to less palatable. Use products that they do not like the smell of or that disrupt the scent trail they put down to help them relocate that food source they enjoyed last time. Vinegar, lemon juice, peppermint oil, and other spices are quite effective at deterring additional visits. The second method is to put down bait that they will take back with them to the nest and feed to the queen. Once the queen has been eliminated, the nest cannot continue to expand, and the rest will also eat the bait and perish.

At Total Pest Solutions, we have the right ways to get rid of ants that will keep your ant population from going into overdrive and further infesting your home. Calling us takes the guesswork out of the equation, so you won’t have to face ants marching again.