How do you get rid of sugar ants that have invaded your house? Ants being social insects move in large numbers known as colonies.
- There is no need to get scared when you get ants invasion because there is a solution that works well in eliminating them.
There are many species but the most common type of ants to find around our houses are the sugar ants. These sugar ants include pavement ants, pharaoh ants, carpenter ants, and odorous ants among others.
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How to Get Rid of Sugar Ants
To control the sugar ants, you can either use natural remedies, pest control products or use ants’ traps.
Natural remedies include, use a vinegar solution, regular cleaning, baking powder, essential oils, and diatomaceous earth Similarly, you can also use it on both indoor and outdoor sugar ants’ control.
- Other remedies include the use of traps like Terro liquid ant killer, gels, carpenter ant, and termite killer.
- Other pest control products include borax, delta dust Telstar PL granules among others.
If you have pets and children in your house, natural remedies are just the best. This is despite them being slow to control the ants as compared to pest control products.
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What do sugar ants eat?
As we embark on the remedies, there is a need to understand what really attracts these sugars ant inside our houses. Sugar ants prefer the kitchen, dining room, or living room but depend on what attracts them.
- Sugar ants are very fond of sugary foods and products. They get attracted by honey, sugar, soft drinks, candies cakes, milk, and anything sweet in the vicinity.
- One funny thing with ants is that they have a high sense of smell and can smell products from miles away. No Wanda, you will just find this ant from nowhere.
If you are fond of leaving leftovers openly or fail to empty your litter bin, be sure to find these uninvited guests.
- Most of the ants you find around your house are female workers. Male ants are few in the colony and their only hob in to mate with the queen and then they die.
- Ants are generally omnivorous which means they feed on both plants and animals.
Apart from leftovers and trash, they also feed on dead animals and plant leaves among others. In this case, I will discuss what brings sugars ants.
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Natural remedies for Sugar ants control
There are several natural remedies that are effective and safe too.
- These controls either kill or repels the sugar ants. As we shall see, they are relatively slow ineffectiveness.
You can use them for both indoor and outdoor ants’ control. Though we have many remedies, I have selected the top best for you.
1. Baking powder
Did you know that if you have baking power in your house, can serve as a good remedy to eliminate sugar ants in your house?
- As it is, baking powder has some basic components and once the ants eat it, it reacts with gastric acid in the stomach. This produces carbon dioxide that kills the ant.
- Baking powder is not sugary and in order to attract ants to eat it, you have to add some sugar. In this case, you can mix the sugar and baking soda in a ratio of 1:1.
This remedy works wells and is also safe to use indoor where there are pets and children. Technically, it is most preferred for use outdoors than indoors. This is because it may attract ants into your house even when it was not necessary.
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2. Routine cleaning
This is preferably one of the cost-effective techniques that are also affordable to all. You don’t do anything extra to clean your house but just water and soap. Dry cleaning will also be effective.
- Sugar ants will barely survive in the house if there is nothing sugary for them to feed. A clean environment keeps them away.
- Cleanliness not only for the floor, cabinets but also timely emptying the bin to avoid infestation by the ants.
Lastly, clean your dishes promptly after every meal and avoid sugary foods uncovered. They are quick at inviting the ants.
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3. Essential oils
There are many types of essential oils that you can use to control ants in your house. Some of the common essential oils are lemon, citrus, peppermint, tea tree, cloves among others.
These oils work by repelling these sugar ants, unlike others that kill them.
You can mix at least three to five drops in water and then warm it. This way you can apply it to the entry points for the ants. You can use some spray guns, or any other mode of application convenient with you.
The method of using these essential oils is very safe to use indoors and even where you have pets and children.
4. Diatomaceous Earth-DE
This is made from fossil remains that are both safe and also effective when it comes to controlling sugar ants. In most cases, it is found in powder form.
- You can use it by applying it around the ants’ pathway to eliminate them. Its mode of action is by dehydrating and killing the ants on the spot.
The best thing with DE is that it kills the ants and works fast on reducing their population. On the contrary, is also safe to use indoor without causing harm to the children and pets in the house.
5. Vinegar
If you have not tried the vinegar to stop the sugar ants, it’s high time you do. It has a very unique way of keeping the ants out of your house.
If you already have ants in your house, get some vinegar mix it water in a ratio of 1:1. Pour it on the ant’s trail and you will see them scatter.
The reason why you see ants following a certain trail is that they use a pheromone trail. This ensure that they moved to the food source and back without missing on the trail. The last ant will follow the trail set by the first and.
Using vinegar solution destroys this pheromone trail and scatters the ants in different ways other than the food source.
It is safe for use in your house where there are pets and children. Among the disadvantages of using vinegar is that it only scatters the ants but does not necessarily eliminate them.
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Frequently asked questions
Will sugar ants go away on their own?
Yes if you take clean the spills and the sweet foods attracting them. Sugar ants will not come into your house unless there is something that they want.
If you see the ants coming to your house, spot their target location. Clean the spills or empty the trash or any other thing that has attracted them. This way, you will see the sugar ants go away on their own.
Conclusion
Now you know how to get rid of sugar ants using natural remedies. This is mostly applicable indoors where you are cautious of children and pets.
- There are other remedies like pest control products and traps but they need close monitoring to avoid harm to other parties.
That said and done, they are safe and reliably effective to eliminate sugar ants.