How to quickly get rid of ants in the kitchen at home

And now - house ants attack again. If you are reading this article, then you are trying to figure out how to get rid of tiny black ants in your home in the kitchen. The most common species of these insects invade our homes and claim to occupy certain positions of power.

Identifying a specific species of ant is usually very helpful in dealing with it. However, it can be difficult for someone untrained in entomology to spot a small difference between these tiny insects. Fortunately, the method that will be described in this article does not require any special knowledge of entomology and hazardous chemicals. We will use natural remedies that work effectively on almost every ant species. Finally, it's time to get rid of insects for good.

Reasons for the appearance of ants in the kitchen

Ants in the kitchen

The category of "domestic" inhabitants includes two types of ants:

• red or pharaoh;
• yellow or thief ants.

Redheads live only indoors, live in attics, basements, house ceilings, in niches, cracks under the floor, and so on. Yellow thief ants can also live on the street, where they steal food from larger individuals, and are also located in houses, but not higher than the second floor. Both red and yellow insects create colonies in which queens (oviparous females) reign for which the prey is actually taken.

They get into the kitchen in several ways, how to get rid of ants in the kitchen in a quick way, you need to know the subtleties. If in the house or its surroundings there are already colonies of small ants, the size of which reaches 2-3 mm, then they move part of the nest to the kitchen. Or they run away from neighbors trying to survive with chemicals. It so happens that some of the ants are brought home from their dachas by the homeowners themselves, because insects can settle on suitcases, bags, furniture from attics, and so on.

Experts know that during the mating season, ants develop wings and move freely through the air. Having flown into the kitchen, the little hard workers begin their activities.

First of all, they are looking for food. If food remains are always freely available in the kitchen, they will choose this place as their own. Knowing this feature of insects, it is necessary to start cleaning on time. It should be cleaned not only in the kitchen, but also in the whole house and near it, or the apartment. In addition, ants can be carriers of bacteria harmful and dangerous to humans, because their favorite habitat is hard-to-reach corners in the kitchen. These can be trash cans, extreme corners where the hand does not reach, or animal bowls.

Ants pass through garbage cans, neighbors toilets, collect garbage on the street, and then bring bacteria home, leaving them everywhere: on tables, furniture, in cabinets and even on dishes, towels and a hob, so you need to get rid of the first appearance of insects.

Note! If small pests are found in cereals, sugar, bread, confectionery, or in fresh and dried fruits, it is strictly forbidden to eat these products, you should get rid of all contaminated products., A tiny ant can bring illness into the house, it will already be required there treatment.As soon as insects are found in the house, you must immediately do a general cleaning, thoroughly clean the corners of the house, move furniture, sofas and armchairs, where you can often find a piece of rotten, moldy bread.

Ant trail

Many people confuse the ant path with the habitat of insects and begin to actively eliminate only their favorite path to the place of food, which, of course, does not lead to any results. The ants will simply transfer the path to another place, and they can do this for an infinitely long time.
These trails usually run along baseboards or in deep crevices between floor tiles. The ultimate goal of insects may be:

• Garbage bin.
• A locker with cereals, sugar, other bulk products and sweets.
• A sink where dirty dishes often accumulate.
• Pet food bowl where food is always present.

How to fight

Tools at hand to help

So where do they come from and how to remove them? Insects follow the same paths, which are marked with their scent, it is not easy to get them out, but it is possible. Keeping track of the ants can create barriers in their path. To do this, use improvised means that almost everyone has at home. These include:

• chalk, soda, starch;
• laundry detergent or detergent;
• spices: hot peppers, chopped bay leaves, turmeric;
• vinegar;
• petrolatum;
• kerosene, camphor alcohol.

If you smear with a thickness of five millimeters or sprinkle with these substances the path of insects, the latter will be forced to surrender or look for a new "way of life." Red and yellow individuals also do not tolerate the smell of lavender, cloves, mint, chamomile, garlic, wormwood, anise, parsley, citrus fruits, fresh cucumbers.

Note! By smearing the path of insects with essential oils of the above aromas, you can scare them away for a while. Another way is to prepare a tray of sugar water or brush the tape with honey. Forest orderlies will get stuck in them and will not be able to get out.

Obstacle creation

Sometimes you can get rid of ants by creating obstacles in their path, you can do this in the following ways:

• Close up the passage. This method can be used in conjunction with folk remedies. Insects usually enter a home through cracks in the floor and gaps in ventilation and pipes. To ward off ants, these passages should be completely closed; this can be done with glue, plaster and silicone;
• You can also create an obstacle to them by treating their path with petroleum jelly, mint oil or soapy water.

Such methods are not suitable for independent use, it must be combined with something else. If you combine folk remedies with this method, then the effect can be achieved faster.

What chemistry can be used

Poison

There are special chemical compounds that help in the fight against ants:

1. Gels and pastes. They are quite dangerous not only for insects, but also for other inhabitants of the house. The agent is applied with syringes or squeezed out of the tubes in dotted lines. Goosebumps eat these pastes and gel, dip in them and bring them with them to the anthill, infecting other representatives with poison. They die after 7-14 days.
2. Aerosols and spray. A toxic agent with a pungent odor that kills ants on the spot. During use, it is necessary for all residents to leave the house. Protect face and hands with gloves and a mask.
3. Concentrates. They are bred and sprayed in all corners. They are more effective than aerosols and sprays.
4. Pencils, crayons. They are safe for humans and animals, but quite effectively affect ants.
5. Dusts or powders. They are scattered along the ant path and near the nests. Toxic, but slower than aerosols and concentrates.

Important! The average price of powders from pharaoh insects starts from 500 rubles to 700. The cost of aerosols, sprays, gels and pastes is 350-600 rubles. *

It is easier to prevent than to cure: ways of prevention

It is not enough just to kill the ants, it is also necessary to provide a barrier to their penetration.

As soon as ants settle in a new place, they immediately begin to look for a source of food, which is the kitchen. Therefore, first of all, you need to try to prevent them from entering the apartment (house), and then direct your efforts to scare away and total destruction of the existing colony.

Ants like to settle where sweet foods are available.

Initially, it will be necessary to eliminate all possible routes of movement of uninvited guests and create conditions that are not suitable for their stay. It will be quite difficult to fight ants when their nest is in a place unknown to humans.

Therefore, as a preventive measure and the very fight against ants, you need to adhere to the rules of order. Dirty dishes must not be left in the kitchen, food waste must be cleaned up in a timely manner, and food must be stored in inaccessible places. For bulk materials, special containers with a tight lid are suitable. You can replace them with a regular glass or iron jar, if it closes tightly.

When small ants settle in the kitchen, you don't want to immediately resort to radical methods of solving the problem, that is, to use chemical poisons.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with Ants in the garden how to get rid of them

For example, garlic spread around the perimeter of the entire house will become an obstacle to the movement of ants. It should not be expected that the effect of the action of this plant culture will be instant. It will be possible to notice positive results no earlier than in a week.

Fragrant garlic and potent essential oils will keep ants away for a long time

Ginger ants are nosy creatures. The invasion can be prevented if you act according to a certain scheme. First, you need to remember that isolated insects in the kitchen are a warning. They "reconnoiter" the territory, check its suitability for further invasion. Upon returning to the nest, little spies inform their relatives whether it makes sense to move to your kitchen.

Ants recognize the territory as unfit for living if you follow simple preventive measures:

• Wash the dishes immediately after eating; when cleaning kitchen surfaces, use a cloth soaked in vinegar.
• Close trash can tightly.
• Remove your favorite ant "treats": sweets, bread, meat.
• Use tightly closed containers or refrigerator to store fruit.
• Sweep the kitchen floor every day.
• Remove bright-smelling products (creams, deodorants) that can attract the initial attention of insects.
• Trace through which holes the scout ants entered the house. Seal the cracks with glue, silicone, mortar with the addition of ash and sunflower oil.

House ants do not like the smell of parsley, tomato, onion, garlic. Place pots of these plants in your kitchen. You may not wait for the fruit, but you will definitely scare the ants away.

Ants are smart insects. They easily adapt to various poisons and traps. For maximum effect, it is better to use several methods at the same time. In addition, getting rid of ants in an apartment building should be a joint effort of all neighbors. Otherwise, the work will be ineffective, and insects will reappear in your apartment. Now you know how to get rid of ants in the kitchen.

You can fight ants in the kitchen in many ways, using special preparations or folk remedies. However, these funds will be ineffective if you do not follow certain rules:

• During and after the procedure, it is necessary to keep the kitchen perfectly clean, otherwise the small ants will return in a couple of days. Before carrying out the procedure, you should do a thorough general cleaning;
• After the procedure, you must constantly keep the trash can clean and tightly closed;
• All containers with food should be removed to an inaccessible place; it is not recommended to leave food on the table or other surfaces;
• The dishes must be washed immediately after a meal;
• It is necessary to do wet cleaning every day, and vacuum after each meal;

All this will allow you to get rid of ants for a long time, in addition, these rules can be used as an independent and long-term way to get rid of ants. If the ants have nothing to profit from within 10 days, they will disappear on their own.

Ants are able to penetrate almost any room, and if they find food there, then they form a chain, and they transport food to the anthill almost all the time, and they will not leave until the food dries up. Therefore, the owner of the house, when they appear, urgently needs to take action. How to get rid of ants in the kitchen? There are several ways to get rid of:

1. Use of drugs and substances that repel or kill insects;
2. Installation of obstacles;
3. Setting traps.

The most effective way is to use special drugs, but this method may not help everyone, as some may suffer from intolerance to these substances. In such situations, you can use the second and third method to get rid of the problem.

Get capsules

These capsules do not harm humans, pets and plants, but they are quite effective. To get rid of ants, the capsules must be moved with the yolk of a boiled egg, and scattered along the paths of insects. Ants that have eaten the bait die, and simultaneously infect other individuals, thus the entire colony dies out.

DEET drug

This drug is used to get rid of many types of insects. DEET is a paste with a sweetish smell, it must be applied to places where insects accumulate. The smell of the paste scares away insects, and they disappear quickly enough, but it should be used a little longer so that they do not come back.

Boric acid

This remedy is very effective, it can kill the entire colony, but it can also harm the health of the owners of the house and their pets. Therefore, it should not be used by people with poor health, as well as in homes where there are children and pets. Boric acid is recommended to be mixed with sugar or jam, this mixture should be left on ant paths. You should not keep it for a long time, as it acts quickly.

Anti-ant granules

This remedy works very quickly, the insects disappear after a couple of days. The granules must be spread out in the kitchen, out of the reach of children and animals. After a couple of days, the pests will disappear and the remaining granules can be removed. It is forbidden to wet them, as this reduces their effectiveness.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with Kefir and Castor Oil Cleansing

Usually fenvalerate is added to the crayons, which helps to quickly get rid of ants, cockroaches and fleas. With these crayons, you need to draw a line along the ant path and in places of their accumulation. You need to use crayons only with gloves, you need to draw lines until the insects disappear.

When using special preparations, you must follow the instructions strictly and use protective equipment.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies

This is a slightly remote option and all conditions must be met. The category of folk remedies includes kitchen utensils: boric acid, which effectively fights goose bumps. To prepare the poison, you need:

1. Combine boric acid with something sweet: sugar, jam or honey. Proportions 1: 1. The mixture is brought to the consistency of sour cream, then put into insect habitats.
2. Take 10 g of boric acid, mix with a teaspoon of sugar. Boil three eggs, separate the whites from the yolks and add the latter to the acid and sugar.Cook the potatoes separately, crush them into mashed potatoes and add to the mixture. Blind balls and scatter them in all corners of the house.
3. Mix one packet (10 g) of acid with minced meat. Blind balls and scatter insects along the paths and corners. You will need 4 tablespoons of minced meat per package.

Note! Boric acid is a toxic substance, therefore it is used when households are absent.

Control methods

There are several ways to get rid of ants in an apartment and house:

• Treat the surface with insecticidal aerosols or special gels;
• Use pencils or dust;
• Set traps;
• Seek help from folk wisdom.

For a successful fight, you need to know how house ants live. You can get rid of folk remedies and synthetic drugs if you take into account the hierarchy of ant colonies. The insects we see in the kitchen are laborers obliged to feed the fertile queens that never leave the nest. Usually the center of the colony is located on the floor or wall and is extremely difficult to reach. Poisoning the queens and getting rid of insects forever is possible only through working ants.

Chemicals

You can get rid of red ants in an apartment using gels, sprays, soluble poisons and other chemicals. Each of them has a number of advantages, but they are all dangerous to humans and addictive to insects.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with: Ants and their significance in nature

Red ants in the apartment are indifferent to the action of ultrasound. Ultrasonic scarers have little or no effect.

Weitech-WK600 ultrasonic rodent and insect repeller against ants is ineffective

The drug is available in the form of capsules with a high content of chlorpyrifos. Used as a bait for ants. Not hazardous to plants and living creatures. The contents of the capsules are mixed with hard-boiled egg yolk and distributed in the centers of insect congestion. Infected ants die in the nest, spreading the infection among their relatives.

1. DEET, Angara, Taiga.

Popular, effective drugs containing diethyltoluamide. This substance was developed by the Americans in 1945 to combat blood-sucking parasites. But it turned out that with it you can get rid of red ants.

The preparations are distinguished by a white tint, thick, viscous consistency, and a characteristic sweet smell. They are applied several times a day on ant paths until the insects disappear completely.

1. Aerosol "Raptor" is a quick way to fight house ants.

An effective lightning agent. With the right approach, it allows you to get rid of ants in the house in one use. To achieve the effect, the aerosol is sprayed near the ant's nest. Otherwise, the result will be low, and the family will recover in a few days.

Insecticidal ant sprays are quite effective, but read the instructions for use

Before processing, you need to remove living beings from the room, remove food, put on a respirator.

1. Combat.

Available in aerosol and floor adhesive form. It is characterized by delayed action. The ant "carries" particles of the poison into the nest, where it infects its relatives, larvae and uterus.

1. GLOBOL.

A modern remedy with fast results based on d-phenotrin. Available in bait and spray form. 1 bait is valid for about a month, designed for 15 m2. Before use, you need to remove the cap, crush the shell, put the cap back in place, and install the bait. Use of the aerosol should take place with the windows open.

1. "Masha" (pencil)

An affordable but very effective home remedy for getting rid of ants.The package contains 2 white "pencils" of a cylindrical shape, designed for 30 m2 each. With their help, you need to draw lines on the border of ant paths and habitats. Do not erase marks for as long as possible.

Chalk Mashenka has been familiar to the inhabitants of our country for about 20 years and has proven itself well

1. Feverfew (powder).

Poison from ants in an apartment of natural origin. The active ingredients are chamomile heads. The powder has the lowest insect habituation.

1. Traps.

To combat single insects, special traps are suitable - boxes made of plastic or thick paper with several inlets. A bait with poison is placed inside. Working individuals eat the poison, carry it to the colony, where they infect their relatives and the uterus.

Examples of such devices are Combat Super Attack and Raptor. The sets consist of 4 or 6 traps, respectively, which can be fixed on a horizontal or vertical surface.

Improvised remedies for ants in an apartment are different:

1. Small ants cannot stand the taste of white baking powder (baking powder) and sugar-yeast mixture.
2. Ants in the house do not like the aromas of mint, lemon, garlic, camphor. Regular processing of skirting boards, thresholds, kitchen surfaces will help to discourage uninvited guests for a long time. Unfortunately, the method is ineffective if the nest is folded directly indoors.
3. Coffee grounds mixed with jam, syrup or sweet juice are harmful to insects. Coffee grounds with syrup - a folk remedy against ants in the kitchen
4. Acetic water. Ants at home will not live long if you spray the liquid on the centers of their accumulation, wipe the floor, threshold, front door with it. Cover the found nest with a large amount of baking soda and pour vinegar.
5. Rice, starch, corn or wheat flour are not digestible by ants. Souring, the food breaks the stomach, and the insect dies.
6. A barrier of salt, cinnamon, red or black pepper, talcum powder, dry detergent will repel ants. An obstacle is built in places where insects enter. The maximum width of the barrier is 5-7 mm, the length - depending on the scale of processing.
7. Boric acid from ants.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with: Lice comb - overview, prices, instructions for use

White crystalline powder, odorless and tasteless. Sold in a pharmacy. The poisoned insect returns to the nest, infecting relatives.

Boric acid from ants in an apartment is highly effective. There are several recipes for its preparation. According to the first, the powder must be mixed with granulated sugar and scattered in the centers of the accumulation. In the second case, you need to take 50 grams. sugar (honey or jam), 5 gr. acids, a little water, mix, pour into saucers and arrange along the ant paths.

Mix boric and sweet ant bait

Boric acid poison for ants can be stored for quite a long time. In the refrigerator, a mixture of 4 tsp. glycerin, 2 tbsp. water, 1 tsp. borax and honey will retain their properties for 4 months. Previously, the ingredients must be heated until a homogeneous mass is obtained.

Boric acid bait is very dangerous for living creatures. The use of ordinary cans where the mixture is placed will help reduce the risk. Punch holes in the lid and brush them with sweet bait.

1. Soapy water will help get rid of ants in a private house. She kills the insects themselves and erases their paths. Fill a spray bottle with a mixture of water and detergent (you can add a little peppermint essential oil to enhance the effect), spray the insect groups and their tracks.

How to ventilate and clean the room after treatment

Before processing the premises, you must first pack all the dishes and personal belongings in plastic bags. If this has not been done, then the dishes must be thoroughly rinsed, and the things must be disinfected after the procedure.Often, many people want to immediately open windows and doors, especially after spraying with an aerosol, but this will be wrong.

There is no need to rush to open the windows wide open, it is better to leave the premises for two or three hours, allowing the insects to "breathe" the poison. After that, you can ventilate the house and start a more thorough cleaning. With a damp cloth, go over all open areas of the furniture, then turn on the vacuum cleaner, pointing it at the baseboards, floors, walls and ceiling of the house.

Important! Wipe door handles and furniture handles thoroughly with an antibacterial agent. The main thing is not to forget to wash your hands with soap and water afterwards, even if gloves were used.

What to do if the ants don't leave

Poison traps

If all these funds have little effect on insects, they can be driven out in a more radical way. For this they prepare:

• Electric traps. With their help, ants die from an electric discharge. A bait is placed inside the trap, to which electricity is connected.
• Sticky traps. A sticky base is placed in the box, greased with a pleasant smell for insects. Once they get inside, they will stick and will not be able to get out.
• Poison bait traps. The ants go to the smell of the gel, taste it and bring it to the nest. They die in a few days.

Note! Ants are also afraid of ultrasonic waves, which get them in trouble. If you send these waves at them, they will become anxious and eventually leave their habitat together.

Testimonials

Review of the Dokhlox gel by Natalia Kiryanova: “Since every spring yellow and red ants begin to attack our wooden two-story house, there are reasons to envy them. My husband and I decided to switch to "heavy artillery" and bought this aerosol gel, which cost only 250 rubles. The warranty period lasted 1 year, there is an instruction for use, the composition of the product is written and the manufacturer's coordinates are indicated. Knowing the vitality of insects, I did not really believe in the success of the operation. However, after a couple of days my “guests” were gone. We were satisfied with the product. "

Sergey Dontsov's response to boric acid: “A ten-year-old daughter began to complain about red ants in the apartment. The pharmacy advised me to buy a packet of boric acid, mix it with boiled yolks, sugar and potatoes. I did everything as taught and threw the flagella all over the apartment. The insects dragged them to their place, apparently the uterus died, because after a few days the apartment was not teeming with "hard workers". You need to know that the ants go to the bath to drink water, so I put the balls closer to the sink. Don't bother me anymore. They have nowhere to appear. "

Note! If at least 1 individual was seen in the house, then you need to immediately take action to eliminate it. The fact is that the population of ants grows very quickly, with a delay, insects, in addition to the kitchen, settle throughout the apartment.

* Prices are valid for August 2020.

Setting traps

Traps as well as obstacles are best used with folk remedies or chemicals, since they are not effective enough on their own. You need to place traps in the places where insects travel.

Traps are made according to the same principle: its edges are coated with a sticky substance, and there is a fragrant bait in the center.

Such traps can be bought in specialized stores or made on your own:

1. The trap can be made of cardboard and double-sided tape. To do this, the cardboard must be pasted over with tape around the perimeter, and in the middle pour or put something sweet and aromatic;
2. Or you can make a sweet funnel, for this you need to dilute the jam with water in a glass and the bottom of the bottle, and make a passage from cardboard or paper to the center;
3. Also on the path of the trail, you can put a bowl of sweets with edges smeared with petroleum jelly.

This method can be used if scouts have been spotted, so they will not bring the working colony into the house.But if a working group of ants has entered the house, then setting traps is practically useless.

Insects in the house always bring problems, especially if they appear in the kitchen. Since almost all insects are carriers of bacteria and infections. Therefore, the kitchen must be kept clean at all times. If the ants have already appeared, then urgent measures must be taken. There are several ways to get rid of insects in the kitchen: use special preparations, set traps or block their passage.

The most effective method of getting rid is the use of special drugs or folk remedies. Such drugs are divided into several groups, some of them kill insects and even destroy entire colonies, and some simply scare away. You need to use drugs strictly according to the instructions. After the insects disappear, the treatment should be carried out for a couple of days. And so that the insects do not return, you must always keep the kitchen clean.