How to Get Rid of Ants

Ants belong to the group of insects the same as the wasps and bees. There are sterile female workers and productive males (drones) and females (queens). Ants colonies are sometimes thought to be super organisms because the gathering appears to operate as a single entity. Ants have colonized every land mass on Earth. The only places where there seems to be no ants are Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, and the Hawaiian Islands. Most species of ants are tropical.

Contemporary civilization considers the ant a nuisance, and due to the resilient and adaptive nature of ant colonies getting rid of one is near impossible. Pest control in terms of ants is more a matter of controlling local populations than trying to get rid of an entire colony. Efforts to control ant populations are only temporary solutions.

Control of populations are usually done with insecticides, which is gathered by the ants as food and then brought back to the nest where the poison is inadvertently spread to other members of the litter - a scheme that can strictly reduce the numbers in a colony. Boric acid and borax are often used as insecticides that are relatively safe for humans. Many insects that are considered as plant pests are controlled by using grease rings on the trunks of the trees. These rings cut off the routes for ants and make them vulnerable to parasites and predators.

For the Red Imported Fire Ant, one would have to employ a scheme called broadcast baiting by which the substance is spread across a large area, such as a lawn, in order to control populations. Nests can be destroyed by tracing the ants' trails back to the nest, then pouring boiling water into it to kill the queen. Trying to kill ants individually is totally ineffective. Ants can sometimes indirectly cause pest infestations through interaction with other insects.

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Home Remedies to Get Rid of Ants

Why would you want to use home remedies to get rid of ants when you could use a commercial formula? Well, your home brew is unlikely to poison your pets, damage the DNA of your children, and seriously mess with the environment. If all that weren't enough, these home remedies to get rid of ants really work!

First, a home remedy to get rid of ants you see is to place several drops of essential peppermint oil in a spray canister full of water. You can then spray the ants you see. This is as effective as the commercial sprays and much less damaging to the environment.

Next, a home remedy to get rid of ants that you can't see is to place bait out. A simple homemade bait is to sprinkle Cream of Wheat around the affected area. The ants will take the cereal back to the nest where all of the ants will feed on it. The Cream of Wheat expands when ingested, and the ants literally explode.

If you're lucky enough to find an ant hill, there are home remedies to get rid of ants at the source. One is to put ¼ cup of dish soap into 3 gallons of boiling water and pour it over the ant hill. Another is to mix 5 tspb. Of cornmeal with 3 tspb of bacon grease. Add 3 tspb. of baking powder and 3 packages of yeast. Then, put it on something like a canning jar lid and place the lid near the nest. Because it's close to the nest, it serves as bait for all of the insects.

Finally there are home remedies to get rid of ants and keep them away for good. Sprinkle coffee grounds or pepper around the kitchen. Place lines of baby powder along doors and windows. Or, boil a long string in cinnamon and leave it laying around the kitchen.