May

10

Introduction to Getting Rid of Ants

Get Rid of Ants

Ants can be a real problem, a long lasting problem that can struck no matter if you live downtown, in the suburbs or in the countryside. They can be mostly active in the summer, but once in your home, they will always be there until you get rid of them for good. If you want to learn how to get rid of ants fast you must be tired of fighting them, finding them in your sugar box, in your drawers, food, dishes, and floor or maybe in your yard.

Ants can be really persistent, so if you tried a few things and it didn’t work don’t discourage yourself, read this and try again. The most important thing you need to know about getting rid of ants is what type of ants has infested your home.  We will teach you everything you need to know about how to get rid of ants fast starting with type of ants you should worry and some easy to use methods to get rid of them.

Before we start, keep in mind that we will cover both how to get rid of ants naturally and with pesticides. Hopefully, natural method will work as we all prefer to keep our kitchen pesticide free.

Most Common Types of Ants to Worry About

sugar antsThe most common of all ants we can find in our home are Sugar Ants. In some parts Sugar Ants are simply called House Ants, which just goes to show how frequently these little guys can be found in someone’s home. They can also be found near pavement, in fact you probably saw their mounds of dirt thousands of times, but it is most unpleasant when you find one in your home. Getting rid of Sugar Ants is usually not a big problem, but in the end it depends on where they have nested.

fire antsFire Ants can be a real nightmare, lucky for most of us they are usually found in warmer climates, so people living up north rarely have problems with Fire Ants, or Red Ants. They are extremely difficult to deal with, not only can they swarm your home in weeks, but they are very dangerous to humans. Their bite is extremely painful and it can lead to various unwanted effects. We already said that it is very difficult to get rid of Fire Ants, but not impossible, the trick is to fight them constantly until you have cleared your home.

pharaoh antsPharaoh Ants can also be found almost everywhere, and they inhabit similar places like the Sugar Ants, the easiest way to recognize them is as small black ants in your house. They love all types of proteins, so sugar, candy or any other type of food can draw them near very fast. Luckily, their tastes are their greatest weakness, so sweats placed outside your home should easily get rid of Pharaoh Ants, to at least keep them in check and out of your home.

carpenter antsThere are also Carpenter Ants, also known as flying ants. The greatest mistake is that people think they eat wood, which is not true. Wood can be one of their favorite hiding places, but like Sugar and Pharaoh Ants they like protein based food, so sugar and sweat are their main dish.

There are other types of ants we will talk about and how to get rid of ants naturally and with chemicals, these are the ones you probably have a problem with and we will start with these. So here are some unique ways to get rid of ants, all of the types mentioned above.

 

When we don’t know what to do with ants the problem gets bigger and bigger, so the more you wait the worst it gets and harder to get rid of ants from your home. If you want to get rid of ants naturally you can use the following methods:

 

Using chalk or even baby powder, and you probably have at least one of those in your house, to draw a line where you find the ants to cross into your home will keep them away. Ants don’t like Talcum, which is a powder contained in both chalk and baby powder, it acts as a repellant for ants. But this is good only to keep them away, once they are in your home this method can be used only to stop them from moving too much around the house.

 

Using strong odors is one way to control the ant’s movement. For that you can use hot peppers, chili peppers, or even garlic, vinegar and mint. The strong scent tends to repel the ants, again this can be used to restrict their movement or stop them from getting into your home. This method will not get rid of ants from your home.

 

One thing you can do is use coffee grounds to repel ants, the strong smell bothers them like with the herbs mentioned above. Or you can use cucumber or lemons and the lemon acid to drive ants off. The acid from the lemon and cucumbers is very toxic for the natural ant food, fungi, and they will avoid it at all costs.

 

But all of these methods will only allow you to repel ants from your home or to restrict their movements in your home; the real question is how to get rid of ants. If you have ants problem in your yard that is not hard to deal with, you can find the nest and pour a few gallons of hot boiling water, or pour vinegar, the goal is to kill the ant queen. After that you will easily get rid of them.

 

But the problem is when you have ants in your home and you can’t locate the nest, or even when you can the nest is not accessible unless you destroy your floor or even the wall in some cases. So here lies the real problem of getting rid of ants. So the answer to your question is luring them and making them bring the poison back to their nest. Now when we talk about poison it doesn’t actually have to be a real poison. There are many alternatives you can use to get rid of ants the easy and natural way.

One of the most common ways is to mix maple syrup, for flavor and to attract the ants, with boric acid or borax. The trick with this one is how to wipe up the entire colony and get rid of ants for good. Boric acid can be very dangerous for ants, so if you put too much it will kill them without them taking it back to their nest, putting too little of it will only prolong it making your problem last for months until you get rid of the entire ant colony.  The typical recipe is to add 2 table spoons of boric acid and 2 cups of sugar in one cup of water and mix it all up and serve the ants their feast.

 

You can use other baits, not just sugar or maple syrup; you can use peanut butter, jelly, or any other sweats you noticed your ants are fond of. Of course you can use ant represent or anti-ant products, make sure you read the labels as most of them are very toxic and you certainly wouldn’t want to use them in your kitchen or around your kids and pets.

 

The most important part is to maintain your home and keep it absolutely clean, especially the parts where ants have appeared before. Use alcohol mixed with water to clean the surfaces in your home and your kitchen and you can even spray a peppermint mixture over it later to keep ants away from your home. The bottom line is that it is very hard to get rid of ants; in some cases you will wage a long war with them, so keep in mind to keep everything clean so they wouldn’t come back even after you think they are gone. Sooner or later they will be, as they have to find another source of food or their colony will die out. Look around our website to find more info on how to get rid of ants, using special products or just more info on a specific type of ant. In the future we will try to add section to help you get rid of other pests as well, for now learn how to get rid your home of ants for good.

 

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Dec

21

Wood Ants

Types of Ants

Wood ants, coming from the genus Formica, can be seen in Asia andEurope. They have a reddish to black covering that can easily distinguish them from other ant species. A wood ant queen can measure up to 12 mm while other ants belonging to the worker and the colonies have a smaller body. This specific type of ant is called indicator species since they reside in the woods and their existence signifies a healthy vegetation around the area.

Life Cycle of a Wood Ant

The life cycle of a wood ant might last longer for the colony’s queen, lasting for fifteen years. Workers can live up to one year but the males generally die faster after mating in spring. Female wood ants comprise the population of workers since they are underdeveloped and cannot breed. These workers are very aggressive towards predators as they release formic acid when threatened resembling the odor of vinegar. They can lay eggs but it will only be used as food. Only the queen wood ant can reproduce and can mature to its adult form while the males are only used for mating.

Natural Habitat

Wood ant nests are shaped like a dome made from pine needles spanning up to one meter high and two meters for the diameter. Different types of wood ants have different sizes of nests from large flat ones to smaller ones. The main purpose of a nest is for protection especially from anteaters or other predators. It also protects the colonies from harsh weather conditions and provides stability for the queen to lay eggs, care for them, and nurture the pupae.

Wood ants maintain an ideal temperature inside their mounds through the pine needles that prevent rainwater from coming in and the flat area along the southern part of the mound that can absorb heat from the sun. Hollowing openings or filling holes can regulate the heat inside and wood ants make use of their body to provide heat inside tunnels.

Nests can be found on decaying trees as the organic matter and wood provide heat for the mound. There are numerous nests to compose a whole wood ant colony. The main nest found closer to wood sources is called the parent nest, which contains the queen, larvae, pupae, and workers to protect them. This is also the place where reproduction happens.

Other nests in the colony store food, other workers, and old larvae or pupae. These nests hold the hatched larvae that will become workers in the future. The most common and distinguishable nest people see outdoors is the satellite nest located where there is wood and moisture. Satellite nests can also be found in residential areas along parts of the house that has moist wood such as the attic, doors, bathtubs, and columns.

Wood Ant Activity

Wood ants go out of their mounds and become active mostly during nighttime. They surface 15 minutes after sunset and use chemical trails to search for food. Wood ants are rampant during spring, from April to March, and during fall, from September to October. Their preferred food comes from honeydew produced by aphids. Besides honeydew, they also eat invertebrates such as worms and insects. Their diet consists of both animal and plant food sources.

Wood Ant Advantages

Wood ants are very advantageous for the ecosystem as they carry seeds when travelling that aids plant reproduction. These ants also eat pests that consume leaves such as those herbivorous invertebrates while their nests also help other species who prefer to live with them.

Wood Ant Disadvantages

The damage wood ants can cause will be towards residential areas where they can build their nests, hollow out the wood, and destroy the structures even though they do not need to consume wood for nourishment as it is just for their nesting place. Eliminating them would be a good idea since they will create more damages than they can add benefits for the ecosystem when they are residing at a home.

Eliminating Wood Ants from Residential Areas

People can ask a professional pest control handler to take care of a wood ant infestation around the house. Homeowners can also do their remedy by searching for the colony or the parent nest. These nests can be found in rotting wood or wood that has gathered moisture inside the house. Individuals can distinguish them properly since the black winged ants fly inside the house in search of another home. Smaller infestations are indicated by less that 10 wood ants flying.

Insecticides can eradicate the nests and people can use sprayed insecticides or boric acids for wood ants that reside on the flooring or behind the wall. Organic solutions are also possible in lieu of chemicals. Hot or boiling water mixed with ant spray can kill ants and eliminate the mounds inside the house.

Prevention is still better that eradication of wood ants because of their benefits in nature. People can stop the infestation of wood ants in their home by repairing the old and rotten wood inside that can attract ants. The wood ants will not reside on a home if their natural habitat in the forest or tree stump is undisturbed.

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Dec

21

Red Fire Ants

Types of Ants

Red fire ant or Solenopsis invicta, is another specie from the genus Solenopsis similar to the fire ants but more aggressive and invasive. The RIFA can be found in parts of theUnited States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South America, Australia, China, and Philippines. The red fire ants’ bites cause painful, itchy, and irritating bumps that accumulate pustule.

Invasive and Aggressive Specie

Red fire ants attack in groups and can swarm a human or an animal once their habitat is endangered or disturbed. The sting from a red fire ant can kill smaller animals especially if it was a swarm that attacked. The red fire ants also fight with other ant species to widen their territory. Their species are rampant because there are no natural enemies for them.

The RIFA is considered as a pest because not only does it cause pain and illness for animals or humans, the ants destroy agricultural and crop assets. When red fire ants build their nests, they damage the roots and other crops. They even build their mounds on a farmer’s land or even in the backyard.

The red fire ant’s sting is not usually deadly although there are reports of deaths in both livestock and humans after being attacked. The sting contains a necrotizing alkaloid that results in pain and pustules along the skin.  Death in humans usually occurs when allergic reactions from the sting happen as it also leads to anaphylactic shock.

The advantage of red fire ants is its ability to eliminate crop pests like rice stinkbug, boll weevil, horn fly, sugarcane borer, and many more. Unfortunately, just as they can kill pests, they also eradicate important members of the ecosystem that help pollinate the plants like bees. They also prey on parts of a tree such as its leaves, sap, bark, fruits, and seeds. The ants even compete for food against other animals and they cause the extinction of other smaller animals in one area.

Red Fire Ants Habitat

Red fire ants can work through different temperatures and can even survive dire situations such as flooding in their territory and mound. The red fire ants are also known to create their own huge ball of raft made with their bodies to protect the queen and anchor them in another place after the flood subsides. They can also last during winter season even with temperatures ranging from −9 °C.

Red Fire Ants Appearance

The body of a red fire ant consists of a postpediole and pedicel. Therefore, they possess two humps between the abdomen and the thorax with 10 segments for the antenna and two for the club found in workers. Its color is a reddish brown tint but it is difficult to distinguish them physically from other fire ants. The red fire ant possesses a striated mesepimeron and a median clypeal tooth that cannot be easily seen by people. The workers are polymorphic with a wide array of sizes as they can grow from 3mm to 7mm.

Red Fire Ants Nests

The mound they create is made from excavated soil and they make it wide around the base. The usual shape of a mound is oval located above ground that can reach up to 24-inches tall. Unlike other ants that have entrances and exits, the red fire ants’ mound have numerous tunnels that serve as pathways leading to the opening at a central mound. People can usually find them around sunny open areas including irrigated and disturbed places.

Managing Red Fire Ants

Just like with the fire ants, red fire ants should be eliminated and there can be two ways to do it effectively. Individual mound treatments and baits are very common for ant invasions especially with fire ant species.

Individual Mound Treatment

In using the individual mound treatment to eradicate the colony, people need to keep the mound undisturbed, as the ants will flee together with their queen if they feel the disturbance. Products used in individual mound treatments should be exposed to the ants for a more effective solution.

People can use drenches to eliminate a mound. The nest will be flooded with insecticide to kill everything inside. However, this process may not work especially if the queen ant resides in the deepest parts of the tunnel. Homeowners can ask for professional pest control assistance as these companies have special injections that can reach the queen ant with the insecticides.

Dust and granules are also another form of insecticide that requires application on the mound or around it. Some of these products need water to be more effective but the dust and granules produce slower results compared with the fast-acting drench solution.

Prohibited substances to eliminate the mound are combustible materials such as gas and fuel. It will cause accidents and even forest fires while not being effective at all since the fire ants will return after months and they will again put up their mound in the burnt site.

Red Fire Ant Baits

Baits can also be used to kill the red fire ants and eliminate the mounds. Compared with individual mound treatment, using baits are slower when it comes to generating results. It is usually made from insecticides mixed with oil and coated on a corncob grit. The baits work by letting the workers carry the corn grit, ingest the insecticide, and bring the traces inside the colony, which can then be exposed to the queen. The insecticides do not provide an immediate effect because the point is to keep them alive until they have brought the poison inside the colony to infect more workers or the queen.

Pre-baiting is also another way of distributing the baits. People can place birdseeds around the place and when the ants are attracted enough to start collecting or feeding, people can apply the baits in order to guarantee that the red fire ants will be exposed to the product.

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Dec

21

Fire Ants

Types of Ants

Fire Ants are insects belonging from a family of stinging ants that release venom to people’s skin. The venom is called piperidine and a person infected with this should be treated immediately as some might have allergies for the venom, which will result in life threatening health risks. Fire ants reproduce during both warm and wet seasons. These ants have two types, the domestic fire ants and imported fire ants. Both of them are dangerous, but the imported fire ants are the most destructive.

Fire Ants Appearance

This specie of ants are different from others because of their color ranging from a lighter copper brown tint for the head and a slightly darker brown for the abdomen. A fire worker ant’s color is dark orange close to brown and their size can grow up to 6 mm or as small as 2mm. Just like with other ants and insects, their structure has three parts, the head, thorax, and abdomen. As a member of the Solenopsis species, the fire ants have a propodeum, a pedicel, and antennae with 10 segments and 2 segments for the club. The venom is injected to the skin through a fire ant’s sting and mandibles.

Fire Ants Preferred Location

Fire ants can be found in their self-built nest along the grassy areas south of the United Statesand other countries that do not freeze during winter. The ants can nest in all types of soil but they prefer those that have access to sunlight such as open areas and pastures. These nests form mounds and different sizes of fire ants can be found together in one nest.

Fire ants are attracted to heat sources such as electrical boxes, steam pipes, and concrete walls. Underground tunnels also form the fire ants’ mounds. Nests are 36-inches deep and have tunnels or chambers that form a network wherein ants can tread through 12-18 inches of vertical column. Mounds that can be found above ground are actually extensions built by ants during cold and wet seasons. The outer mound is needed by the species for their brood development

Invasive Fire Ants

One type of fire ants, the Solenopsis invicta also known as red imported fire ant, is considered as a pest in many parts of the world such as in Australia, China, United States, Taiwan, and thePhilippines. This type of fire ant can also cause damage in livestock, crops, and agricultural properties. In residential areas, fire ants damage houseplants by eating the leaves.

Treatment of fire ant bites should be administered immediately to prevent symptoms such as pain, swelling, itchiness, blisters, and scabbing. Allergies from the venom will result in major health risks such as palpitation, breathing difficulty, nausea, incoherence and throat swelling. The venom has alkaloids that cause the pain, which can be treated with topical corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone, aloe vera based creams, and oral medication like antihistamine for the itching.

Eliminating Fire Ants

Eliminating fire ants is important and people should take safety precautions when carrying out the task. There are two steps in eliminating fire ants, first is through a bait insecticide for the yard during August and October. The second step is eliminating fire ants in individual mounds through mound bait, drench, insecticide, and granule.

Fire ant Baits

Fire ant baits are corn grits with pesticides and soybean oil. The ants take the corn grits back to their mounds and they share it with the queen. The effect of the bait to the queen will be either infertility or death. Results when using the fire ant baits are slow and they are ideally used for larger infestation.

Ideally, people should only use fire ant baits from unopened packages. They must be used during dry seasons around the area infested by the fire ants and when they are searching for food. The best times of the day that baits should be used are during late afternoon and evening where ants leave their mounds to forage for food. Hand-held seed spreaders should be use when placing the bait on the ground.

Fire Ant Mound Treatments

liferaft of fire antsIndividual mound treatments for fire ants are chemicals from drenches, dust products, granules or through organic means. Drenches can eradicate fire ants and mounds after few hours of administering the product. It does not leave too much residue from the product unlike with the dust form. Mounds can also be eliminated faster by dust products and people don’t need to use water during application. Granules can be used as it works as fast as the other two solutions. Granules must be placed around the area including the mound and watered without demolishing the nest.

Organic ways of eliminating fire ants use drenches made from botanical insecticides or biological products instead of chemicals. People can also use hot or boiling water poured directly to the mound and on its surrounding grass area. Although it can kill some of the fire ants, others will survive and would just relocate in another place, as the temperature will burn the grass that borders their mound.

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Dec

21

Argentine Ants

Types of Ants

The Argentine ant or Linepithema humile can be originally found inParaguay,Argentina,Brazil andUruguay. Today, this ant specie has also established colonies around the world in theUnited States,Australia,Japan,South Africa,Hawaii,New Zealand, andEurope through human intervention.

Argentine Ants Appearance

Worker Argentine ants measure up to 3mm long with honey-brown color while the colony’s queen can grow up to four times its size. They have uneven shaped thoraxes and one erect node for the petiole. These ants produce a stale odor whenever they are crushed.

Argentine Ants Habitat

The Argentine ants’ mounds are found on the ground usually around leaf litters, soil, debris, tree cavities and stones. The mounds are placed in shallow locations, about 1-2 inches deep, because these ants cannot burrow deeper tunnels unlike other ant species. Sometimes, they also dwell in walls, timbers, and even residential areas inside cracks and small spaces that do not require them to dig. They even make use of abandoned mounds from other ant species that have the capacity to create deeper tunnels and channels. Because of their ability to create a home almost anywhere, they are also easily transported to different places whenever their mound is contained in a movable object such as a potted plant.

Argentine Ants Disadvantages

These ants do not invade their fellow species unlike other ants such as the red fire ants. They can also join other Argentine ant colonies without the other ants perceiving them as danger. The Argentine ants can have multiple queens, thus, they can create super colonies that can invade a native ecosystem spanning for longer miles and harm other species by taking over their natural habitat and consuming their food.

The Argentine ants can harm the ecosystem by displacing other animals and insects and taking over their homes. Animals are displaced since other ant species that they feed on will be replaced by the Argentine ants. Plants are also affected since insects that disperse the seeds will leave once the Argentine ants take over the place. Because this species of ants farm aphid colonies in exchange for honeydew, which they consume as their source of nourishment, Argentine ants can damage agricultural and crop assets. Large colonies of Argentine ants in a field mean growth for the aphid colonies and will result to larger damages to the crops and plants. Other food Argentine ants consume are seeds, carrion, nectar, and insects.

Argentine ants do not harm people with their sting unlike aggressive ant species such as the red fire ants. Although they can bite, albeit not often, it is not as deadly and painful as other ant stings. They can also become a nuisance for people as they also feed on uncovered food, pet food, and drinks.

Eliminating Argentine Ants

Although the ants are not aggressive and deadly, people need to manage them and they can choose from natural to chemical solutions.

People can stop the Argentine ants naturally by eliminating their food and water source and blocking their mounds. Food containers should be sealed tightly, food must not be left uncovered, and the house must be vacuumed regularly to eliminate food crumbs, juice spills, or other nourishment sources the ants will feed on. Garbage bins are the most common nesting ground for Argentine ants because of food leftovers. Homeowners can prevent the ants from nesting on garbage bins by taking the trash out regularly and cleaning the bin first before using it again. Blocking their nests on residential areas can be done using silicone caulk mixed with diatomaceous earth and boric acid applied onto the cracks. Long-term solutions that work immediately will require people to use silica aerogel and pyrethrins on the cracks.

People can also use a combination of water and insecticidal soap to eliminate Argentine ant mounds on potted plants by submerging the pot until water reaches the soil. Avoiding plants that attract Argentine ants is also helpful. The ants can live in mealybugs, aphids, whiteflies, and soft scales because these produce their food.

Ant baits are also effective although they are slow acting. Baits can come in solid or liquid form but it is highly recommended to use the solid baits because it guarantees that the ants will carry it to their home. Liquid baits’ poison concentration might lessen since ants transport them inside their body unlike solid ones that are undiluted and cannot be digested or absorbed on the way to their mounds. Solid baits are in small granular forms measuring from 800-1000 micrometers as Argentine ants cannot carry and feed on bigger baits. These baits are usually made from protein and sugar to attract the Argentine ants mixed with poison to kill them.

Concentration of poison should be enough to allow the workers to carry the bait to their nest without dying and effectively killing the queen and other ants afterwards. Low concentrations will not eliminate the ants and high concentrations will kill worker ants immediately without eliminating the queen. Eradicating workers have little to no effect because the queens produce large numbers of workers. To eliminate the whole colony, the queen should be killed first.

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Jun

12

How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally

Get Rid of Ants

Getting rid of ants is hard, but what makes it even a harder job and decision is using chemicals and insecticides that can harm you, your children, your pets and basically every living thing in your home. This is why most people try looking for a natural way to get rid of ants. Although this is even harder some of us consider it an only option, so we will not teach you how to get rids of ants naturally.

get rid of ants naturallyOne method that can work if you don’t have a large ant infestation is to seal off all sources of food for a longer time. It takes up to a week for ants to realize there is no food and at that time they will try to find new sources of food. This requires that you clean all the time, make sure there are no leftovers in your house, no sugar, no open bottles, basically, seal off every food source that is available. As this can be really hard most people don’t bother and try looking for another way to get rid of ants naturally.

For outdoor ant problem the first thing you should do is take all of your trash cans and move them as far away from your house as you can. It is better for them to go feast 20 yards from your house then in your kitchen. Ultimately, if they have on feeding ground it will be easier for you to find their nest and get rid of them for good.

repell antsTo prevent ant movement and their progression into your home you can seal their movements by setting a boundary. You can use various methods to achieve that, the most common include placing chalk, vinegar, chili peppers, cinnamon, citrus, mint, garlic, or natural borax.

When you find the ants nest one of the things you can do is poor several gallons of hot water into it in order to drown the ants. Of course this is only applicable for ant problems in your yard, as you wouldn’t want to use this method in your house.

These are the most common ways, you probably heard them already. The thing is that not all of them will work all the time, but that is a risk you will have to take if you want to do it the natural way. Also, you will have to watch your steps carefully, if you want to make the ants go away by sealing food then do it perfectly, no slacking here.

A few more things you can try out:

-          Baby powder instead of chalk

-          Use cucumbers slices as a border, most ants are repelled by it

-          Try peppermint oil as a border

-          Baking soda can be used as repellant

Or if you are really bored you can just place a nice amount of sugar and syrup as bait and kill them on the spot, or trap them if you don’t want to kill them. If you know other ways how to get rid of ants naturally please leave a comment and share it with the rest of us.

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