Ants, you got them and you want to kill them! I understand, there are many people out there who hate ants more then roaches. The best place to start is identification.
What Is It?
Sure I know it crawls and looks like an ant but what kind of ant will determine the best way to kill it. So, the best place to start is at a search site. I would browse the “images” portion of the site. Pay close attention to color and size. If you have big black ants and have determined they are carpenter ants, I will be writing a different article just dealing with them. If you determined you have pharaoh ants, the same thing there, try again later. My bet is that you have odorous house ants.
The best way to tell is smash one of them with your finger and smell it. Truly it is, just smash it and smell your finger. If you small a nutmeg or oily odor then odds are you have odorous house ants. The rest of this article is targeted toward this species of ant. However, this basic treatment will work for most ants as well.
Inspection
Lets take some time and gather information, this inspection will tell you were to treat. Grab a flash light and get ready to get dirty! Start looking on the foundation, look at the block foundation for trails of ants. You may need to pull grass or mulch back that is against the foundation. Look for trails, inspect trees, bushes, shrubs, rake back mulch, vinyl siding seams, around condensation drip lines, water facets with garden hose etc.
Look everywhere for trails and make notes. Next follow the trails, find the nest. I know you are thinking I am nuts but really, follow the trails. You are going to be surprised how far and where they go. Keep track of the locations where the ants go in to the ground, or in a hole. If the entry point is on a structure it is very important to note that as well. This process takes time but you must do a complete inspection.
If you have a crawl space just as well head there next. When your in the crawl space be sure to look at the box header, or ban board area. ( if you don't know what that is just browse image on a search engine) Think of yourself as an inspector, with the goal in mind to find the nests and entry points.
Clean Up
No, I did not say you were dirty. However, ants can feed of particles and food debris we can't even see.
It is very important that you sweep crumbs up, look under the kick plate with a flash light. Remove any and all food particles and crumbs. If the ants are on your counter tops use bleach to kill the pheromone trail. If you don't know what a pheromone trail is just search it, there are plenty of sites to educate you about ants, I just want to tell you about killing them. It is very important to clean cracks, counters and crevices.
Outside Treatment
Always read and follow any labels on pesticide, I am telling you how I would treat my home. There is no silver bullet when it comes to ants. There will be several different treatment methods.
Go to any large discount store and purchase any type of powder that has “Orthoboric acid” in it. This may just say for roaches but it will kill any kind of pest. You will also need to pick up any kind exterior spray in a concentrate form. Be sure the concentrate has a residual or lasts over a long period of time, and is labeled to kill ants. Lastly, purchase granules, a granular bait is best but a repellent will work as well.
Take the powder and treat all those cracks you saw ants going in to on the house. Any holes in brick or around windows. Anywhere you made notes about trailing ants be sure to treat with the dust inside the hole, crack or crevice. Next, get your liquid spray mix according to directions. Always read and follow labels!
I would spray the foundation of home. Around the blocks, along the mulch and rock that come right against the foundation. If you looked under much and saw a colony you will need to treat that area as well. Treat every trail, every place you made notes about the tails of ants. The key here is to treat how they are getting in with the dust and treat the trails with the liquid outside. Combining with a bleach treatment and cleaning up food source.
If you prefer a bait that the ants will take back to nest just try mixing a tablespoon of dust with a ¼ cup of honey. This will have a slower effect but will kill the colony over time. Bear in mind if a dog or kid eats the honey bait you will have a problem, there is no antidote for boric acid! Be responsible for environment and surroundings during any pesticide application.
Repeat The Application Or Call A Pro
You may need to re-apply if it rains or slows the ant activity down but not stops. Try more powder or more liquid, rotate application. If you have tried everything and are ready to give up and call a professional, be sure they use Termidor. It is the best chemical available at this time for ant treatment.
If you are throwing in the towel and calling a professional be sure they treat the crawlspace as well. A good chemical for inside used by a pro is called Phantom. Be sure to ask what they are treating with and request the above mentioned materials.
Thank for the interest, hope it works for you as it does around my home.
