The black ant is a common household pest. If you have noticed one, chances are there are several ants somewhere hidden in your house. Although they are generally not harmful to people, they can compromise the house’s structural integrity by digging holes and crevices to get through. They are most frequently found in restrooms or kitchen countertops because they offer a warm, damp habitat with a close food source. There’s a strong likelihood that if you reside in Frankston, you’ve dealt with black ant trails inside your home. These ants can also enter your food, sometimes in sealed packets, and spread the risk of food contamination. If your house is infested with ants, you need to exterminate them at the earliest before the problem becomes severe and you find them in all places. In minor infestations, you can use homemade remedies to eliminate ants. But in cases of severe infestation, you need to get rid of current ants and solve the infestation’s root cause. Thus, many people hire pest control Frankston for a long-lasting pest removal solution. Before we understand how you can eliminate ants from your property, let us see what attracts them in the first place.
How do Black Ants Enter the House?
Black ants prefer to create colonies in damp areas or moldy wood. If your property has a moisture problem, ants will be drawn there. These ants do not always enter homes by gnawing their way through the wood. They can also make their way through any crack or small entrance, even if it is quite high (black ants can crawl to the house by climbing up a branch, pipes, or wires). These ants prefer to build their homes indoors close to water sources and congregate around air conditioners, dishwashers, sinks, and bathtubs. While some locations may go unnoticed when using DIY methods to spot ant control services Melbourne uses advanced equipment to detect all the places that could be infested to remove ants.
How do I Get Rid of Black Ants Permanently?
While cleaning out an ant colony can feel like an endless cycle, taking appropriate action and following up with preventive measures is much easier than you might expect. Removing black ants from your house might seem impossible, but it isn’t if you follow the below-mentioned tips.
1. Use essential oils to drive away black ants
Use natural repellents like essential oils to employ a natural treatment method. These fragrant oils can help keep ants away from problem areas in your home because they are sensitive to intense aromas, but this method won’t eliminate the colony of ants. Peppermint oil is better than lemon juice at deterring ants in different doses. Peppermint oil is a better option than vinegar when killing and preventing fire ants. In several studies, peppermint oil has been proven to kill every type of ant that comes into contact with it. Cedarwood oil is particularly good at keeping off several ants, including ticks. Clove oil is also effective at keeping carpenter ants away. This is because eugenol, a substance produced from cloves, has insecticidal effects.
2. Bring out the insecticide and ant traps
When it comes to getting rid of insects, tried-and-true techniques like ant traps and poison are a must, but you must exercise caution while using these chemicals since they are highly harmful to the environment. Be cautious while using these chemicals in your home because ant poison can harm pets and small children. It is always better to hire pest control Melton than risk the health of your loved ones. Trap traps might be an excellent solution for cottages or vacation homes because they just need to be changed out or maintained every three months and start working in around 24 hours.
3. Use peanut butter and honey as an ant lure
You may always lure the remaining ants outside with bait like peanut butter or honey if you’ve eliminated all your food sources and possible entry points around the house. Although it seems like a lot of effort, you can quickly build your bait by combining peanut butter and honey or white bread crumbs with sugar or powdered sugar – both will be effective. You must consider adding Borax to the DIY combination if you’re concerned that an outdoor bait will attract more ants or if you want to ensure that the colony near your residence is eradicated.
4. Remove any tempting food for ants
Ants are especially drawn to oily and sweet meals, so it’s crucial to keep as many food scraps out of your home as you can. For syrups, baking ingredients, and leftover food, use airtight containers. Ants may be attracted by pet food. If ants enter your pet’s food bowl, make a moat of water around it to keep them out. Alternatively, it would help if you only feed your pet when it can finish its meal in one sitting. After your pet has finished eating, rinse the bowl to eliminate the food smell.
5. Locate and seal your home’s exterior
Since ants are so tiny, they can quickly locate entry points into your home. Follow any discernible ant trails to discover their entry and exit sites if you’re unsure how they got in. Wall fissures, sagging window frames, and electrical outlets are a few examples of common gaps. When you have located their access points, plug or seal them with putty, glue, or plaster. Blu Tack or Vaseline is good short-term repairs but should be replaced with something more robust to prevent the gap from reopening.
6. Scrub surfaces thoroughly
Clean up any spills as soon as possible after preparing or eating meals to ensure that your surfaces and floor are clear of crumbs. Don’t forget to clean around and within trash cans, chair or couch cushions, and kitchen appliances. An effective technique to eliminate ants on your surfaces is to wipe them off using vinegar and water solution. Since ants can smell dried vinegar, although humans cannot, this remedy will also help prevent ants from returning to this place.
7. Contact pest control in Frankston
You should hire pest control, Melton, if you’ve tried all of these solutions and there are still ants in your house or if they keep returning. If you have black ants, which can gradually harm your home, you should hire someone who knows how to eradicate the colony. Pest control services Frankston exterminators may set up traps or use poison to directly treat the ant colony, depending on the sort of infestation you have. Additionally, they will ensure your home is secure against any upcoming intrusions.
Conclusion
Ants can enter your home to scavenge for food through cracks in the foundation or broken plumbing. Ants need both food and water supplies to survive. You must ensure your home is tightly sealed, free of available food and water sources, and that your garden is clear of anthills. If do-it-yourself methods don’t work, contact pest control in Frankston in time to avoid the infestation from becoming severe.
