The holidays are just around the corner and you have family coming into town, but you’re starting to notice some unwelcomed guests. No one wants to have a holiday party with tiny ants trying to eat all the food! Here are a few steps you can take to make sure ghost ants don’t get past the front door.
Step1: Identify Your Problem
You see one ant and think it’s no problem, you just kill it with your finger. Then you see five, and just wipe them off your counter. You start to see more and more ants until you finally notice that they’re all over the kitchen! Once you spot those first few ants, it’s important to start to think of a solution. You don’t want to wait until the ants have taken over your home!
Step 2: Search for Trailing
You’ve noticed the ants, now it’s time to find out where they are coming from. Spotting a few ants means that there are probably more on its trail. If you can find and follow the trail, there’s a possibility of finding the entry point. Finding the entry points means that you can eliminate the ants from their source, possibly their nest, which leads us to step number three.
Step 3: Use Baits or Home Remedies
There are many ways you can get rid of the ants in your home. Just remember, this may require some time and patience. Home remedies include using mint, essential oils, and chalk can help prevent ants at the entry points. Using chalk will help throw the ants off course because they can’t cross over if you draw a line. Ants will also avoid used mint teabags if they are placed at their entry points. You can also use essential oils in a homemade spray along the trails. Using baits along trails or at entry points can eliminate the ants for good. Ants will eat the bait, invite more ants to the bait, and soon the nest will be gone. REMEMBER, if you choose to kill the few ants that you see on the spot, wipe down the area with soap and water to remove the pheromones left behind.
Step 4: Inspect Your Home
It’s important to look for the places in and around your home for entry points and things that may attract the ants. Plants that produce honeydew, improperly stored food, and even leaky toilets and sinks will attract ghost ants. They look for places around your home that have moisture and are near sugar.
Step 5: Clean and Control
Cleaning your home eliminates the factors that attract ghost ants. They can also eliminate the trailing and pheromones that ants use to find their way back into your home. Removing excess moisture like control leaks will help to keep the ants out of your home. Because they also build nests on the outside, moving firewood away and removing debris are ways you can control the chances of ants’ nests right next to your home.
If home remedies aren’t enough, our professionals would be more than happy to help you out. If you need assistance with your ghost ants, contact us today! Offering effective pest control services in West Palm Beach and along the coast from Deerfield Beach, Okeechobee to Sebastian, our team of pest control pros are ready to help!
