How To Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen
Nothing is worse than opening your pantry in the morning only to see a swarm of ants flooding the shelves. Ants are genuinely every Oregon resident’s number one enemy throughout the entire year. Their persistence, though admirable, is incredibly irritating, and they always seem to show up out of nowhere. This guide will provide quick tips on how to get rid of ants in the kitchen and keep them away!
No matter which way you go about it, getting rid of ants in the kitchen is not an instant battle to win. Ants will continue to send ants from their colony despite however many you kill at the moment.
Understanding How the Colony Operates
The best way to get rid of ants in your kitchen is to try and get ahead of them. An ant’s persistence stems from its massive colony numbers and will to survive. When the colony is flooding your kitchen, removing just the few you see will prove ineffective. The colony will continue to send more ants towards the source, ultimately frustrating you.
Initially, ants will send scouts to locate a food source for the colony. Once the scouts find a start, they will create a pheromone trail to the colony for the workers to harvest. From here, the colony will continue to cycle workers until they have sufficiently gathered enough food for the entire colony.
Getting Rid of Ants In the Kitchen
There are a few different approaches to getting rid of ants in the kitchen. The best way to get rid of ants is by penetrating and removing the entire colony. This process can take a few days and requires homeowners to be very patient when dealing with the ant activity.
A systematic approach to getting rid of ants requires the following steps:
- Locating the Source of Entry
- Finding the Trail
- Treating the Trail
- Future prevention
Locating the Source of Entry
The first step in getting rid of ants in the kitchen starts with finding out where they are gaining entry. Finding entry points can be the most challenging part because it requires immense patience as you follow the ants. Observe without interrupting the activity to see which general direction they are going. Eventually, after following the trail, you will see they are going to either the food source or point of entry.
If you find the food source, follow the trail in the opposite direction, and you will locate the entry point. If ants cannot get inside, they cannot infest your home!
Locating the Source of Entry
The first step in getting rid of ants in the kitchen starts with finding out where they are gaining entry. Finding entry points can be the most challenging part because it requires immense patience as you follow the ants. Observe without interrupting the activity to see which general direction they are going. Eventually, after following the trail, you will see they are going to either the food source or point of entry.
If you find the food source, follow the trail in the opposite direction, and you will locate the entry point. If ants cannot get inside, they cannot infest your home!
Finding the Trail
The ant trail consists of pheromones only the ants can detect. This trail is the guide to get them to and from the colony once they leave to harvest. The point of finding the trail is to provide you with insight into the general area they are working within. You mustn’t disrupt this trial.
Treating the Trail
Many individuals are quick to grab household cleaners and wipe the area clean of ants. Though this method provides instant relief, it will not allow you to rid the rest of the ants adequately. The key to getting rid of the ants for good is to target the colony with specific ant baits. The core concept is that the workers will carry the bait back to the colony to slow down their activity.
A common issue with store-bought pest control products is their powerful repelling properties. These products will address the immediate problem, but they also repel insects in the surrounding area. Therefore, the colony will continue to send workers, but instead, they will find a new access point. Ant baits for home and garden do not disrupt the pheromone trails and eventually will spread into the nest.
Future Prevention
Simply getting rid of the immediate problem is not just the endpoint of a thorough treatment. Ants are highly likely to reuse the same entry points in the future, even if you remove the original colony. Short prevention will save future stress for good by doing two things:
- Seal the entry point with silicone or caulking to stop future re-entry. This practice ensures that no more ants or pests of similar size regain inside access. Sealing is a long-term solution for ant activity that requires not using pest products.
- Find a quarterly pest control service with a company like Prime Pest Solutions. You are already at a disadvantage when ants show up because of how difficult they are to remove.
Finding A Pest Service
The best way to get rid of ants in the kitchen is with a professional pest service like Prime Pest Solutions. Our treatment approach starts by quickly removing ants from your home and providing long-term solutions. We provide custom treatment plans specific to your home and present activity at every service. Understandably, ants sometimes require another quick visit, so we offer free re-services between quarterly pest control services. Contact us today to get more details about how we will pest-proof your home and provide sustainable results. Ants are hard enough to get rid of on your own. So give us a call; We got your back!
