How to Stop an Ant Infestation

Stopping ant infestations requires destroying the colony.

Ants are looking for food, moisture and warmth, as a result, your kitchen, bathroom and laundry room contain all the desirable elements. Ants have the ability to enter your home through the tiniest of cracks. When they find a food source, they will invade the area. Once you find that ants have invaded your home, you will need two methods of attack for stopping these ants. You need to kill the ants you see and prevent the rest of the colony from coming back.

Things You'll Need

• Spray bottle of household cleaner
• Paper towels
• Caulk
• Household insecticide
• Ant baits

Instructions

1. Kill ants you see by spraying them with a household cleaner. You can crush the ants, but you must clean the area where you kill the ants. Use paper towels to mop up the ant bodies and dispose of them.

2. Use caulk to seal cracks or crevices around baseboards or windowsills to prevent the ants from coming into your home.

3. Use a household insecticide to spray inside around the baseboards and window sills.

4. Place ant baits along the walls in the rooms where you have seen ants. If any ants get past your barriers, they will take poison from the baits and pass it along to their colony effectively killing the colony.

5. Place ant baits along the outside perimeter of your home. Ant baits will last anywhere from two to six weeks. Replace as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• To prevent future ant infestations, keep your home clean by removing food crumbs, storing food properly and sweeping and mopping regularly.

• Read the labels of any products you use and make sure they are safe for indoor use and effective against ants. Follow the instructions of any product you use.

References

• University of Minnesota: What To Do About Household Ants
• University of Nebraska --- Lincoln: Ant Control; Barb Ogg, PhD