Help! We’ve got ants!
Easy (and pet-friendly!) tips and tricks to get rid of ants
As the weather turns cooler, all sorts of unwelcome guests of the six-legged variety turn up on your doorstep. Ants especially are annoying, as it takes time and effort to eliminate them from your home. While most hardware stores sell various types of poison to get rid of ants, when you have pets or small kids, toxic remedies are not always a viable option.
But fear not! We have researched and found some simple and effective methods to deal with ants in your home, without harming your kids or pets.
Bourkes’ 5 Top Tips
1. First things first: not all ants were created alike! Some ants love sugar, others prefer protein. Figuring out what type of ants you have running in your pantry will go a long way in getting rid of them. Put some honey or jam in a small shallow dish near the ant trail – if the ants go for it you know you’re dealing with sweet tooths!
2. When ants go on foraging trips, they leave a scent trail for their compatriots to follow. An effective way to disorient and banish ants is to mix one part water with one part vinegar. Spray and wipe this on any area you see ants, it’ll remove their scent trail and send them packing!
3. The most effective way to get rid of ants is to destroy the nest. Do your ants like sugar? Mix 1 part of baking soda with 1 part of powdered sugar in a shallow tray and put it near the spot where the ants enter your home. The ants will collect bits of the mixture and take it back to the nest. When they eat the baking soda, it will kill them, eradicating the colony over time. Note that this might take a few days, but keep at it!
4. If you see an ant, don’t step on it! Instead, follow it to wherever it is going because it is probably a scout sent to forage for food. Follow it back to the nest, and once you’ve found that, pour undiluted vinegar over it to scare away the colony. You may have to repeat this a few times, but eventually the ants will get fed up and leave.
5. Find the entry point where the ants are coming into your home. Take a piece of chalk and draw a thick line around the entry point. The ants will not walk over the chalk!
Nothing is working?
That means it’s time to call in the professionals! Talk to your Bourkes property manager for the best contacts.
This article first appeared in the Quarterly Bourkes Report.
