Residents of apartments do not often encounter the neighborhood of insects, but sometimes even if the room is kept clean and the owners do not leave food on the table, unpleasant insects can start. Some are fairly easy to get rid of, while others become a real headache. Problematic insects include house ants, which literally drive the dwellers crazy.
However, before engaging in an unequal battle with these parasites, you need to learn as much useful information about them as possible. Consider it in more detail.
General information
As a rule, domestic ants in an apartment are small in size compared to their counterparts living in nature. Most often, their size does not exceed 3 mm. They are also often referred to as food ants. In this case, insects can have a color in yellow and brown shades.
The biggest danger is that domestic ants multiply at a tremendous rate. At the same time, several queens can be present in one colony at once, each of which is capable of producing about 1000 eggs per day. If you make some simple calculations, you canconclude that after a few months of the life of parasites, they can fill all the rooms. Therefore, you need to get rid of ants at home immediately. To do this, you need to establish why they decided to settle in this particular apartment.
Causes of ants
As a rule, household parasites come to apartments, because there they can profit from something tasty. Domestic ants are no exception, so they do not disdain dirty dishes and leftover crumbs on the kitchen table. It will be a nice bonus if the owners of the living space rarely take out the bin.
Another reason for the appearance of unwanted neighbors is too much abundance of indoor plants. This is due to the fact that ants settle aphids on the foliage of home crops. After a while, they collect their "slaves" to enjoy the fluid they secrete. Therefore, it is worth periodically checking indoor plants for the presence of aphids. If such parasites are found, then small neighbors have already settled somewhere nearby.
What is the danger of the appearance of ants in the house
The main danger lies in the fact that these insects are carriers of infection. This is because they travel through garbage cans, sewers and other breeding grounds for harmful bacteria. Having settled in an apartment, they begin to spread the infection on their paws. However, it is able to penetrate the narrowest gaps and openings, due to which food and personal care products will not be protected.
Also from homeants suffer and houseplants. These parasites plant aphids on them, which begin to eat the foliage of crops.
Fortunately, today there are a huge variety of drugs on sale that will help get rid of these unwanted neighbors.
Aerosols
To get rid of ants at home, most people prefer these products, which can be purchased at any household chemical store.
Sprays do get the job done, but to get long-lasting results, you need to spray not only in rooms, but also pay attention to crevices, sewers and spaces behind baseboards. After extensive use of this product, it is recommended to leave the room for a day to avoid inhaling harmful chemicals.
Also, before getting rid of domestic ants, you should carefully read the instructions, and in no case should you use such products in rooms where allergy sufferers live.
The best aerosols include Reid, Clean House and Dr. Claus.
Gels
These poisonous pesticides must be used with a special syringe. The gel must be poured into all cracks, under baseboards and other places where ant colonies can live.
If we talk about the advantages of gels over sprays, then in this case you do not have to spray a caustic composition throughout the room. Thus, the poison will not settle on furniture, clothing and otherthings in the house.
However, before getting rid of domestic ants in this way, it is necessary to remove animals from the premises. If a cat or dog accidentally licks the gel, it is fraught with poisoning.
Among the most effective means of this category are Help, Raptor and Dohlox.
Powders
Dusts or powder products are most often used in the fight against yellow domestic ants. These products are relatively safe, as they can be used in the presence of animals and children. At least that's what the manufacturers of some dusts say.
Powders can be used both dry and after dilution with water. In both cases, the funds will be effective.
If we talk about the best brands of dusts, then it is worth highlighting the funds "Delicia", "Bros" and "Muracid". When buying Expel powder, you need to carefully read the instructions, as this composition is considered very toxic.
Traps and lures
It's worth saying right away that such remedies will be effective only if there is a slow-acting poison inside the product. He must not kill the ant that visited the trap before he returns to the colony and infects all his relatives.
Modern ultrasonic repellers also fall into the category of these tools. However, they are completely inactive when it comes to ants. Therefore, it is worth giving preference to classic poison traps.
You need to place baits on the path of the ants-miners. As a rule, they walk in a whole chain. It is also worth placing them in the corners of rooms.
If we talk about the safety of these products, they can be safely used at home in the presence of children and animals. The fact is that getting to the poison is almost impossible. But, even if the dog gnaws the trap, he will not taste its contents, as the poison has a very unpleasant taste and aroma.
Crayons
Many people think that special pencils are completely safe. They do contain less poison, but such products should be used very carefully.
With the help of chalk it is necessary to process all corners, furniture, sewer holes and other holes through which ants can enter the house. The lines should be fairly thick and heavily drawn.
However, in this case, there is a risk that a child or pet will accidentally taste the composition. To eliminate such troubles, you can use folk remedies for domestic ants. How to get rid of insects with natural ingredients?
Ammonia
With ammonia, it is enough to thoroughly wipe the baseboards and all the places where unwanted guests have ever appeared. It is also recommended to miss all their paths. To do this, it is enough to use a 10% alcohol composition. After that, you need to ventilate the room and wait until the annoying guests leave the illegally occupied territory.
Boric acid
Bura is also veryan effective ant repellant. This composition has been used by many people for many years.
In order to forget about annoying insects, it is enough to dissolve a little boric acid in water. There you also need to add sugar, jam or any sweetness, the aroma of which will lure ants. After that, all corners and other habitats of parasites are wiped with the composition.
You can also soak a piece of sugar in boric acid and place it near the colony's home. The ants will eat the poison with pleasure and disappear from the apartment very quickly.
Coffee
Ants categorically do not tolerate strong coffee aroma. Therefore, in order to quickly get rid of these neighbors and not harm pets and children, it is enough to spread coffee throughout the apartment. The greatest effect can be achieved by pouring a little coffee grounds into the corners of the rooms, to which sugar will be added beforehand.
Yeast and cornmeal
Speaking of how to get rid of domestic ants in an apartment, you should pay attention to the tools that are used in cooking and are present in almost every kitchen. Yeast must be mixed with sugar or meat and left in a place accessible to insects. This is a fairly effective poison that helps get rid of insects, even pharaoh ants, which are known for their vitality.
Another poisonous agent attractive to parasites is cornmeal. This component is not able to be digested in the tiny stomach of the insect, which is why it dies.
What to do so that annoying insects do not appear in the house again
There are a few tips to help you avoid unpleasant neighborhoods in the future. First of all, you should always remove uneaten food from the table. This is especially true of various sweets, fruits, honey and much more. The dishes after eating should be thoroughly rinsed so that there are no crumbs that are tasty for ants. The same goes for pet food. Don't leave food in your cat's bowl all day.
Very often, ants start up in the bathroom and toilet, as these rooms have high humidity. Therefore, it is recommended to clean them as often as possible. For washing, it is better to use products with ammonia. It is also important to monitor the condition of the plumbing. If water is constantly dripping from the pipes, then it can become a real source for ants.
It's important to keep an eye on the bin. If it remains filled for more than a day, then it can attract a wide variety of insects. It is best to purchase a bucket equipped with a lid.
It is also worth checking all the walls in the rooms for cracks and holes. If any are found, it is recommended to seal them with cement or putty. It is advisable to close the ventilation openings. If this is not possible, then double-sided tape can be glued around their perimeter. Ants will stick their paws to it and will not be able to get inside the apartment.
For wet cleaning, it is recommended to use a solution of vinegar oralcohol. Such compositions will scare away unwanted neighbors and simultaneously give surfaces a shine.
Insects can also be attracted to sweet scents. Therefore, for a while, it is worth abandoning the use of air fresheners, deodorants and perforated water.
