Ants are habitual inhabitants of countryside and forest park areas. When you notice one such guest in passing in your kitchen, you smile, remembering the summer and the dacha. When their number gradually increases, it becomes not funny. If you do not take the necessary measures, one day you will notice that uninvited guests have stuck around the entire sugar bowl. Now the actual question is brewing: how to get rid of domestic ants in the apartment?
Domestic ants: who are they?
Let's say right away: this is not the kind of industrious insects that build large anthills in the forest or on the lawn. Although if their dwelling is located not far from the house, then these insects are not too lazy to get into the house in search of food. We're talking about a completely different species. Domestic red ants are closeforest relatives. Only their sizes, unlike wild counterparts, are smaller. They are also called "pharaoh ants".
Where do they live?
In the ant family, all responsibilities are strictly distributed. Those first individuals that you saw once are “scouts”. Their task is to find food and bring here "loaders" who will carry supplies to their queen and other family. Hard-working creatures travel very long distances, so their appearance at your place does not mean at all that their home is somewhere nearby. How to get rid of domestic ants in an apartment if these neighbors nest in places that are hard to get to: under a baseboard or tile, in cracks in the cladding or between panels? Physical extermination is difficult, and poisons - sprays do not always reach the goal.
What do ants eat?
Ants are insects that are almost omnivorous. The remains of any food, crumbs, particles of fruit, meat and cheese - working individuals will all be dragged to the place of settlement. The basis of the diet is proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore, the most delicious dish are sweets, eggs, meat products. They also do not disdain waste from the trash can. To stop these voracious insects, you need to prepare a special remedy. Remember: boric acid helps to get rid of ants in the apartment. Her recipe is simple. The preparation of the potion does not require expensive ingredients.
Why are ants dangerous in the house?
Ant is a creature respected by all for diligence, organization of colonial life, a cleardistribution of duties and discipline. It is these qualities that make it difficult to fight insects if they decide to master your territory. In nature, it is impossible to thoughtlessly destroy goosebumps. The benefits from them are much greater than the harm: they destroy the larvae of fleas, spiders, bedbugs. In an apartment, even with a strong love for all living things, ants are unwanted guests. Exploring garbage cans, sewage, they carry a lot of pathogenic bacteria. And not only inside one apartment. The aesthetic side of the issue is also important: the kitchen does not look very appetizing with products in which small insects swarm.
Means to combat domestic ants
How to get rid of them? there are several types of effective measures:
- Physical. Try to block all entrances and exits of insects. Having found their nest, scald it with boiling water. When doing repairs or general cleaning, try to cover up all the cracks. The disadvantage of this method is that it is very difficult to find housing and roads for such small insects.
- Chemical. We are talking about sprayers, pencils, traps with capsules. Modern poisons in the form of gels are practically safe for people and pets. The use of sprayers in an apartment is possible only if the house is temporarily empty. Exposure of household members to chemicals is dangerous.
- Fragrant. Treat the territory of the attack of ants (and especially their routes) with smelling substances that they cannot stand. Garlic, mint, wormwood, cinnamon, camphor, lavender, bay leaf are suitable for this purpose.
- Sweet yeast. The effect of this remedy is based on the fact that after such food and water, the ant is bursting from the inside and it dies.
- From improvised means, the most effective among the people is sugar with boric acid.
Why boric acid?
Boric acid is a weak inorganic substance. It is obtained mainly by the interaction of sulfuric acid and a solution of borax. Widely used in medicine and agriculture. For medical purposes, boric acid is used as an antiseptic for conjunctivitis, otitis media, and purulent inflammation of the skin. This drug is also part of some anti-pediculosis drugs. Boric acid is effective from ants in the apartment - the recipe will also be the same for cockroaches, bedbugs. The drug acts on all insects. In hardware stores, boric acid powder is sold as a fertilizer. It is believed that it helps accelerate seed germination, disinfects plant bulbs.
Boric acid from ants in the apartment
Recipe - not one. Below are a few effective varieties:
- Take one teaspoon of sugar and boric acid. Add enough water to this mixture to make something like batter. They need to coat the possible places for the passage of ants. Be patient: let them match the bait enough and take it to their breeder.
- Powder (20 g) mixed with boiled egg yolkhard boiled. For bait, add something sweet: sugar, honey, jam. From the resulting mixture, stick small balls and spread along the route of the insects. The “loaders” will not only eat the found food themselves, but will also carry it for the entire colony.
- Make sugar syrup. Proportions are not important here. Place it in a small bowl in the places of ant paths. Sprinkle boric acid around the dishes. Attracted by the sweet bait, the insects will pass through the acid: they will lick their paws and swallow the poison.
- Make mashed potatoes according to a special recipe for intruders. Rub three boiled tubers with three boiled yolks, a pack of boric acid and one teaspoon of sugar. Spread the mixture in places where insects accumulate and along their path.
Safety when working with boric acid
Despite the general availability of this drug, you need to remember that it is included in the Canadian list of substances hazardous to humans. Boric acid has a particularly strong effect on young children and on the development of the fetus in pregnant women. Pets are also sensitive to the drug. Before you remove the ants from the apartment with boric acid, read the simple safety rules:
- Make sure that the powder does not get into food. After working with it, thoroughly wash and rinse dishes and cutlery. Same goes for hands.
- Boric acid from ants in an apartment, the recipe of which is described in the article, is a tool that works for sure. For the safety of others, arrange the bait in such a way thatchildren or pets could not see her. And they were not tempted to try it.
- During the action of ant poison, be especially careful that insects do not crawl on exposed products that cannot be washed.
Ant attack prevention
No one is immune from the penetration of small and impudent rogues. However, the best cure for the disease is prevention. How to protect yourself from a lot of insects? Since we already know that the ants in the apartment are looking for food, the main prevention is cleanliness. Firstly, remove crumbs, cleanings, sweet smudges after cooking and eating immediately. Do not leave unwashed dishes for a long time. Second, don't wait until the trash can is overflowing. Take out less, but more often. Thirdly, the bowls of our smaller friends must also be kept clean. Half-eaten animal feed is food for ants. Fourth, foods, especially sweets, and anything ants eat should be kept tightly closed. Apply initial protective measures immediately after the appearance of the first scouts. Know that porters will not be slow to appear in your home.
