Where do ants come from in the house and how to get rid of them?

Ants are omnivorous insects that can inhabit most living quarters. As a rule, pests appear on the site in spring or summer. Noticing these unwanted guests at the summer cottage or in the apartment, you need to get rid of them immediately.

There are several main causes of pests.

• Unsanitary conditions... Ants are always attracted to areas where food can be found easily. Therefore, if the owners of the house do not monitor the cleanliness, over time, insects can start there.
• Contaminated food... In the spring and summer, people often bring ants home from the market along with vegetables and fruits. You can avoid this by checking the products before buying.
• Pest migration. If people live in a multi-storey building, ants can get into their house from neighbors. This also happens if people living in the next apartment start poisoning the ants. In this case, they, trying to somehow escape, climb to the neighbors. If people live in a private country house, at the end of summer, garden ants sometimes appear in the premises. They get there through the cracks. They are usually attracted by warmth.
• Infected plants. Large ants can be brought into the house along with various plants or young seedlings. They can also be found in the soil used to plant them.

Having found pests in a frame house or apartment, you need to be prepared for the consequences that may follow their appearance.

• Bites... People are usually bitten by large red ants. These bites are painful and dangerous for people with skin sensitivities.
• Disease spread... Ants are often disease carriers. Therefore, they can greatly harm people's health.
• Spoilage of food. If ants are in the house, they will first of all destroy food supplies. Pests spoil products very quickly.

For pest control, chemicals are most often used. You can buy them at most stores. Each of the products has its own characteristics.

• Gels... Especially popular among buyers are products produced in the form of a viscous gel. They can be used even if it is not clear exactly where the pests live. Gels have a thick consistency. Therefore, it is very convenient to use them. The gel is applied to skirting boards in places where pests are most common. The ants carry the contaminated food. For this reason, not a couple of insects die, but the entire colony living in the house.
• Crayons... This product was first developed in China. Classic insecticidal sticks are compressed dust. It's also pretty easy to work with them. With the help of such crayons, lines are drawn on the surface. Thanks to their use, you can get rid of not only ants, but also other pests. Crayons of the Clean House or Tornado brands are popular among buyers. They are not as toxic as the Chinese ones, but they work effectively.
• Aerosols... For the treatment of hard-to-reach places in the room, it is convenient to use aerosols. They are sprayed on those corners in the apartment where large clusters of insects are seen. But these products also have their drawbacks. First of all, it should be noted that the spray is more expensive than other pest control products. In addition, over time, the effect of the product ceases, so the area has to be re-processed.
• Powders... Loose preparations are also often used for active pest control in an apartment or country house. Such a poison helps to destroy both small ants and very large ones. On the market, you can also find universal remedies that help fight flying pests.
• Scarers... One of the most advanced pest control products is the ultrasonic repeller. Such devices are now produced by many companies. They constantly emit powerful ultrasonic waves that do not harm people in any way. Only insects react to them. A big plus of such devices is that they allow you to protect not a certain part of the apartment from pests, but the whole room at once.

Help in the fight against ants and various traps. There are several options for such devices.

• Electrical... Modern electric traps help to quickly kill pests living in an apartment. A small bait is placed in such a trap, which attracts the ants. Immediately after getting inside, they are killed by an electric shock. The trap is powered by the mains. After it is filled with dead ants, it needs to be turned off and cleaned of pests. Then the device can be used again. Such traps last long enough.
• Poisonous... You can also destroy pests on the site with the help of poisonous traps. These designs are produced by such popular manufacturers as Raptor, Combat and Destructive Force. They are small plastic products containing a special poisonous substance. Ants crawl in, but don't die instantly. Pests carry the poison to their nest, thus infecting all other inhabitants of the colony.
• Adhesive... You can get rid of ants in your area using glue traps. They are small boxes with an adhesive base. Such traps work according to a simple principle. They attract pests with their scent. Once trapped, the pest immediately sticks to the surface. The ant can no longer get out of it. Such traps can be safely used in the kitchen, because they are completely safe. You can even make them yourself. To do this, just take a piece of cardboard or a small saucer. Its edges must be carefully smeared with glue. A fragrant bait should be placed in the center. The ants will try to get to it, getting stuck in the glue mass along the way.

There are also many folk remedies for ant control.

• Fragrant herbs and flowers... You can use plants such as wormwood, lavender, cardamom, or mint to drive the ants out of the area. They need to be collected in small bouquets and arranged in different parts of the houses. Ants are afraid of strong odors, so they leave the room in which these herbs are located. Instead of plants, you can also use suitable essential oils with a rich aroma. For home processing, products with the smell of pine needles or citrus are suitable. It is enough to add a few drops of oil to the water, and then use the resulting product to spray the places where ants congregate. The addition of aromatic oils to the water during cleaning will help to consolidate the result.
• Garlic... This product works on the same principle as herbs. It has a very strong scent that can repel insects.For active pest control, just chop and spread a few cloves of garlic on the floor. It is best to place them near black or red pest habitats. This remedy works well against most ants.
• Boric acid... This product can be bought at almost any pharmacy. It is an odorless powder. Boric acid is dangerous not only for ants, but also for other insects. It is very simple to poison pests with it. The mixture can be spread out in places accessible to pests. You can even place such baits in the kitchen. You can make the traps more attractive by mixing boric acid with any sweet foods. Additionally, it is necessary to limit free access to water for insects.
• Ground meat... Raw minced meat can also be used to attract pests. A small amount of borax is mixed into it. After that, balls are formed from the resulting mass. They need to be laid out on ant paths. This is best done in the evening. In the morning, the poisonous balls can already be removed.
• Yeast... You can easily get rid of all ants at home with the help of yeast. They are allowed either simply to be diluted in water, or additionally mixed with jam or honey. The resulting mixture is poured into small containers and placed in different corners. The aroma of the bait actively attracts ants. Falling into a fragrant trap, they drown in the same place.
• Vinegar... This product is also good at killing ants. It is usually added to water when cleaning. If there are very few ants in the house, it will be quite simple to drive out pests in this way. To combat a large number of pests, a solution of vinegar and water can be used to treat their habitats.
• Semolina... You can take out ants living in an apartment or house using dry millet or semolina. Grains need to be poured into the habitat of ants. They tightly clog all entrances to the anthill. If the ants start eating the cereal, it will swell in the stomach over time. This will lead to the death of insects.
• Baking soda... This product will also help lime pests. You just need to mix the baking soda with powdered sugar and spread it out in places accessible to ants. The consumption of this product will lead to a slow death of the ants.

Preventing an infestation of ants is much easier than fighting them. You can protect your home or apartment from these insects by adhering to simple rules.

• Clean the room regularly... To keep the ants out of food sources, it is important to follow the cleaning regimen. Do not leave uneaten food in the kitchen. This will definitely attract pests into the house.
• Add essential oils to the water used for cleaning the floor. They can also be dripped onto cotton swabs. Such fleeces should be laid out on the windowsills and along the walls. Mint, lavender and cloves are best suited for pest control.
• Do not leave open jars of honey, jam or other sweets in the kitchen. These foods always attract ants.
• Dry all work surfaces thoroughly... Insects are attracted not only by food, but also by water sources.
• Maintain good relationships with neighbors. Very often ants settle in several houses and apartments at once. In this case, it is necessary to fight pests together, then they will not be able to escape from one site to another.
• Examine all fruits, vegetables and garden plants carefully. This process takes very little time. But in this way it is possible to protect your home from pests getting inside.

The following tips will help people fight pests.

• Having found the habitat of ants, it is poured with boiling water. This helps to eliminate most of the pests.
• You need to fight pests slowly. To get rid of the entire colony, it will take 4-7 days to fight the ants. If the area is very heavily infected, this process will take even longer. Indeed, in the process, you will have to destroy several colonies at once.
• To prevent ants from getting in the house or apartment, it is recommended to cover all the grilles with special sections from insects.... This is the most reliable way to protect against pests that can get into the house from neighbors.