Ants can be somewhat impressive, as they accomplish amazing things in a group. But, if you have ever had them invading your space, they are nothing but annoying. It is incredibly disconcerting to witness an ant infestation in your kitchen in the morning and see ants EVERYWHERE on your countertops. They can enter a house through the smallest cracks and establish supply chains and lines of communication back to the colony.
To control ants, you need to determine how and where they enter your space. Inside the house, you will find that the ant trail is coming from somewhere… follow it to where they enter the space. It could be under the sink. It could be due to a crack in the tile backsplash of your countertop. It could just as easily be from a window sill that doesn’t seal all the way. There are as many ways to enter a house as there are ants in the world, so follow their path backwards to see where they are entering.
Once you locate the entry point indoors, you need to determine the entry point outdoors. This is where it gets complicated: the outer entrance can be very far from the inner entrance… or they can be the same.
If they are under a window sill, the inside and outside point is the same. Easy. But if you have a brick house, they may have gotten into a hole in the brick grout and then tunneled between the brick and siding all the way around the side of the house before discovering an interior welcome mat. The places where plumbing and electricity enter and exit the house are perfect!
When determining the exterior entry point, start at the exterior wall of where you found them inside and start looking…
Once these entry points are discovered, it’s time for a full ant attack! Ensure a safe, “green” and effective pest control product to control these crawlers. Since you are spraying inside the house (and possibly inside the structure of your house), YOU DON’T WANT A SYNTHETIC, TOXIC, OR CHEMICAL PESTICIDE!
Generously spray these entrances both inside and out. Spray left and right, up and down, side to side of these spots to control the ants that are there and also to control the entry of FUTURE ants. Spray these areas every day for three days (another reason to use safe, all-natural products, since you’ll be around them for several days), and you’re sure to see a big difference.
If the infestation is severe, it may require a week of applications.
Now these ants will look for NEW entry points. Be very diligent the first few weeks looking for new ant trails. As soon as you see any evidence of ants, secure the entrances and repeat the steps above.
