Those Pesky Ants Keep Coming Back? How To Keep Them Away
by Lillian Bishop
If you have an ant problem in your home, it can be very frustrating to get rid of them. Even if you do, they may keep coming back. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep these pesky ants out of your home. Below are three tips on how you can do this.
Kill Them Outside
To keep ants from coming inside your home, you have to determine where they are coming in from outside. This can be very hard to do and will take time. To start with, leave some kind of sugary treat outside. This could be a piece of candy, some soda poured in a bottle cap, or anything that contains sugar. When ants find this, they will be attracted to it. Once they do, they will bring the "food" back to their nest. When they start doing this, they will be in a line, and you can follow them to the nest.
Once you find the nest, pour some boric acid into it as well as all around it. Once the ants start eating the boric acid, they will die. This will eventually kill every ant in the nest so you will not see them inside your home.
Get Rid of Ant Trails
If you see an ant inside your home, there are likely many others around. This is because ants leave a scented trail behind them. Once the other ants smell the scent, they will follow behind. Simply sweeping and mopping will not remove the scent. One thing that will remove it is vinegar. Mix two parts vinegar to 3 parts water and put into a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar mixture anywhere you see ants in your home. This does not kill the ant, but they will likely not come back.
Use Ant Deterrents
You can purchase ant sprays at pet stores that have toxins that will attack the nervous system of ants, as well as any other insect. Spray the toxin around the edge of your exterior foundation to keep insects from entering your home.
Another ant deterrent is diatomaceous earth powder (DEP). This powder is made from fine silicon dioxide and when an ant eats it or breathes it in, it dehydrates them immediately and kills them. If you use DEP, make sure you purchase the brand that is food grade. It will say this somewhere on the package.
Sprinkle the powder around your foundation. You will have to reapply the spray or powder after it rains. Eventually, the ants will stop coming back completely.
If you continue to have a problem with ants, contact a pest control company to come to your home to get rid of them for you, such as Greenleaf Organic Pest Management.
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About Me
One of the things that helped sell my home quickly, at least according to my real estate agent, was the time I spent fixing up the landscaping. I knew about the importance of eye appeal, but who would have thought that something as simple as a storage shed or a backyard veggie garden could make such a big difference in the sale price of a home, and the length of time it takes to sell said home? Well to prove that my landscaping techniques worked, I helped three friends sell their homes using some of my tips and tricks. It seems to have worked, because every one of them were able to fetch their asking price and sell before their goal deadlines. So, I figured I should help others out there who could use a little help in the home selling department… hopefully you'll find inspiration on the pages here.
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