KEEPING ANTS OUT OF YOUR KITCHEN

They may seem so minuscule, but ants can be a big nuisance when they find their way into your home. They can make living especially uncomfortable when they take up residence in your kitchen, where you store and prepare your food. On top of just being annoying to have around, they can be a pain to get rid of. Worker ants seek out food to take back to the queen ant, who remains in the colony’s nest. As they travel, they leave scent trails for other ants to follow. That means even if you kill the ants you see, more will take their place.

To save yourself the trouble of having to deal with ants in the first place, take a few simple precautions to make sure your home is an unattractive environment for these resilient pests. Following the steps below should help deter ants from invading your space:

• Avoid leaving dirty dishes and food in the open. Ants enter your home in search of food. Cover leftovers, store food in airtight containers, clean and dry dishes (ants like water, too!), and sweep up errant crumbs.
• Make sure kitchen trash containers are tightly sealed. Normal kitchen waste is a veritable buffet for pests. Secure trash can lids to avoid attracting ants, and take bags that contain food remnants to an outside bin kept at a safe distance from your home.
• Block potential entry points. Ants are tiny and can find their way into even the smallest gap. Use caulk or a commercial gap sealant to fill cracks around windows, doors, and other openings.
• Clean with vinegar. Ants don’t like the smell of vinegar. Using a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water is an environmentally-friendly way to remove the scent of ant trails and disinfect your home.
• Use natural ant repellents. Ants also have an aversion to lemon, coffee grounds, and peppermint oil. Placing these in areas ants are known to enter can keep these pesky creatures out of your kitchen.

Your house is immaculate, and yet you still spot an ant in your kitchen. Even if you’re doing everything right, ants can still find their way into your home. Unfortunately, when you see one ant you can bet there are more. What do you do if you encounter an ant issue?

• Avoid sprays. Ant sprays address the immediate problem, killing the ants they come into contact with, but they do not provide a long-term solution and may also contain harmful ingredients you should keep out of the vicinity of food.
• Set out ant bait stations. Ants are attracted to the poisonous bait and will take it back to the nest, killing the queen and future offspring.
• Call in the professionals. Trained exterminators are skilled in the safest and most effective treatments to eliminate your ant problem at the source.

If you are facing an ant issue, or want to avoid one, give the pros at Knox Pest Control a call!