A better way to control PESKY little Ants!

It's summer time and that means BUGS, everywhere!  From horseflies to mosquitoes outside it makes you want to coat your body from head-to-toe in Citronella Oil  and avoid the outside like the plague, but what about when the outside of nature comes into your home?  Sugar ants or "piss ants" as they are called by southerners are a pesky nuisance and seem to sneak into our homes without an open invitation.  They are attracted to the cool of the homes and anything else we seem to have laying around that's sugary or open to their grubby, little tentacles.  

Getting sugar ants is one thing, but keeping them around is quite another and no one wants to have the house guest of a sugar ant for very long.  Here are some steps in helping rid your home of these sneaky intruders.

1.  Get rid of what they're attracted to:  First off, you need to rid your home of what's attracting them.  An obvious solution is putting an air-tight lid on anything with a sugary ingredient.  Ants love sugar and the one thing they love more is an open container full of anything containing sugar.  Next, rid your counter space and floor of anything consumable by the ants, such as crumbs, dog food, or even liquid drips that have managed to hit the floor.  Bleach is a great way to clean up these messes nightly, but if you are against bleach, I suggest using a straight vinegar solution.  Anything to kill their trail to these "goodies" and it will help starve them out of your house.  If the food isn't there, they will move on.

2.  Remove items of concern:  Taking your trash out on a regular basis is a great way to help get rid of ants.  Ants find their way into homes almost daily, when they find something of interest that could be used for the colony, that's when they stick around and stay.  If you give them nothing they will find nothing.  Whatever your trash cycle is, be it once a week or twice a week, up that in order to control.  Take your trash out when it contains any food items, liquid, or anything that "might" be pleasing to a sugar ant.  

3.  Use coffee grounds or caulking to detour:  Ants are coming into your home via an entrance of some sort.  Follow the trail and find out where they are getting in.  If it's an open area where guests can see and it would be an eye-sore to set out a dish of coffee grounds, use caulk and caulk that little opening up.  If not, then set out of small dish of coffee grounds or even a piece of cloth soaked in coffee.  Sugar ants are not attracted to coffee because of the taste and the smell.

4.  Use Borax for heavier ant issues:  If your sugar ants are all over, Borax your home for the weekend.  An eco-friendly alternative to some of the more harsh chemicals on the market.  Placing tsp. piles of Borax throughout your home and along ant trails will greatly help control your sugar ant issue.  But, if the Borax/weekend treatment isn't cutting it, try a more aggressive approach and use a treatment such as Terro® Liquid Bait.  It's a chemical that is harmful to pets and children so please use with caution.  

5.  Keeping the ants away:  Once your ant issue is controlled, keeping it that way is a must.  Pick up and wash dirty dishes, sweep and mop your kitchen/bathroom daily when needed, and always, always clean up sticky spills and messes immediately.

Enjoying the summer shouldn't involve dealing with an ant invasion in your home.  I hope these tips help you out and help rid your home of sugar ants once and for all.  If all else fails, buy an ant farm and train them.  Ha!  :)