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Natural Ways To Prevent Ant Infestations | Ant Control Experts

Ants will enter the home for a variety of reasons. They may be seeking shelter, or food, or there may be a drought outdoors and they need water. Having this information can help you with prevention efforts, and our focus in this article is to go through some of the natural methods that you can implement to keep ants out of your home.

Methods that will prevent infestations

Most of these methods do not rely on any products that you have to spray or apply throughout the home. They are simply practices that will make your home less appealing to ants. The main reason ants enter the home is food, so the most effective way to prevent an infestation is to make sure that any food sources that could be targeted by ants are out of reach. This can mean cleaning up crumbs and spills as soon as they happen, keeping food in sealed containers, keeping the trash can lidded, and making sure that the ants do not have access to your pet’s food. Water can be another big draw, especially during droughts or very hot weather. Ants will be drawn to leaky pipes and environments that are high in humidity, so these issues have to be addressed as well.

Natural deterrents

There are many products and substances that have the capacity to repel ants. If you notice the insects coming into the home through certain areas, you can use peppermint oil, cinnamon, bay leaves, vinegar, chalk, lemon juice, baby powder and even salt as effective, natural deterrents. However, the protection will be short-lived and limited in the area that it will cover.

Professional deterrents

A pest control pro can use certain professional products, such as residual insecticides to create a long lasting perimeter that will kill ants and other insects on contact. These pesticides will be applied in areas that are commonly targeted by ants, and they are the most effective prevention method.

Dealing with an ant infestation

If an ant infestation has already begun in the home, a pro will be able to use baits or direct-application insecticides to destroy the colony. These measures are particularly important when dealing with some of the more dangerous ant species, such as the carpenter ant, the fire ant, or the pharaoh ant. If you would like to know more about how ant infestations are prevented and controlled, or if you have an infestation in the home that has to be removed, contact us today.