Remedies for ants in the apartment: effective folk remedies

The appearance of ants in an apartment, like any other insects, is perceived quite negatively by humans. These tiny living creatures are capable of crawling on any surface, including trash areas and places where food is stored. Naturally, such migrations do not lead to anything good: it is even possible to become infected with infections. Therefore, if you find ants in your apartment, it is not advisable to postpone fighting them.

Nowadays, on the insect control market, you can find various drugs, in different release forms, with varying degrees of toxicity. In addition to chemical means of control, you can try folk remedies that give good results. Although they are not as effective as chemical ones, they are practically safe for humans and pets.

Where do ants come from in an apartment?

Ants appear in private houses and apartments for two reasons: they are attracted by warmth and food. That's why they move into such conditions from basements, garbage chutes, stairwells and landfills. Moreover, with the onset of cold weather, their numbers increase sharply and this is not surprising. Human housing suits them quite well, since here you can find food or its remains, sufficient moisture and warmth.

To find a place where ants have made a nest, you need to know that they are attracted to high humidity. Such places could be kitchens or baths. As a rule, the nest is located under the floor covering. Working ants enter the living space through various cracks. In any case, you can trace where the ants carry food for their relatives.

The main reasons for the appearance of ants in an apartment:

The habit of leaving crumbs, drops of jam, tea, compote, etc. on the dining table.
Failure to empty trash bins in a timely manner.
Easy access to moisture due to high indoor humidity, resulting in condensation.
The presence of cracks in the floor, around baseboards, under window sills and in other places.
Ventilation systems are equipped with grilles with large cells or none at all.

Drug Raptor: method of use against house ants

Currently on store shelves you can find several forms of release of this product:

Gel in a tube
Powder
Granules
Spray
Fumigator

The advantage of "Raptor" is that it has a detrimental effect on all types of domestic insects, repelling and poisoning not only ants, but also cockroaches, mosquitoes, and ticks. Depending on the form of release, the method of application of the product varies:

The gel is applied in tracks to areas where insects accumulate.
The powder is usually sprinkled where insects feed and drink water.
The granules are dissolved in water and the liquid is applied to the surface.
The spray is applied topically in areas where ants accumulate or directly on the nest.
The fumigator is plugged into an outlet and it already sprays poison for ants throughout the room, it is not toxic to humans!

The drug "Raptor" against ants

Types of ants that appear in human homes

There are three main types of ants found in private houses or apartments:

Pharaoh ants . These include small and red ones. They are attracted to high humidity and food, as well as the presence of secluded places to build a nest. These ants are of tropical origin and do not survive in open spaces.
Turf ants . They are distinguished by an almost black body color. They settle at joints formed by paving slabs or asphalt (including in cracks). In addition, they can also be found in panel houses, where there are many poorly sealed joints. From such secluded places, these insects raid apartments in search of food.
Thief ant . These are small insects that prefer to steal food from their relatives, such as red ants. Brown or red ants can settle in places where wood is rotting, so they can easily appear in cabinets, drawers or tables made of natural wood.

Gel Clean Home: method of application against house ants

A Russian-made product that promises to eliminate insects from your home within 3 days (first result). In fact, the drug should be used for a month for maximum effectiveness. The gel affects not only ants, but also cockroaches. It should be applied in paths to areas of greatest concentration of insects. By smearing itself in the gel (even in minimal quantities), the ant carries the poison into its nest and all the insects die there.

Gel “Clean House”

Effective remedy for ants in the apartment

For the fight to be as effective as possible, one should not wait for the number of such insects to reach alarming proportions. Timely control, combined with preventive measures, will get rid of pests once and for all.

As a rule, the use of toxic substances is limited by a number of conditions. They cannot be used if small children, pregnant women and frail family members live in the home, as well as people prone to allergies. But you shouldn’t be upset, because you can use folk remedies. Although it will take more time to get rid of insects, the effect will be obvious.

Ants live according to their own laws : they rest at night and are active during the day. Cockroaches, on the other hand, hide during the day and come out to hunt at night. Therefore, the presence of ants can be easily detected during the daytime. They appear where something tasty is left. In fact, ants have a sweet tooth and love everything sweet: even a piece of sugar attracts these insects, not to mention jam, compote, honey, etc. If you follow them, you can see a living path from the nest to those food products , to which there is free access.

3 ways to get rid of ants in your house. It is very easy!

Chemical control agents

The advantage of chemical control agents is that they are highly effective, regardless of the number of insects. Their use is especially important when their numbers are high, when it is difficult to cope with them using folk remedies and traps.

Effective drugs include:

Gels – “Global”, “Kombat”, “Brownie”, “Raptor” and others.
Aerosols – “Get”, “Raid”, “Combat”, “Karbofos”, “Raptor”.
Crayons and powders – “Clean House”, “Mashenka”.
Special traps with toxic bait - “Raid”, “Clean House”, “Raptor”, “Combat”.

On a note ! Regardless of the degree of toxicity, the use of chemicals requires the use of personal protective equipment. As a rule, they use: a respirator, safety glasses, rubber gloves, as well as thick clothing with long sleeves.

How to effectively destroy ants in an apartment or house

Folk remedies for ants

Folk remedies are made from simple and accessible components that are not harmful to humans. These remedies have been tested for centuries and have never failed, although they require patience and dedication to be effective.

To combat ants in an apartment use:

Chamomile . Dry inflorescences are crushed to a powder and scattered along ant paths, as well as in other places where insects are supposed to appear. A special type of chamomile is used - pyrethrum. This plant is absolutely safe for both people and pets.
Garlic is also highly effective in fighting ants . To do this, take a clove of garlic and peel it, after which they smear the ant path with it. You can also take finely chopped garlic, after which it is applied with a brush to problem areas. Since the substance dries quickly, this must be done every day.

Poisonous baits

Bait No. 1 is made on the basis of boric acid, jam and fresh yeast. Take the same amount of ingredients and mix with the addition of water or sugar syrup. The mixture is spread into small containers and placed in various places. One ant can poison several more ants.
Bait No. 2 also consists of boric acid mixed with the yolk of a boiled egg. This remedy is quite effective against cockroaches. As a rule, small balls are rolled and placed in problem areas. Works in the same way as remedy No. 1.
Bait No. 3 is prepared on the basis of boric acid and honey. An equal number of components is taken. Small balls roll around and are laid out next to the ant path. If you roll tiny balls, the ants can take them to their nest, which will allow you to deal with these insects much faster.
Lure No. 4 . This bait includes boiled potatoes and the yolk of a hard-boiled egg. The potatoes and yolk are mixed, bringing them to a puree state, adding powdered sugar and boric acid. Small balls are rolled out of this composition and placed in places where ants appear.
Lure No. 5 . To prepare such a product you will need borax, sugar, glycerin and water. The same amount of each substance is taken. Baits with borax are as effective as baits with boric acid. They are used in the same way - basically rolling balls and placing them in problem areas.
Lure No. 6 based on essential oils. Such baits do not destroy insects, but scare them away, forcing them to leave their nesting sites. To prepare active solutions, you need to take 1 liter of warm water and add 20 drops of any essential oil from plants such as mint, eucalyptus, lavender, fir or citrus.
Bait No. 7 based on anise seeds. First, you will have to grind the seeds and then add them to unrefined sunflower oil. This liquid is used to lubricate the areas where ants appear. A pungent and persistent smell will force ants to look for more comfortable places for their further life activities. In addition to anise seeds, it is permissible to use other plants, as in the previous case.

As practice shows, ants are much easier to fight than other harmful insects. Since they are active during the day, it is not difficult to calculate their location. All that remains is to use any available means of struggle.

Homemade traps

The use of traps is considered the simplest and most affordable way to combat various insects, including ants. The fight is greatly simplified, since luring the ants is not difficult. In addition, the cost of making traps is minimal.

Simple ant traps:

From an ordinary glass . Bait in the form of sugar syrup or jam is poured into the glass, about halfway (you can just pour water and add something sweet). The trap is placed closer to the nest. The ants will try to try such a treat and simply drown.
From double-sided tape . One side of the tape is glued to some base, and on top, closer to the center, you need to place the bait. It could be a drop of honey or a berry from jam. Insects will try to get to the bait and will simply stick to the tape.

How to get rid of ants with home remedies

What repels apartment and house ants?

The main danger you can expect from ants is that they can spread bacteria and diseases. They find them in trash cans, mold and putrid waste, not only in your apartment, but also in your neighbors, on the street, in the garbage chute, and so on.

There are several effective ways to combat ants:

Homemade poisons based on boric acid (it acts as a poison) and repellent aromatic oils (insects do not tolerate stuffy odors).
Chemical poisons that are produced at enterprises (these are always effective products that are sold in the form of powders, sprays, crayons, granules).
Sticky traps. They are ineffective in that they only kill “working” sterile ants, while the nests and their inhabitants remain untouched.
Ultrasonic repellers. They drive the entire population of insects away to places where ultrasonic waves do not reach. However, the product does not guarantee that when you stop using it, the ants will not return.

What repels house ants?

Preventive measures

If a person follows some rules of everyday life, then he can simply prevent insects, including ants, from entering his home. For example:

Maintain perfect cleanliness in the kitchen, without leaving food residues behind, and also take out the trash in a timely manner.
Avoid excess humidity in the apartment by eliminating various leaks in a timely manner, without overwatering the flowers and without leaving wet rags.
Promptly seal the cracks that appear in the floor, within the baseboards, next to the window frames, as a result of drying of the wood.
Take preventive measures by repelling insects with strong-smelling ingredients such as essential oils.
Monitor the condition of attics and basements, promptly calling special services for pest control.

How and with what to fight ants is chosen by the owner of the apartment, depending on the existing living conditions. If you do everything systematically and correctly, the result will not take long to come. It should be taken into account that chemical control agents are often unacceptable in human homes, since they have a certain degree of toxicity. Folk remedies are safer, but less effective and not as fast-acting.

Soda and millet against house ants: recipe

Plain baking soda is a deadly poison for any ant. The most difficult task is to force an ant to eat soda, and for this “folk” recipes come to the rescue. Cook sweet millet porridge (the cheapest and most accessible cereal with a “mushy” aroma). Add sugar and soda to the warm porridge (a lot, the proportions depend on the amount of porridge). Do not try or eat this porridge under any circumstances.

Place the porridge where you notice the largest concentrations of ants. After a while, they will “run” to the faint aroma. The fact is that in the stomach of insects there is a special acid that breaks down food. Once in the stomach, the soda will provoke an oxidative reaction and after a couple of hours the ant will die.

INTERESTING: It is not customary for ants to eat food immediately after finding it. They must take the found pieces to the nest, first feed the queen, and then “brotherly” divide the remains among themselves. Thus, there will be mass poisoning of an entire ant clan with soda.

Eliminating Ants with Baking Soda

Causes of red ants

For the normal functioning of these insects, it is necessary to have enough food and warmth. First of all, they are interested in food and only then in the right temperature. As a rule, red ants appear in the summer. There are several factors that have a significant impact on the appearance of ants in an apartment. For example:

Sometimes residents themselves bring insects into the apartment along with their belongings or clothes. As a rule, this happens after long trips to warm countries.
Insects themselves settle in the apartment if the conditions suit them. To survey the territory, they send scouts, who then return and give a signal to the rest of the colony.

Red pests can spoil food supplies and also carry various diseases, including fungal ones. They can infect an apartment with mold and also carry worm larvae. Therefore, fighting red ants is a very important task. At the same time, you need to remember that the result can only be obtained in combination with preventive measures. The rules are quite simple, but they can protect a person’s home from the invasion of such pests.

Making your own traps

They are not complex devices and are very easy to make with your own hands at home. Regarding efficiency, they will show no worse results.

If we talk about the type like adhesive ones, then they can be made using double-sided tape. To do this, take a saucer, glue the rims, and pour or pour a treat into the saucer itself. When the insect makes its way to the treat, it will stick to the tape.

You can also use a regular small jar against red ants. Pour treats into it and spread butter on the inner walls. Once they get inside, the slippery walls will not allow them to get out. In order for them to get into the jar, you need to attach, for example, a spoon to it.

You can prepare a poisonous bait that uses boric acid. To prepare it, you need to mix it with egg yolk, and spread the mixture into small containers and place it in places where it accumulates. Remember that this substance is not so safe; first of all, strictly adhere to the permissible proportions indicated on the packaging. If there are pets in the apartment, place baits in hard-to-reach places where they cannot reach the poisonous mixture.

Boric acid is also mixed with borax, and then the pulp of an aromatic fruit is added to the mixture. Next, the poisonous treat is placed into matchboxes and also placed near the gathering places. As in the previous version, you must adhere to security measures.

All these methods of control are effective and show good results only in residential areas. Using such methods on the street will not bring any results, the maximum that can be achieved is that they will disappear for a short period of time, but rest assured, a new colony will appear soon.

The drug Dohlox: method of use against house ants

The drug "Dohlox" is considered the most effective remedy in the fight against ants. It is produced in the form of a gel, which is very convenient to apply using a special syringe (the gel gets into hard-to-reach places). The manufacturer guarantees 100% effectiveness of Dohlox in the shortest possible time.

The drug "Dohlox" against ants

DIY baits

Such baits are mainly made on the basis of borax or boric acid.

Take boric acid and mix it with sugar syrup, honey or jam and place it on a base (matchbox, jar lid, piece of cardboard). We described the installation locations above.
Take a saucer or plastic lid and pour borax or boric acid into it. So that the substance covers the bottom and add honey or syrup to the middle.