Pharaoh ants, also sometimes called sugar ants, are a major issue across the United States. Many people think that these just infest tropical climates, but essentially any place that has heat, is where they can be found. Sugar ants, aren’t really a specific type of ant, but rather a kind of ant – one that doesn’t sting and is usually small to medium sized, but even though they are not poisonous and they do not sting, doesn’t mean they aren’t a nuisance. In fact, these ants become such a problem because essentially they will eat almost anything you probably have in your home right now such as grease, sugary foods and spills, as well as dead insects.
One of the biggest issues with these ants isn’t what they eat – though that’s a difficult issue too, but also the nests themselves. See when these smart little ants sense that you are trying to eradicate them, they will actually split the colony apart and create their own little nests. This means that a small nest which is already hard to find as is, becomes even smaller. Below, we will be going over a few different options to getting rid of these little pests.
Boric Acid with Ground Liver
This sounds like a pretty nasty combination to a human, but to pharaoh ants, it sounds like a yummy meal to them. Boric Acid is the best way to kill the ants and the ground liver, which also has a high fat content is a great way to lure them in. It should be noted, however, that while this option does work, you might need a few days FOR it to work since the boric acid won’t kill them on contact. No, instead they will need to ingest it and this can be done at the nest when they share the food with everyone else.
Solve your pharaoh ants problem here.
What About Sprays?
Sprays might seem like a really effective option, right? They work with so many other ants! Well, you might want to rethink it with these little guys. Remember the section above, about how they will actually break the colony apart and make smaller little nests? Well, this right here is one of the main reasons they do just that. The sprays essentially break the colony apart – more nests means more problems! The same goes with ant powders, they tend to make the nests break apart as well.
Natural Ways To Get Rid Of And To Keep Pharaoh Ants Away
There are a few natural ways to keep these or any ants away for that matter, such as:
- Sweeping and vacuuming the kitchen and other rooms daily – make sure there aren’t ANY food crumbs or food in general on the floor.
- Make sure that if you have any jars or bottles with any sticky food stuffs or food in general on the outside, that you wipe these bottles and jars off, this includes things like ketchup, honey, maple syrup, jam and jelly, and more.
- Be relentless about NOT letting them have any food. In a lot of cases if you clean the space, keep bottles and jars clean and seal ALL your containers, in a few days once they realize they don’t have a food source anymore, they will move on to another location.
- Use vinegar not bleach. To us humans, vinegar smells better than bleach, but to these ants it seems that the opposite is actually true.
- There are defensive barriers you can try. Many people say that certain natural ingredients will create a sort of line of defense against the ants, you can try a few things, but remember to stay away from grease, sugar and sweet foods, etc. Some options to try are cinnamon, powdered charcoal, baby powder, white vinegar and even citrus oils.
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Create Ant Baits
You can buy chemical ant baits, but they don’t always work, so if you want to, you can try these options as well.
- Corn meal: Its said that ants cannot digest this properly, so when they eat it, they essentially die. Its not the most humane option, but it does work.
- Boric acid and honey: The boric acid as mentioned above, will kill the nest and the honey will lead them to the acid.
- Cream of wheat: Another thing that ants can’t digest. Essentially they will try to eat this and it will expand in their stomach, killing them.
Last note, make sure that you seal off any entrances. Remember, these ants can and will take advantage to the tiniest holes and crevices in your walls, floors and doors so make sure you use a silicone caulking agent, putty or even glue to keep them away by sealing those holes up!