Thrive Pest Control is well aware that no one likes to have ants parading across the kitchen floor. They are relentless creatures. If given a chance, they will find a way to enter your home. Even if the kitchen is spotless, ants will invade your space. Spraying will keep them displaced for a time, only to reappear in another location. Thrive Pest Control has been treating ant infestations since we opened. Below are a few suggestions for inexpensive and natural ways to deter ants.
- Keep a clean kitchen. When a family occupies the home, it can be challenging to keep food off the floor. Food unavoidably will land on the floor during meals and go unnoticed. Sweep up after every meal. Keep counters clean, and don’t leave pet food on the floor.
- Natural remedies: These countermeasures were used before there were sprays and aerosols. Locate where the ants appear and start sprinkling pepper where you have seen them. Peppermint or lemon oil will discourage them from returning, and your kitchen will smell wonderful in the process. White vinegar sprayed around baseboards and cracks will also impede them. The smell alone may cause some grumbling from family members. These methods will alleviate their return for a while, but be prepared to repeat the process regularly.
- Physical Barriers: Ants are meager creatures that can squeeze into the smallest of spaces. Calking in the cracks where they appear will hinder their return longer than any natural method. Patch any walls that have holes in them to stop them from crawling up and down the walls. Calk around windows, cable, electrical, and water lines coming into your home. Look around the outside of the house. Ants live most of the year outdoors. They will find a way in. Are there cracks in the foundation? Cracks in brickwork or siding could also pose a problem. Are your roofing shingles coming loose? Ants can climb on the roof and make their way into attics and crawlspaces.
- Boiling Water: It sounds cruel but, it works. Locating the nest might prove problematic, but pour the boiling water down the hole or on the nest when it is found. That will correct the problem.
- Ant sprays and ant bait. Thrive Pest Control experts do not recommend these approaches. They are not a healthy alternative for families with children. Sprays can be accidentally be inhaled, and a crawling youngster or pets might pick up the bait. Both of these methods could do more harm than good.
Each year Thrive Pest Control technicians are called to homes and businesses to treat ant infestations. We have used these methods with success and safety. Once we are requested to treat your home, we will be there at a convenient time for you. Our staff will inspect your home and formulate a plan of action. We will discuss the plan with the home or business owner, making them aware of our strategy and implementing it. We will discuss the precautions taken to keep your family or staff from any harm.
If the infestation is an ongoing issue, we may suggest a multi-step process of periodic treatments. Humans may sleep, but ants don’t.
Let Thrive Pest Control be your go-to and trusted partner in caring for your home.
