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How to Get Rid of Ants Outside and Around the House
Ants are everywhere. If you haven't seen ants inside your home yet, you probably will at some point in your life. However, as we suggested above, there are a lot of measures you can take to avoid ever finding yourself in the middle of a full-blown ant infestation!
Follow along for more information.
1. Educate Yourself
First, as with anything in life, the more knowledgeable you are about something, the better prepared you'll be to handle it. This can be especially true when learning how to get rid of ants outside and around your home.
If you are finding ants anywhere inside or outside your home, your first step should be identifying the type of ant you're dealing with. There are numerous species of ants commonly found around homes, including:
- Carpenter ants
- Ghost ants
- Big Headed ants
- Fire ants
- Odorous house ants
- Argentine ants
- Crazy ants
- Little black ants
- Pavement ants
Part of the importance of identifying ants is learning what they're attracted to. Try putting out different types of bait (bread, honey, peanut butter) to see what draws in the ants around your home. Then, you can use that substance for bait traps.
2. Keep Your Home Clean
Learning how to get rid of ants outside your home means learning how to keep things clean.
For example, if you host a BBQ in your backyard, there's going to be dropped food, spilled sodas, and filled garbage cans. Leaving these things uncleaned will immediately draw ants and other pests close to your home.
Learn how to immediately clean things up in and outside your home. This also includes using strong cleaning solutions such as vinegar to remove ant trails. You need a strong substance to remove their scent, so other ants won't be drawn to the same trail.
3. Remove Access to Food
Next, you need to keep all food sources outside your home completely sealed up or nonexistent. For example, many people keep their pet's food out in the garage or a container outside.
If these containers are completely closed up or sealed, ants will be able to smell it and will bring all of their friends for a hardy meal. Ant's will always take advantage of easily attainable food.
4. Remove Water Sources
While you can't control the weather, you can control the amount of moisture that sticks around your home. Removing water sources is a key element to learning how to get rid of ants outside your home.
For example, a dripping spigot on the side of your house will provide enough water for an entire colony of ants.
5. Use Pest Products for Around the Home
Next, a method of how to get rid of ants outside your home is by using an insecticide treatment around the borders of your house. This will also go a long way toward preventing them from coming inside.
Make sure you treat the entire foundation of the house and pay special attention to any entry points such as doors, windows, gaps, cracks, and holes.
6. Find Large-Scale Ant Deterrents
There are pesticides you can use for large portions of your yard, such as granule poisons that pose as food for ants. You can spread this across your property and allow ants to take it into their nests.
You'll want to make sure your grass is trimmed first, so the granules will get close to the ground. You'll also want to keep any pets or children out of the yard for a couple of hours, or more after the fact.
7. Find and Destroy Nests
Learning how to get rid of ants outside may mean going on a hunting excursion. Take some time to walk around your yard to find any ant nests. Once you do, use the insecticide according to the label and hose down their nests.
It's also a good idea to destroy the hills after they are abandoned to remove any convenient pre-made homes for ants that want to move in after the effect of the poison has worn off.
8. Keep Things Tidy Outside
Next, you can prevent ant infestations by taking care of things outside. We mentioned how important cleanup after BBQs and food-related messes are. However, there are a lot of other factors that contribute to a thriving ant colony.
For example, keep firewood stacks at least 20-30 feet away from your home. You'll also want to keep weeds pulled, grass trimmed, and bushes and trees well-kept. The more vegetation you have overgrown, the more shelter and resources you're providing for ants.
You especially want to keep plant life trimmed back, away from your home. This also includes removing any dead leaves, garbage, or other debris from your yard.
9. Know When to Call the Professionals
Sometimes, DIY pest control and prevention just aren't enough. It's important to acknowledge when you have a legitimate ant problem and know when to call in the experts.
Many people make the mistake of insisting on DIY pest control, even past the point of ridiculousness. However, pest prevention is much easier than eradication. For best results, call sooner rather than later!
Ask for Help!
Sometimes, simply learning how to get rid of ants outside and around your home isn't enough. You can take all the right steps, but if your home and yard are infested, you may need expert help.
Fortunately, if you need residential or commercial pest control help, all you have to do is ask! No one said you had to do this alone, nor should you!
