A person’s proximity to insects is not always pleasant, including ants, which cause great harm both in the house and in the garden. The question is what means to use for effective control, quick destruction, and prevention of repeated invasions of small pests.
Traditional methods have long been known and are still successfully used in the fight against harmful ants. And any hardware or gardening store offers a huge range of ready-made preparations and devices. We present a rating of quality ant repellents in 2022, based on customer reviews.
Types of ants
Ants do not live separately; they can only exist within a colony. It includes:
- Adult females (queens). They are large in size and never leave the nest; their main mission is to lay eggs. There can be several queens in one nest. They live for about 10 months.
- Worker ants. These are ants whose task is to obtain food and deliver food for the queens, and to care for the laid larvae. They live for about 60 days.
Reasons for the appearance of ants
There are several reasons why ants appear in the house:
- Ants can come from unscrupulous neighbors.
- You can bring insects with your groceries from the store.
- Insects are attracted to crumbs and leftover food. If you are used to not putting food in the refrigerator, then the risk of ants increases.
- First, scout ants appear in the house. Their job is to find out if you have enough food. If there is enough food, then all the other insects will move to your permanent place of residence. Most often, ants enter the house through the ventilation system, cracks in doors and windows.
Where do they appear in a private house?
Ants may appear in a private home if there is a natural area nearby. “Street” types of ants, as a rule, do not establish themselves in houses, but they can create problems in the garden. Others are able to settle in a country house, penetrating through cracks and the underground. Getting rid of ants in your home can be difficult if you don't know where the main anthill is located.
In the countryside and at the dacha in the summer, house ants can migrate from neighbors. For them, the space near the stove is especially attractive.
Principles of ant control
To get rid of ants once and for all, you must first of all get rid of the females, because they are the ones who produce new offspring. And to do this you need to find and neutralize the nest. An ant colony can be located in the following places:
- Where there is food: in the kitchen, in the cereal cabinets.
- In dark and hard-to-reach places: in openings intended for sockets and switches, under baseboards and behind ventilation openings.
- Ants love moisture, and therefore nests often form in the bathroom.
- They also love warmth, so a colony can be found under the stove and near heating radiators.
To determine the location of the nest, just follow the ants; they themselves will lead you to their home.
So, to destroy a nest, you can use the following methods:
- Fill the nest with boiling water, but make sure that the queen is destroyed.
- Instead of boiling water, you can use an insecticidal aerosol. It contains poisons such as cypermethrin, deltamethrin, piperonyl butoxide. When handling, wear a protective mask and keep children and animals away.
If you have not found a nest, then you need to fight the worker ants. They usually run along baseboards, behind furniture, near food and trash cans, and love to live in the kitchen and bathroom. To combat such ants, use substances that are toxic to them. It is necessary to ensure that the worker ants either become infected themselves, or take the poisoned food and take it to their colony. And there the poison will do everything for you.
Crayons and powders
The most affordable and easiest to use are special crayons or dry powders.
It is also
the weakest remedy . You need to scatter it or draw lines in places where insects most often appear. Don't forget to treat their most popular habitats - under baseboards, in the corners of kitchen cabinets, under the kitchen table, etc. It is noteworthy that the famous chalk “Mashenka” did not have the desired effect. We were able to find much more positive reviews about the drug:
- "A great warrior";
- "BROS";
- "Thunder - 2";
- "Delicia"
- "Karbofos";
- "Clean house";
- "Pyrethrum"
- "Anti-ant."
Use of folk remedies
First of all, we recommend folk remedies for ants, because they are available, and most importantly, they are safe for you and your loved ones.
Sugar with soda
Take a tablespoon of baking soda and the same spoon of powdered sugar. Mix the ingredients and pour the resulting powder onto sheets of paper. Place them where ants move. They will bring the bait to their nest, and the soda in its composition will lead to the death of the insects.
Balls with boric acid
A simple and effective folk remedy for ants in the house. To prepare it you will need:
- three boiled egg yolks;
- two tablespoons of honey;
- 10 grams of boric acid.
Mix the ingredients, roll the resulting mass into small balls and place them in the kitchen, bathroom and other places where ants gather. Boric acid will destroy the digestive system of insects. You can use borax or starch instead.
Yeast balls
Also an effective remedy to get rid of ants. To prepare it, mix sugar, water and yeast. Roll the resulting paste into small balls and place them around the house. The ant will eat the bait, the yeast in its stomach will swell and lead to the death of the insect. Instead of yeast, you can use semolina.
Plants
The scents of flowers and herbs will repel ants from your home. The most effective are chamomile, lemon balm, mint, rosemary, dill, parsley, cilantro, and anise. Place fresh or dried plants in small bags and place them in the kitchen, bathroom, behind furniture, and near vents.
Essential oils
Also an effective way to prevent the appearance of ants are essential oils of lavender, cedar, pine needles, juniper, and cinnamon. To prepare a fragrant solution, follow these steps:
- pour 250 grams of alcohol into a container;
- add 10 drops of essential oil to it;
- Mix the resulting composition with 200 ml of water.
Pour the solution into a spray bottle and treat all surfaces in the house with it, paying special attention to baseboards, kitchen and bathroom.
Insecticidal aerosols
If you are looking for the best ant repellent, try a spray. Its effectiveness and instant action are explained by the fact that an ant caught in a cloud of spray simply will not be able to avoid poisoning. Poisons will enter his body along with the air and lead to quick death.
For all their effectiveness, aerosol insecticides do not pose a danger to human health. The composition of most of them is absolutely safe. However, when using an aerosol, you should take standard safety precautions - wear a respirator and rubber gloves. In stores you will find many different products. Here are just a few of them.
Raptor for crawling insects
Spray "Raptor" can safely be called the most famous. Its main active ingredients are deltamethrin, cypermethrin and piperonyl butoxide. The aerosol has a pleasant mint aroma and does not leave behind the terrible odor characteristic of many insecticides.
Review
Tatyana: “I have been looking for a good remedy for red ants for a long time. I settled on the Raptor spray - it was highly praised. It turned out that it was not in vain! One can was more than enough for the whole house. It’s very convenient to use, the results are quick, it doesn’t smell like anything, and it doesn’t leave any marks.”
Get spray concentrate
“Get” is a powerful microencapsulated insecticide against ants in the apartment. The principle of its operation is somewhat different from the usual standards - microcapsules are dissolved in liquid, then all necessary surfaces are wiped with this active liquid. An insect running over such a surface will collect particles of poison on its paws. Having penetrated the body, they will cause inevitable death. Per 100 sq. m of contaminated area, one capsule of concentrate is consumed.
The concentrated preparation “Get” will quickly and effectively rid you not only of ants, but also of all other harmful insects
Important! To get the maximum effect, surfaces treated with “Get” gel should not be washed for several days.
Review
Miroslava: “I used Get aerosol – it’s a very powerful product. I sprayed the entire floor - after half an hour it was strewn with dead insects. I’m very pleased, especially since they haven’t appeared since that day.”
Combat
Another very good product from the famous Korean brand is produced in two versions - with mint and lemon aroma, thanks to which its use becomes even more comfortable.
Review
Yuri: “In the store, we spent a long time deciding which ant spray was trustworthy. We settled on Kombat, although we had never heard anything about it before. The kitchen was sanitized twice and a week's break was taken. In principle, one time was enough, but for prevention they decided to carry out a second treatment. You won't believe it, but the ants fled to the neighbors. We also recommended this spray to them.”
Clean house
It has an instant effect - insects die right before your eyes! The Clean House aerosol is used not only against ants, but also against cockroaches, wasps and moths. To treat a room of 25-30 square meters. m. you will need a small can of spray (600 ml).
Review:
Nina: “I didn’t believe that this aerosol had an instant effect, but that’s exactly what it turned out to be. The ants scattered in all directions, but most simply died. If anyone needs a quick and reliable solution, then it’s only Clean House.”
Use of insecticides
If you are unable to remove ants using folk remedies, use insecticides. They can be purchased at almost any store.
Traps
This is one of the most effective ways to get rid of ants. Traps are small boxes containing bait and toxic substances: fipronil, imidacloprid, hydromethylnon. They destroy the nervous system of insects and lead to paralysis.
Place traps where ants usually run. The insect will crawl into the trap, smear itself in the poison, and then return to its lair. There it will infect other individuals, including the uterus. After 2 weeks, the ants will disappear from your home.
Such traps are completely safe for people and animals. They can also be used to prevent the appearance of ants, because the toxic substances remain effective for several months.
Gels
They operate on the same principle as traps. They contain poison and a substance that attracts ants.
To make the ant repellent work, apply the gel in a dotted line where the insects usually move. Usually the ants come into contact with the gel and bring its particles into the nest. The poison spreads throughout the colony, with the queen and other individuals dying within a couple of weeks.
Do not rush to wash off the gel right away, because the toxic substances in its composition: diazinon, imidacloprid, chlorpyrifos will remain active for several more months. This is necessary in order to kill not only adult ants, but also their larvae.
Crayons
One of the cheapest and most proven means of fighting ants. 95% consists of chalk and gypsum, the remaining 5% are toxic substances zeta-cypermethrin and deltamethrin.
Take a chalk and draw lines along the baseboards, in the openings of windows and doors, and behind the furniture. The ants will cross the lines, the poison will stick to their legs and then fall into the nest. This will lead to the death of the entire colony in about 2 weeks.
Wear gloves when using chalk, and remember to refresh the lines after wet cleaning.
Powders and granules
It is also an effective remedy with which you can get rid of ants. The powders contain poisons such as chlorpyrifos, piperonyl butoxide, and cypermethrin.
Sprinkle powder or granules onto substrates and place them where ants move. You can dissolve the drug in water, resulting in a poisonous paste. The substance will fall on the paws of the pests, and then the epidemic principle will work: the ants will bring poison to the nest and infect the entire colony, including the queen. The effect will be visible after 2 days.
When using, follow safety precautions: wear gloves and a mask. Powders are not recommended for use in homes where there are small children and animals.
Professional pest control
If you are unable to get rid of ants with insecticides and home remedies, then call a professional exterminator. In just a few hours they will destroy both the worker ants and the ant nest.
Warning: exterminators use strong substances that can harm people, animals and plants. Before disinsection, remove or cover food, upholstered furniture, and plants. Leave the room during treatment. Pest control will be carried out using a hot or cold fog generator, which converts chemicals into toxic smoke that penetrates all hard-to-reach places.
After treatment, the room should be thoroughly ventilated. It is not recommended to carry out wet cleaning for 2-3 weeks: the chemicals must remain in effect for another month after treatment. This is necessary so that not only adult ants die, but also their larvae.
Repelling ants with ultrasound
Not long ago, devices appeared on the market that use ultrasonic waves to repel pests. However, consumers are not very familiar with them, so this method of control is not yet widespread enough.
- The repeller is a small device that runs on mains or batteries. It produces ultrasonic waves that are indistinguishable to the human ear, but which insects can hear very well. The waves literally destroy their nervous system.
- Repellers should not be turned on in rooms where there are sleeping people. They can also affect pets, so you need to carefully monitor their behavior.
Prevention of ants
To get rid of ants once and for all, follow these tips:
- Keep your house clean: don’t leave crumbs on the table, put food in the refrigerator, take out the trash on time.
- Close the taps carefully and fix any leaks.
- Seal any gaps through which ants can enter. This can be done with putty or sealant.
- Check store purchases, especially used items.
- To repel insects, use essential oils of lavender, cinnamon, and juniper. Mix them with water and treat surfaces in the house.
- Place bags of herbs around the house: chamomile, lemon balm, mint, dill, parsley.
- When cleaning, use solutions with chlorine, alcohol, and vinegar. Ants cannot stand these odors.
Conclusion
To get rid of ants in the house, we offer the following methods:
- Find the ant nest to destroy the main female. Fill it with boiling water or insecticidal spray.
- Give the worker ants poison, which they will take back to their lair. To do this, you can use folk remedies to fight ants: sugar and soda, boron and yeast balls, flowers and herbs. Also use insecticides from the store: traps, gels, crayons, powders.
- Call professional exterminators: they will destroy both the queen and the worker ants.
- Prevent the appearance of ants: keep it clean, eliminate moisture in the house, close the cracks through which insects can enter.
