Pest-Control-Expert.com
A property manager's guide to pest control

How To Get Rid Of Ants - Home Ant Pest Control Guide

I have dealt with numerous ant problems as a property manager. I'm often asked how to get rid of ants and have put together this guide for homeowners that desire to do their own ant pest control.

Like most household pests, ants can show up in massive numbers overnight. They often have one purpose when they enter your home and that is to find a food source for their colony. When their scouts find a useful food source they bring their friends back to collect it. This is why they are often found in kitchens and trash cans.

From my experience insecticides are a temporary solution to a more perminent problem. If you really want to know how to get rid of ants the key is to use products that attack the colony itself. Attacking the trail of ants will kill the ants you see but more will come soon after. The source of the ant trail is the real target.

The product that has always worked for every any problem I have encountered is Amdro ant granules. You can purchase it on-line or at a local home improvement store. The granules should be spread around the foundation of your home. It is important to make sure you do not miss any spots. It should be evenly placed around every square inch of the foundation. I like to place it on the edges of foundation vents as well because there is more protection from rain on the edge of the foundation vents.

Be advised that it could take up to seven days for the ant problem to be taken care of. This is because the scouts must first find the granules, the ants must take them back to the colony, and the colony must eat it. When the colony does eat it though the entire colony is eliminated. It does take more time than the instant results seen using insecticide but it is a perminent ant pest control solution.

The Amdro granules can disolve in the rain and should be applied around the foundation of your home again after the rainy season for preventative maintenance. Treating a home one time per year after the rainy season should be enough to keep all future any invasions at bay.

Since it does take up to one week for the Amdro granules to do the job here are a couple ant pest control tips in the meantime:
  • Eliminate their food source
  • Make sure your kitchen is clean and all trash is taken out
  • Follow the ant trail to find out where they are coming from and seal the entry point with caulking.
  • Spray insecticide along the ant trail and at the source
Fortunately, learning how to get rid of ants isn't tough as dealing with other household pests. General ant pest control to get future invasions at a minimum is also fairly easy.