Fire ants are often associated with warm summer temperatures as they are actively foraging for food. However, while most ants hibernate or die during the cold winter months, these pests can become a nuisance even then. Having fire ants in your home is not only unpleasant, but they can also cause substantial damage if not gotten under control. Knowing how to get rid of fire ants in your kitchen this winter can save you from trouble and keep you from spending unnecessary money.
How To Get Rid Of Fire Ants In Your Kitchen
Once fire ants make their way to your kitchen, it can be challenging to eliminate them and get the situation in order. However, it is possible when you use proper pest control techniques.
Find The Fire Ants Entrance
- When you first spot fire ants in your kitchen, it is essential to try to identify where they are entering your home right away. You can do this by watching them for some time and tracking where they go.
- Common entry points include tiny cracks in the wall, a torn window screen, or any other small opening.
- Just because you find ants in your kitchen doesn’t mean that their nest is necessarily there. Watching where the ants go can also help you find the location of their nest as well. It could be in your kitchen, but it could be in your walls or outside too.
Locate The Nest & Apply Treatment
- Knowing where their nest is can help you treat and eradicate the problem.
- If you find the nest outdoors, you can use an outdoor non-repellent insecticide to eliminate it. Using only a regular repellent will cause the ants to leave their current nest and build-up elsewhere, so be sure to use a non-repellent insecticide.
- If, on the other hand, you find that the nest is somewhere indoors, you can apply a small layer of boric acid directly on the nest to kill all of the ants and the nests.
Whether the nest is indoors or outdoors, it is crucial to handle these treatments correctly and as needed. Before using any option, you should always read the manufacturer’s instructions before applying and be sure to keep away from both children and pets.
Using Fire Ant Bait
- Another option homeowners can use is store-bought traps. You’ll want to place the trap close to where the entry point is in your kitchen so the ants can locate the bait.
- After the ants find the bait, they take it back to the colony and eventually the queen. Once she gets it, she will feed the young with it and kill off the colony over a few days.
- While these traps can be effective, they are not always a permanent solution to your ant pest problem in the kitchen. If you can manage to get rid of your ant problem yourself, make sure to seal the entry point to prevent a recurrence.
Prevention, Prevention, Prevention!
It’s also important to take preventative measures to keep the fire ant problem from coming back. These measures can include simple steps like keeping your kitchen clean, washing dishes, not leaving food out, keeping your trash bin lid closed, taking your trash out regularly, and not leaving any standing water.
Get To The Bottom Of The Issue
If you want to get to the bottom of your fire ant problem in your kitchen, you’ll want to call in the experts. Our professional pest control team has specialized training in helping homeowners defend their homes against invading pests, handling these sorts of issues on an almost daily basis. Fire ants can quickly become a nuisance in your home for you and your family but not if you don’t allow them to.
