Ants
In this article, we will take a detailed look at how you can get rid of ants. Unexpected guests in the form of ants give the owners a lot of inconvenience. After all, having settled in a house or apartment once, they again and again return to their favorite place. In a matter of months, there are thousands of them. Where and why do they appear in the house? Is it worth using radical methods of dealing with them?
Content:
- What kind of ants live in houses?
- Why do pests appear in our homes?
- Are ants dangerous to humans?
- How to start pest control?
- The most famous insecticides
- General rules for the use of insecticides
- Why is it so difficult to breed ants?
- Insect and pest control services
- Folk remedies
- How to get rid of ants that settled in flower pots?
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What kind of ants live in houses?
They began to live in houses from the middle of the 20th century. Most often, in apartments you can find red ants, another name for them is pharaohs. They received such an unusual name by mistake of a scientist who considered Egypt to be their homeland.
Later it became known that red ants come from India. In length, they can be up to 3 mm., They have a yellow-orange color. There may be several queens in the colony, they usually settle in apartments that are located above the 3rd floor.
In nature, there are about 10 thousand species of ants.
These are exclusively domestic insects, they live only next to humans. Another type of pests living next to a person is house ants - thieves. Their body is amber in color, 1 - 3 mm long.
Unlike pharaohs, they can also be found in nature. Most often they settle in the lower floors of apartment buildings, cottages, private houses, as they lead an above-ground lifestyle. There is only one queen in one nest.
Compared to red ants, their colonies are few in number. Turf ants do not form nests in a person's house, so they are considered less dangerous. Their body is black or dark red, up to 4 mm long, the female is always alone in the colony.
In some cases, red ants can run into houses; they cannot exist at home. Therefore, they do not form nests. Ants lead a social lifestyle, if at least one individual appears in the apartment, then soon there will be hundreds and thousands of them.
Ant nest in the house
These insects have a clear division of functions. There is a uterus - a female, servants, worker ants, males, nannies, there may be several females. Working ants usually want around the house, they make up only 1/10 of the entire colony.
The owners are trying to exterminate them, since they simply do not see the uterus and other inhabitants of the nest. She settles in secluded corners of the apartment and produces a dozen eggs daily. You can completely remove ants, only for this you need to find a female.
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If ants appeared in the house, then there is something to eat here.
In the house for them, optimal conditions for survival are created:
- warm (the optimum temperature for them is 18 - 20 C.)
- eat food, water (prefer sweets, pastries, meat, fish)
- there are places where you can form a nest (cracks, crevices)
If the air temperature in the room drops below 7 C for several days, the ants die. The rapid growth in the number of insects is associated with good conditions for their living and reproduction.
If the basic rules of hygiene are not observed in the apartment, the products are in an accessible place, most likely, the pests will settle in this particular house
Ants may appear in the apartment:
- from a neighboring apartment; Perhaps the owners behind the wall are actively poisoning the ants, or they do not have enough food and warmth. In this case, they are looking for more favorable conditions.
- if the living space is located on the lower floors, occasionally they come themselves; This most often happens with ants - thieves
- in some way a female was brought into the house; The uterus can be brought in with furniture, food, etc.
Females are not always in the same room as working insects. Maybe they just come for food.
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Are ants dangerous to humans?
In an apartment building, these insects easily move from apartment to apartment. Therefore, it is necessary to poison them with the whole house. They can eat food from the table that was not removed in time, crumbs from the floor, leftovers from the trash can, etc.
During these movements, insects carry on their body many microorganisms, including pathogens. Ants can penetrate electrical appliances, or bite a person.
Their bites can cause itching, irritation, and an allergic reaction.
They sneak into cereal bags and spoil them. Some of them can get into the ears, nose, mouth. This is especially dangerous for young children.
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Control measures must begin immediately after the appearance of several copies in the apartment. These may be the so-called scout ants. They explore a new territory, if the conditions for their life are favorable, soon the whole colony will appear in the apartment.
- You need to conduct a detailed inspection of the entire house. Look into all hard-to-reach places, cracks in walls, under skirting boards, into spaces behind furniture, pantry, etc. Carry out general cleaning. The main goal of these events is to find the nest where the queen lives and destroy it.
- If it was not possible to find it, it is necessary to try to poison the working individuals that walk around the apartment. The fact is that females are not able to get their own food. They are fed by working insects. Putting pickled food for them, you can destroy the female and her offspring.
- All food, especially sweets, pastries, must be placed in tightly closed containers.
To poison ants, you can use chemicals in which the concentration of the substance is not more than 2%, or boric acid. Otherwise, the workers will die before they reach the uterus. This will not work, as the female will regularly produce offspring.
If possible, pest control should be carried out jointly with neighbors.
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The most famous insecticides
Insects can be quickly removed from the house only when a nest is found
Pest control products come in a variety of forms:
- in the form of aerosols
- pencil
- gel
- powder (dusty)
- emulsions
- pasta
- traps
Aerosols are the most convenient to use. But they are only effective if sprayed on the nest. Otherwise, they will do more harm than good. When buying a spray, you should familiarize yourself with its composition.
It is desirable that it be present:
- tetramethrin
- piperonyl butoxide
- cypermethrin
Pencils, dusty - economical. But they need to be used for several months.
Gels are well suited for use in the kitchen, they act as bait. Insects do not die immediately and manage to bring poison to the colony. Preparations of this form have a significant plus - there is no need to look for a home for pests.
But it takes a long time (at least 1 month) to remove the entire colony.
It is best to choose gels that include:
- permethrin
- diazinon
- deltamethrin
- cypermethrin
Traps can be of several varieties:
- with poisoned bait; This type is the most effective and safest.
- Velcro
- with electric discharge; The last 2 species destroy only worker ants
homemade trap
Ant traps:
- Combat SuperAttack
- Thunder
- Absolute
- raptor
- Reid
- destructive force
- Thunder-2
Emulsions, pastes are effective only for preventive purposes.
List of popular insecticides for insect control:
- global
- Expel
- Clean house
- Get
- Muratsid
- Bubit
- Raid
- Vesta-555
- Regent
- Masha
- dohlox
- Storm
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Don't forget about your own safety!
- All pesticides are poisonous not only for insects, but also for humans. During their use, there should not be pets, children, people prone to allergic reactions, etc. in the apartment.
- When buying, you should pay attention to the expiration date, storage conditions of substances.
- All food must be packaged and put in places inaccessible to insects. Pests can carry poisons on their bodies. Live insects will reach for food, thus they can poison a person.
- All precautions must be observed. Avoid contact with mucous membranes, skin. Put on special clothing, rubber gloves, mask, goggles.
- You should strictly follow the instructions and use the dose indicated by the manufacturer.
- If insects could not be removed with a single application of insecticides, it is recommended to use substances of various forms, manufacturers.
- After processing the premises, it is recommended to leave it for at least 3 days. Then do a thorough cleaning.
To remove ants from the house, different methods of struggle should be used.
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The difficulty of completely removing pests is due to the fact that they quickly get used to pesticides. They reproduce at a tremendous rate. With the growth of the colony, insects can be divided into several groups, each of which has its own queen, but the connection between the ants is preserved.
Residents are not always able to find all the nests of one colony. Having destroyed one nest, the rest of the individuals can safely breed and restore the number of the colony. Sensing danger, these pests leave their place of residence, after improving conditions, they come again.
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Service worker in progress
The best way to deal with ants is to call a special pest control service. They will help to find nests of insects and process the apartment.
Before they arrive, you need:
- move furniture away from walls
- cover all kitchen surfaces with foil
- put away food and cutlery
- take out the carpets
- clean the aquarium, pets, indoor flowers
- close doors, windows
Experts recommend removing all unnecessary things from the room before starting treatment. This will greatly facilitate the procedure, increase the likelihood of finding, complete destruction of nests.
After processing the rooms, you need to wait a certain time. Then carry out wet cleaning, ventilate the apartment. To achieve a 100% result, it is required to disinfect all apartments in the house, landings, attics.
Calling such a team also has disadvantages:
- these services are not cheap.
- during the procedure, the apartment is required to leave
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If there are a lot of ants in the apartment, you should observe where their flock is going
Usually they move in columns along the same trajectory to the nest. You can sprinkle their paths with ordinary table vinegar. The greatest amount of vinegar should be sprinkled in their intended dwelling - in a place where all insects go.
This may be a gap in the wall, baseboard, etc. To do this, you can use a spray gun or for hard-to-reach places - a medical syringe. When leaving the house, the same areas should be treated with dichlorvos, in some cases, this method of struggle gives a 100% result.
Also, after finding the habitat of pests, they can be destroyed with the help of diesel fuel, gasoline. This will require about 50 ml of fuel per colony.
Even if it was not possible to find their nest, it is recommended to sprinkle or smear products with a strong smell on their way:
- garlic juice
- sagebrush
- spirit of camphor
- anise
- turpentine
- Birch tar
- ethanol
- tobacco
- ground black pepper
- sagebrush
- cloves
- vinegar
- ammonia
- kerosene
- essential oils (mint, lavender, eucalyptus, citrus fruits, tea tree, etc.)
- tansy
- cologne
To repel pests in places of their mass accumulation, you can spray soapy water, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, etc. To protect cereals, sugar, flour and other foods, bay leaves can be laid out next to them. During cleaning, it is recommended to use chlorine-containing household chemicals, the ants will lose their path for a while, and it will be more difficult for them to deliver food to the female.
For the preparation of baits, you can use the following recipes:
- 2 tsp of boric acid and jam are diluted with 200 ml of water. The liquid is placed in places where insects accumulate
- mix 2 tsp glycerin, a small amount of honey (sugar), 1/3 tsp. boric acid
- a small amount of meat is mixed with yeast. Laid next to the ants
- boil 3 chicken eggs, potatoes. I make mashed potatoes (only yolks are taken from eggs). Add 10 g of boric acid, 1 tsp. Sahara
- 20 g of borax mixed with 1 boiled yolk, jam
- 3 tbsp minced meat is mixed with 1 tsp. boric acid
- prepare a mixture of jam, yeast, boric acid
- Spread on a flat surface
Boric acid is used to kill ants.
To reduce the number of working individuals, you can leave in places of mass accumulation of pests:
- sticky tape with a little honey
- starch
- sweetener Splenda
- large, deep vessel with syrup (3-liter jar)
- semolina
- coffee grounds
- cornmeal
It should be noted that ants after such a meal can reach for the water. All water containers must be tightly closed.
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Ants can settle in the house not only under baseboards, furniture, but also in pots with indoor plants. They do them great harm.And they can even destroy flower. To get rid of pests, you can use a completely safe method.
Ants can also harm our favorite flowers.
- In a large vessel (bucket, basin, any other container in which the pot can be fully accommodated) put a flower pot
- The container is completely filled with water
- The soil in the pot must remain under water.
- In this state, the plants are kept for 30 minutes. After that, the plants are removed from the pot.
- Gently wash the roots
- Transplanted to another container
- For greater certainty, a special insecticide is sometimes added to the water.
If the flower grows in a pot that is too large and cannot be completely immersed in water, the drainage holes must be covered with plasticine. Then pour it with plenty of water. Keep for about half an hour. Remove the flower and replant. Soil with insects must be discarded.
Where do they appear in flower pots?
Ants eat aphids
The ways of their penetration are the same as in ordinary cases. But along with migration from neighbors, they can be brought into a house with contaminated soil. Perhaps the plants are parasitized by aphids, or there are other insects that ants feed on. These pests are especially attractive to them.
By what means can you withdraw?
Against ants in containers with plants, both chemical preparations and folk methods can be used.
- Permethrin can be used to treat plants. This insecticide affects the nervous system of insects. It is sold in several forms: liquid, dry, etc. Before using the drug, you must read the instructions and strictly adhere to the dosage.
- Dilute 10 drops of camphor oil in 1 liter of water. Water the plant. Repeat the procedure several times.
- You can sprinkle diatomite on the soil in a container. It is a natural substance in powder form. It dehydrates the ant's body by digging into its body. Insects die in about 30 minutes. You can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth in the nests of insects, in the paths along which they move.
- The surface of the earth in a pot is covered with millet.
- For a while, it is possible to get rid of ants in a pot with the help of a fragrant soapy solution (1 tablespoon per 500 ml of water). To do this, the solution is poured into a spray bottle and sprayed on insects. After the procedure, the leaves of the flowers are washed with clean water.
- It is recommended to sprinkle the soil in the pot with coffee grounds.
- Near the plant, crushed oatmeal mixed with honey should be placed.
A small part of the ant colony can be destroyed mechanically.
Prevention of the re-emergence of insects
If the ants once managed to stay in the apartment, it is necessary to follow all measures so that they no longer appear in the house:
- It is necessary to clear the food from the table in a timely manner
- Take out the trash regularly, use a container with a lid
- Store food only in tightly closed containers
- Maintain cleanliness of kitchen cabinets and furniture. It is recommended to wipe them from time to time with water and vinegar.
- If there are children in the house and food crumbs collect on the floor every day, they should be removed immediately.
- Wipe dry all surfaces in the kitchen, bathroom
- Carry out wet cleaning with the addition of ammonia (1 tablespoon per 1 bucket)
- Seal all cracks on the ceiling, walls, floor, balcony
To prevent insects from entering the house through the ventilation holes, you can stick double-sided tape around them. Sprinkle ground cinnamon and red pepper on the threshold.
To prevent ants from appearing in the house, it is necessary to keep it clean
Ants are uninvited guests in the apartment. It is difficult to get rid of them, it is easier to prevent them from entering the home. They are very tenacious, in order to achieve the effect, to completely remove insects from the house, it is necessary to apply several methods of struggle.
After extermination, follow preventive measures. If ants appeared in the apartment, most likely, the neighbors also have them. In this case, it is necessary to fight them with the whole house, since they can endlessly move from apartment to apartment.
VIDEO: 3 ways to get rid of ants in the house. It is very easy!
How to get rid of ants in a house or apartment: the causes of their appearance, effective means to combat them and preventive measures
Insecticides "Global" and "Get", which are indicated in this article, are the right solution for getting rid of ants! But I, in turn, would also like to advise the excellent drug Ecokiller. In its effectiveness, I was convinced by personal experience.
Can you tell me where you can buy the Ecokiller?
You can buy this drug in the online store Repellers
Please tell us what is its peculiarity, why do you advise?
It is a natural insecticide, it does not contain pesticides and toxic substances. It is non-toxic and during processing you will not encounter an unpleasant odor. The active ingredient is diatomaceous earth. I used it to get the ants out in 3 weeks.
Thank you for information !!!