Sugar ants, rover ants, tiny black ants — no matter what you call them, ants in your kitchen and bathroom are a nuisance. Even if you’re an impeccable housekeeper, ants can (and do!) pop up out of nowhere. These teeny black bugs are common pests in Georgetown and Round Rock, TX and can seem impossible to get rid of once they enter your home.
The good news: you probably have everything you need in your kitchen pantry to get rid of sugar ants. Let’s look at some natural remedies that other Texas homeowners (and Fresh Pest Control) swear by:
1. The Food Barrier Method
Ants invade your home from the outside, so we recommend finding out how they’re getting into your kitchen or bathroom before you move forward with extermination. Once you find their entry point, you can seal it and wipe their trail clean. Ants tend to follow the same path, so cleaning up this path can confuse them.
The next step is to create a barrier that makes it hard or impossible for ants to cross. Many food items can fill this role, including cucumber peels, coffee grounds, black pepper, bay leaves, citrus, and pungent essential oils like cinnamon and peppermint.
You can create a barrier near their previous entry point on a regular basis to keep ants from trying to come back. A bay leaf in your pantry or kitchen cabinets can also deter pests. If you choose essential oils, add about 20 drops of your selected oil to 8 ounces of water, then spray entryways, windowsills, and anywhere you’ve seen ants in your home.
2. The Homemade Cleaner Remedy
Another option is to make your own cleaners that kill the scent trail the ants follow into your home. Removing these trails is imperative because the scent will continue to attract ants even after you kill the current invaders.
All you really need is a little soapy water and/or vinegar. Give the affected areas a light scrubbing and the scent trail will be gone for good.
3. Good Old-Fashioned Borax
Borax can be a powerful pesticide, especially when you have a sugar ant infestation. The ants ingest the Borax, then carry it back to their colony. The other ants in the colony are essentially wiped out, leaving you with a pest-free home.
However, you may not want to use Borax if you have kids or pets in the home. Even though it’s natural, it’s still been shown to cause irritation to the skin and eyes, and it may be harmful if swallowed.
Get Professional Pest Control for Sugar Ants
If the above methods aren’t working for you or you prefer to let a professional handle the heavy lifting, Fresh Pest Control is ready to serve. We’ve helped countless homeowners say goodbye to their sugar ants and give them peace of mind.
Contact our team
today for a free same-day estimate!