How do I find out where my ants are coming from?

Gail Tress
by Gail Tress
  5 answers
  • Fiddledd224 Fiddledd224 on Apr 12, 2019

    Areas around the house with excess moisture are known to attract ants, so bathrooms are highly susceptible to an infestation. Carpenter ants, for example, often build nests in damp areas like behind bathroom tiles or under sinks. To prevent an infestation in the bathroom, homeowners should:

    • Occasionally, inspect sinks, toilets and tubs for any leaks or drips.
    • Give the bathroom a thorough cleaning by scrubbing the floors with disinfectant cleaner, and wiping down the inside of drawers with warm soapy water.
    • Check to ensure shampoo, lotion and soap bottles are secured and no contents have spilled out of their containers.


  • Fiddledd224 Fiddledd224 on Apr 12, 2019

    • Inside walls (73%)
    • Bedrooms (61%)
    • Living rooms (60%)
    • Basements (54%)
    • Air conditioning and heating units (37%)


  • Dwp7470b Dwp7470b on Apr 12, 2019

    Though disturbing the honeymoon of the ants seems a bit rash, you are on the right track...

    Ants, especially the boss ants, leave microscopic traces of reproductive hormones and urine to find their way back home again.

    This means that:

    1. Whenever you see the ants, you can in fact follow them home if you happen to have a whole 14 hours or so to get there. If you did you would find:

    A. Your home is never the Ant's Home. In fact, before they

    decided they liked your home, they liked your porch

    more.

    B. The porch is almost always the place they enter.

    2. The worst thing you can do is kill an ant in your home! The entire troupe will follow the urine trails to find the 'lost ant' plus create new ones. Your best bet is to scoop them up on a napkin or junk mail envelope or index card and place them outside where they belong, and say: 'Bad Ant'.

    3. Ants though smarter than most insects and more easily domesticated, they are actually quite dumb and easily confused. To confuse their sensors of the trails, You need to pressurewash or clean your porch regularly with most any detergent like ajax mixed with a hint of either: pepper, peppermint or red pepper. If you don't, they will keep on returning to where the trail of urine leads them. After that prevents them from following the trail to your porch, you can also scrub your floor indoors.

  • Just an idea:

    I use packaged cornbread mix that says it is sweetened and put it where they are. They will take it to the mound, everyone will eat it and die, they can't digest the cornmeal, but will take it because it is sweetened. Little goes a long way.


    I read this from : Itsmemic

    Medicated powder from the Dollar Tree. It has eucalyptus in it...menthol...I puff it around my homes foundation..and inside under my birdcages in the cracks under moldings. Work immediately and they never come back. I do this at the first sign of ants..in one day..GONE. The powder is in a very large container and lasts quite awhile too !! And smells great !

    Not toxic to my birds OR dog


    What if you make a barrier around the house.

    I did some research, since we know what works for one person doesn't always work for another. I found this site and it's pretty informative. I know some tips you may not be able to use but there are some good ones also that will hopefully help.

    https://www.familyhandyman.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-ants/view-all/

  • Hi Gail - Those little buggers are relentless, aren't they?!? This is the most effective method and all-natural spray DIY that we use with ants. It's best indoors, but will also work outside with more frequent applications. Hope this helps! Hugs, Holly

    https://pinkfortitude.com/ant-spray/