How to Eliminate Ants for Good in Your Property – How to Do It, and What to Know

Ants are tiny creatures that live underground. Being social insects, they exist in large colonies that can range from thousands of ants to hundreds of thousands. Sometimes, the tunnel systems can go for miles. Of course, you won’t see this, as ants are sneaky. Most likely, you won’t even know ants are around until you see a trail of them running through your house. Thousands of them, in a line, carrying off your food – what do you do? Thankfully, you won’t have to suffer long, as there are many ways you can get rid of those annoying ants for good.

8 Steps Guide on How to Get Rid of Ants

Why should homeowners take the time to educate themselves about their habits? The answer is: because prevention is key! To avoid the potential danger of ants infestation, you need to understand how they behave, where they nest, what species there are, and how to get rid of them.

It is essential to know more about these pests. This way, you can take the necessary precautions and follow these eight steps to eliminate them.

These insects live in many places. They live under things like sidewalks and driveways. You can also find them near your house. You should not touch the ant colonies. They will become angry and defensive in their nests if you disturb them.

If you see an ant, do not panic. It could be an entire colony. If ants are invading your home, an exterminator can help. It's too difficult to get rid of them yourself.

Step 1: Make Sure to Wear Protective Gloves When Dealing with These Pests

Dealing with ants can be dangerous because of their venomous stings. That's why you should wear protective gloves when dealing with these pests. While wearing them, gather all the dirt from the ant mounds into a bucket or trash bag by hand or with a shovel. Once it's filled up, you can discard it away from your property.

Step 2: Find Out If Any Water Sources Are near Your House

The ants need water to survive, so it’s essential to find out if there are any water sources near your house.

If you suspect it could be a problem, try digging and see what you can find. If you discover a water source, then make sure to cover the hole with dirt or sand.

Step 3: Inspect Your Home for Cracks Where Ants May Be Able to Enter

This is another very important step in getting rid of ants because their colonies can grow very large-especially during warmer months! If necessary, seal off cracks on your exterior walls as much as possible. Also, check around the foundation of your home and near doors and windowsills.

Step 4: Find Other Places Where They Could Be Entering

If you've inspected your house and sealed up cracks but still notice ants coming in, it's time to inspect other property where they may be getting inside.

Step 5: Find the Location of Ants Mound

Finding the mound is key to controlling ants.

To find the mounds, first look for mounds that look out of place or about an inch high. Look near trees, plants, fences, walkways, or other outdoor structures where the ants may have laid their eggs or fed on insects living there. The ant colonies often have multiple piles scattered throughout your yard. So it's important not to focus on just one mound but to try to find them all.

The ants like warm soil. For this reason, many colonies build their nests underground in sunny locations.

Step 6: Generously Sprinkle or Soak the Mound with Your Preferred Formula

The type of liquid used depends on locally available, but it should ideally be something thick that doesn't evaporate quickly, such as petroleum jelly or vegetable oil.

Sprinkled liberally over the top of the mound so that it seeps down into the nest tunnels below ground level before reapplying every few days if necessary to keep the ants away.

Compare-N-Save Concentrated Indoor/Outdoor Insecticide is the best product to get rid of ants. It is easy to use because it kills by contact and ingestion. This product can be used indoors or outdoors, which makes it great for getting rid of these pesky insects.

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Compare-N-Save Concentrate Insecticide

• Can be mixed with water to create up to 44 gallons of ready-to-use spray.
• Covers up to 44,000 square feet.
• Active ingredient: 7. 9% Bifenthrin

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Step 7. Use Bait around the Area of the Mound

Be sure to broadcast an ant bait around the area of the mound, especially during the warm months, to prevent the bait from being washed away by a downpour.

In addition to liquid bait, granular baits are very effective at getting rid of ants.

What is the best outdoor bait for ants?

TERRO Outdoor Liquid Ant Baits are the perfect solution to dealing with these pesky little pests. They come pre-filled and ready to use, so you don't have to worry about any mess or hassle of filling up your ant traps. The active ingredient in this product is 5.40% Borax, a proven pest control agent that kills both large and small insects on contact. This product can be used outdoors as well as indoors because it's made from natural ingredients that are safe for humans, pets, aquatic life, plants, and wildlife.

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TERRO Outdoor Liquid Ant Baits

• Best for ants.
• The active ingredient is 5.40% Borax which can be used outdoors
• Pre-filled and ready to use bait stations.

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Step 8: Repeat Steps 6 & 7 Every 2-3 Weeks

You'll have to repeat these steps every 2-3 weeks while you wait for new queens to stop laying eggs to get control over the population again. If you see any other mounds popping up around your house, go back and repeat steps 6 & 7 on those too!

In just eight easy steps, you should be able to solve your ant problem!

When You’ve Got An Ant Problem

Even though ants are tiny, they’re brilliant and communicate with each other effectively, making them majorly hard to get rid of sometimes. They can get in through the smallest of cracks and find their way inside, infesting your pantry and cupboards and almost anywhere else. And just like other insects, ants carry bacteria you don’t want hanging around in your home. They need to be gone – immediately.

The Ant Invasion in My Home – What’s Attracting Them?

Why do ants even want to get inside your home at all? What could be in there that’s better than their colony? The answer is simple: food. Ants have a sense of smell that could rival a bloodhound and can detect the tiniest food particles from a far distance. They lay a trail and direct it back to the colony, which the rest of the ants will follow. Their mission is to take back whatever food they can to the colony, meaning that ants will stay in your home indefinitely if there’s a food source.

You don’t want just any ant killer; you want the best. For tips on getting the best ant killer, click here.

Ants in the house are annoying, but so are the ones outside. More details on how to get rid of ants in your yard can be found here.

What Kinds of Food Make Ants Love, and What Kinds Do They Hate?

Different species of ants will eat different things. For example, army ants are carnivorous and eat other insects, including other ants. Harvester ants like seeds and grains. For an average infestation, the ants you’ll deal with in your home are the type looking for foods filled with sugar. And not just in the form of sweets; bread and processed foods have a good amount of sugar in them, meaning that just about anything in your house is fair game.

Some examples of foods that ants love include:

• Fruit,
• Candy,
• Bread,
• Granola bars,
• Chips.

As far as what foods ants won’t go for, there are some that the insects hate to consume.

Mostly it involves anything very strong-smelling:

• Garlic,
• Vinegar,
• Strong herbs.

You can recognize ant hills by their raised, mound-like appearance and tiny hole marking their entrance. Learn how to get rid of ant hills by clicking here.

Living with insects is never fun and is always a nuisance. Go here and learn how to get rid of ants in your home.

Ants in the garden. There can still be an infestation without the ants actually making an appearance inside your house. Gardens can easily be covered in tiny insects, as they enjoy vegetables and fruits quite a bit.

Ant Treatment

ANT FACTS: DID YOU KNOW?

Treating your home and yard for ants doesn’t always mean just killing them – it’s about repelling and preventing them as well. But what options exist out there when it comes to getting rid of them? Is it as simple as buying a can of something and spraying it around the yard? Let’s look at your options.

Ants come in all different shapes and sizes, sometimes large and sometimes very small. For more details on how to get rid of ants in the kitchen, go here.

Who wants chemicals in their home? While insecticides can have nasty side effects, natural products are perfectly safe. Click here for more information about how to get rid of ants naturally.

Pharaoh ants are notorious for being an ant you’ll find indoors. If you’d like to find out how to get rid of pharaoh ants, go here. For more information on how to get rid of red harvester ants, go here.

Before you call the pest control company, remember that you can get rid of ant infestation on your own in several ways:

Top 3 Best Ant Baits

Ant bait products use a substance that the ants crave and want to eat. Little do they know, it’s laced with poison. But it’s a delicate balance – too much poison will kill the ants too quickly, and too little poison won’t kill them. The idea behind baiting is that the ants will take pieces of the poisonous bait back to their colony to share with the rest of the ants, eliminating the source of your ant invasion and stopping it for good.

Today, the market has multiple ant baits. Most of them have insect growth regulators (IGR), which are highly effective when you have a medium to large infestation. The regulator acts as birth control for the ant colony, helping to stop their reproduction cycle when you are trying to eliminate them. Be sure to apply the bait away from water bodies and during seasons when no rain is expected for at least 48 hours.

Use fresh baits from unopened containers, and remember those ant workers will primarily look for food in the evening or late afternoon, so spread the bait around this time for complete effectiveness. When it’s boiling, wait to apply the bait in the evening, when it is a little cool, and the ants are ready to forage.

You can use TERRO, Advion Gel, and AMDRO ant baits:

1. TERRO Ant Bait Stations

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TERRO Ant Killer controls ants within 2-4 weeks of treatment. When placed near indoor areas where the ants can quickly spot it, the workers consume the bait and carry the rest to their colony, where they are destroyed.

2. Advion Ant Gel Bait

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Advion Ant Gel is one of the best-selling and high-quality insecticides for baiting ants. Its ingredients are enhanced to eliminate sweet feeders such as ants within a short period. Indoxacarb, for instance, is an active ingredient used in the solution that acts on the nerve cells of the ants, leading to paralysis and finally death. Advion is sweet and odorless, giving worker ants enough time to carry the substance to the colony, where it is eliminated.

3. AMDRO Outdoor Insect Killer

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AMDRO is a slow-acting stomach poison that prevents the ability of ants from converting food to energy. It is designed to kill ants in the backyard and prevent them from penetrating your house.

Ant Sprays: I Want Ants Gone – Fast!

The warm weather is here, and so are the ants. At first, they were crawling around outside, but now you’ve spotted a few of them inside. Your kitchen is clean, but the little pests search for food and water everywhere. You want them gone. Do you need to use a different kind of ant spray inside than you can use outside? Is there a commercial spray safe to use where your kids play? Is there a natural ant spray you can make yourself that’s safe and effective? Keep reading. I have the answers to your questions here.

Top Choices for Indoor and Outdoor

Ants are crawling around inside and outside. Because there are so many, spraying seems the most practical way to quickly get rid of most of them. Each spray has different ingredients and works differently, making it difficult to choose.

An inside ant spray should:

In addition, you should be able to spray the poison or repellent in a stream to go precisely where you want it.

An outside spray should:

Spraying for ants involves some poison that will kill ants on contact. Spray it everywhere you might think ants are getting in, and they’ll die just from crossing the fumes. When using a poisonous outside ant spray, you also need to know where the residue ends up if it rains or if you water your landscaping or garden.

Several products are available for an immediate solution to your ant problem. Although not all use chemicals, many fast-acting ones do. Two of the best-selling ant sprays are Ortho Home Defense and Raid Max. They are effective for other crawling insects as well as ants.

3 Best Ant Spray Products in 2023 Comparison Table

PREVIEW	PRODUCT
Our #1 Rated	Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer Active Ingredients: 0.05% Bifenthrin, 0.0125% Cypermethrin Type: Ready-to-Use Spray Location: Indoor & Perimeter Check Price	Check Price
People's Choice	Raid Max Ant & Roach Spray Active Ingredients: 0.06% Imiprothrin, 0.1% Cypermethrin Type: Ready-to-Use Spray Location: Indoor Check Price	Check Price
Best Pro	Bifen I/T Insecticide Active Ingredient: 7.9% Bifenthrin Type: Concentrate Location: Indoor / Outdoor Check Price	Check Price

I’ve tested and researched several ant sprays and found the three best products for homeowners. These ant killers will quickly eliminate any ants in your home without leaving any harmful chemicals.

After much research and testing, I’ve found these products to be the most effective at getting rid of ants and keeping them from returning.

1. Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer – The Best Ant Spray for Indoors & Perimeter (Editor’s Choice)

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Ortho Home Defense is a ready-to-use spray with a reusable comfort wand, making it easy to apply in hard-to-reach places. The active ingredients are Bifenthrin and Cypermethrin, which work together to eliminate ants quickly.

How Does It Work

Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer is a popular choice for homeowners looking for an effective way to kill insects. This product works by releasing a chemical into the air inhaled by the insects, causing them to die.

It is effective on ant trails, nests, and cracks or crevices where pests enter your home.

How to Use

2. Raid Max Ant & Roach Spray – The Best Ant Spray for Kitchen (People’s Choice)

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And if you’re dealing with an ant problem, Raid Max spray is a great option. It comes with active ingredients that can kill ants and roaches on contact. It kills ants immediately and up to a month after application without an unpleasant odor.

Plus, it’s a ready-to-use spray, so you don’t have to worry about complicated instructions. You can use it indoors without worrying about any toxic fumes or residue.

How Does It Work

The spray contains an active ingredient called Cypermethrin, which is a type of pyrethroid insecticide. This ingredient works by causing paralysis in the insects’ nervous systems, eventually leading to their death.

Raid Max also contains another chemical called imiprothrin, an attractant that lures ants and roaches towards the spray.

To use, point the nozzle of the spray towards the area where ants or roaches are present and squeeze the trigger to release the insecticide.

How to Use

You must be aware of the usual warnings when using any spray containing pyrethrins or other toxic insecticides.

Precautions when using Raid Max include:

Raid Max will kill bees, birds, fish, and some water birds. Avoid spraying where it will contaminate water or other areas frequented by wildlife.

You can use Raid Max ant spray on ant nests, ant trails, and entry points into your home, such as cracks. It’s available unscented as well as in several fragrances.

3. Bifen I/T Insecticide Concentrate – The Best Ant Spray for Outdoors

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As a homeowner, it’s essential to be prepared for any pest that may try to invade your home. Insects can be pesky and challenging to eliminate, but you can fight back and protect your home with the right tools. Here, I’m going to talk about one of my favorite insecticides: Bifen I/T concentrate.

How Does It Work

Bifen I/T is a professional-grade insecticide that contains Bifenthrin as its active ingredient. Bifenthrin is a powerful insecticide effective against various insects, including ants, roaches, spiders, and more. You can use this concentrate indoors and outdoors to help keep your home pest-free.

How to Use

One of the things I like best about Bifen I/T is that it’s easy to use. Mix the concentrate with water and apply it to areas where you’ve seen pests or where they’re likely to enter your home. This product is also long-lasting, so you won’t have to reapply it frequently. With proper application, Bifen I/T will help keep your home pest-free all season long.

If you’re looking for a powerful and effective insecticide, I recommend Bifen I/T concentrate. It’s easy to use, and it’s long-lasting to enjoy a pest-free home all season long.

Other Popular Brands

There are lots of products available designed to get rid of ants in your yard and home. They’re available in garden shops, hardware stores, home improvement stores, and online.

It’s essential to read all labels carefully, especially the warning section on the back label. Some products decorate the front with “natural,” “organic,” or other terms that imply safety. The back brands tend to be more truthful.

Some to consider:

Although these ant sprays are generally available, not every state allows every product to be used within its borders. You may be able to find similar products at your local nursery or garden shop.

Flying Ants
Ants are crawling insects, so why do you suddenly see a swarm of them flying?
Those winged pests are known as alates. The swarm is the mating, or marital, flight for males and virgin queens. Once mating takes place, the males of most species die. The fertilized queens gather wingless worker females and start a new colony.
It can be difficult for the layperson to distinguish flying ants from termites without close inspection. If you kill one, try not to smash its body so that you can identify it to use the correct spray to kill the others.

Termite VS Ant

The Ant Spray Options Depending on the Ant Species

There’s a wide variety of ant species. All species also undergo life cycle changes. Choosing an effective ant spray includes knowing what kind of ants are invading your property and whether they’re settled in, swarming, or searching for a new home.

Then you need to decide if you want to make your resident ants move on or if you’re going to kill them. Carpenter and fire ants are two species you almost always want to eradicate.

Argentine ants are relatively new in the States and have proven exceptionally difficult to eliminate. They have hundreds of queens and can move their nests quickly and frequently. Argentine ants drive out native species, which has made them hated in most communities.

• Killing Fire Ants
  Monterey Garden Insect Spray with Spinosad Concentrate has proven successful for many people, although Terro and the other products described above are effective in some instances. Remove any rotting wood, as that’s where they like to nest.
  
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  Read Verified Customer Reviews

Ants come into your yard and house looking for food and water. Ensuring there’s nothing edible exposed goes a long way toward getting ants. All water leaks need to be fixed.

But when an ant invasion creates problems, you can use ant sprays to cover large areas efficiently. If you can’t find the ant trails or their nest, you can easily spray wherever you’ve seen them crawling. Sooner or later, your spray’s toxic ingredients will return to the nest, ending your ant problems.

Conclusion

When it comes to ant killers, there are a lot of products on the market. So, which one should you buy? I’ve talked to homeowners around the country and asked them what their favorite ant spray product is. Based on their feedback, I’ve compiled a list of the three best ant killer sprays for homeowners.

The first product is Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer. This insecticide can be used indoors and perimeters to kill ants, spiders, cockroaches, and other insects. It contains Bifenthrin, which is known to be effective against ants.

Raid Max Ant & Roach Spray comes in second place. It’s a contact killer that kills ants on contact with a fast-acting formula.

And finally, Bifen I/T Insecticide Concentrate rounds out our top three picks. You can use this concentrate indoors or outdoors to control various pests, including ants, roaches, fleas, and ticks.

Diatomaceous Earth

DE is a multipurpose remedy for killing ants naturally. This white powder is derived from the fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. While it is entirely non-toxic to humans, it’s deadly to insects.

It can be used outside by simply sprinkling around the perimeter and safely used indoors. It may not kill the ants immediately, but you should see a change within a few days.

This formula is known to absorb lipids from the outer layer of an ant, dehydrate the insect, and cause it to die. The substance dries out their insides, as well as scratches and destroys their exoskeleton.

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Safer Diatomaceous Earth

• It's all natural and organic.
• Kills ants without any harsh chemicals.
• The safe DE will keep working for months, so don't worry about the product losing its effectiveness.

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Borax

Using Borax, water, syrup, and sugar solution, you can kill ants. Borax is a white crystalline substance made from Boric acid, a derivative of the element Boron, that comes in powder form. It’s safe for humans and pets in average quantities, but even a little bit will kill an ant. Use Borax to make your own deadly ant bait, or sprinkle it straight across the ant trail.

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Remember, the more Borax used, the higher the amount of sugar needed to attract the ants.

Be sure to mix the solution to a completely smooth formula, removing any large clumps left behind. Once they find the answer, they will come in large numbers, feed on it, and carry the rest to the colony. Within a few days, the colony should be eradicated.

Natural Remedies

Many natural remedies have been tried before and worked. To ensure your pets and children are safe, it pays to learn how to get rid of ants naturally.

Your pets are as precious as your kids, which means you want to protect them from harsh chemicals that could harm them. Choose natural pest control to keep your animals safe. More details on the best pet safe ant killer can be found here.

Who needs a store when you’ve got your kitchen? Not all pest products need to be bought. Go here for more information on homemade ant killer.

Once you kill ants, the next step is keeping them from returning. That’s where ant repellent comes in. More details on the best ant repellent can be found by clicking here.

An Easy Approach To Getting Rid Of Ants

Want to get rid of ants the easy way? Then let’s talk about no-brainer solutions that don’t require a lot of your time, money, or energy.

• Grow herbs like sage, lavender, and tansy. These strong-smelling plants are disgusting to an ant and will repel them. Growing garlic in the garden can also keep them from wanting to venture anywhere near the place.
• Vinegar is a great solution when it comes to ants. Not only does it disrupt their scent trail, but they also hate the smell and will run away from it. Mix some with water and spray all around your home where ants maybe, although beware the smell can be unpleasant to people, as well.

Trapping ants can be an effective way to get rid of and prevent them. For more information on the best ant traps, go here.

What about Baby Ants?

Baby ants might not be what you think. When you see tiny little ants, you might think they’re the babies of the colony sent out to work. But they aren’t. Baby ants stay inside the colony as larvae and have an exciting function. They sometimes help to predigest food, can serve as food for the queen ant, and give some other ants energy. In order to kill every baby ant, you must destroy the colony itself.

How to Catch a Queen Ant

An ant queen devotes her life to laying eggs and replenishing the colony. She has wings and can live many years longer than worker ants. If a colony’s queen dies, the entire colony will die soon after. If you want to catch a queen ant, there are steps you can take to do, although you should know it’s not easy. In large colonies, this process may not be possible.

• Locate an ant colony.
• Using a shovel, dig through the mound, shoveling dirt into a large bucket. Once filled, sift through the dirt with a spoon until you find the queen. She will be considerably larger than any other ant, with an especially large mid-section.

How to Get Rid of Ants in Bathroom

When there are ants in your bathroom, you should first figure out what’s drawing them in, to begin with. Standing water is appealing to ants, as they need it to survive. Fermenting hair in drains can also be a draw to certain ant types that like that kind of food source.

One way you can help prevent ants is through cleanliness. Take care to keep all pieces of food off the floors and counters, change the garbage regularly, and keep food locked in ziplock bags.

Carpenter ants are a different variety and can be a nuisance, like termites, as they like to make their home in the wood. More details on how to get rid of carpenter ants can be found here.

Sugar ants are common and often found in homes. Learn more about how to get rid of sugar ants here. Just like sugar ants like sugar, pavement ants are commonly found in pavement cracks. To learn more about how to get rid of pavement ants, click here.

These little insects we call ants don’t have to invade your home or yard forever. Keep your home yours using one proven method to get rid of ants for good.