Sugar ants in the kitchen shocks most homeowners almost as much as a snake in the garden! They are annoying invaders that require immediate action to rid them from the house. These are some questions that go through your mind when you see them: why are they here, where did they get in and how do I get rid of them.
The sugar ants come into the house or apartment for water, food and warmth. The other rooms where sugar ants will venture are the bathroom and laundry room. For the kitchen area, try to keep the counters clean of any food debris along with cleaning the dishes in the sink. If you like to take your sweetened drinks with you to other rooms of the house, beware if you leave them, because the ant scouts are always looking for sweet nutrients wherever they can be found.
Where did the sugar ants in the kitchen come from? Look around the windowsill in your kitchen, under the sink and around the door to see if there is a trail of ants. Try not to squash the ants on the counter even though you want to, until you can follow their trail back to where they are getting inside. Ants also like to trail under the edge of carpets. Inspect the edge of the carpets along the tack strip. If you have a fireplace or sliding glass door those are good places to look, also.
Third question and the most important is how to get rid of the sugar ants in the kitchen. If you could use a sure fire product that works and is not harmful to you or your pets, wouldn’t that be great! You don’t have to do any mixing or dripping; just a snip of the end, lay the trap on the counter and walk away. I’m not kidding; these Terro gel traps are filled with a sweet food based product similar to pancake syrup plus Borax. Borax, a mineral mined in the desert in California, is a common active ingredient used in many soap products.
The gel of the traps kills ants but will not harm people or pets. If some gets spilled on your skin there will be no reaction at all. Just wash with warm water. Pets occasionally find the gel traps and eat the gel. When that happens do nothing because the product is not toxic enough to cause a problem and the pet will be fine. Now that’s a really good recommendation from the manufacturer! Today’s consumer really tries to buy products that are more organic and natural which is safer for them and the environment.
When you put out the gel traps, look to see where you see the trail of ants and place it in their path. They will crawl in and nibble the gel, take it back to the nest to feed others and then they will all die. It may take 48 hours to completely take care of the problem, but it will take care of the sugar ants in the kitchen problem.
Let’s look further around your house to see if we can detect any problems outside. Check around the foundation of your house to see if they are living in the soil. Ants like to nest and forage in trails behind vegetation that might be up against the foundation. If you have any items on the ground near the foundation, check under them as ants like to nest there. If you have mulch in your landscaping, pull it back away from the foundation as that can harbor several colonies of ants. Terro has a great outdoor liquid ant bait station that you can place around the foundation. They are self contained so you won’t get any on yourself as you set them out. Safe, clean and easy to use…plus they work!
When you have sugar ants in your kitchen, remember there is a solution that is safe & easy to use with the Terro gel traps.
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