If one creature loves to eat sweets and everything sugary, it has to be the sugar ants. Think about it; these ants love sugar so much that they’re named ‘Sugar Ants’!
But this can be a problem, especially for homeowners, as these insects launch full-scale invasions to get their pincers on something sweet!
So, once they enter your house, the question arises: how do you get sugar ants out of your house?
Even though sugar ants don’t pose any potential health hazards like other pests and insects, they can be an annoyance. This is especially true when they swarm your kitchen and get all over your utensils and cookware.
Here are five ways to get these pesky insects out of your house:
- Clean up the food source.
- Clean your sink & garbage disposal.
- Seal off all entry points.
- Place ant repellents.
- Worst-case scenario, call a professional.
These are some simple DIY methods to eliminate sugar ants in your house.
So why are sugar ants in your house in the first place? And how to get them out? Let’s go into the details!
Why Are Sugar Ants in Your House?
Even though you may be keeping your house clean, something you’re missing is attracting the sugar ants inside.
Remember, insects and pests are always looking for two things:
- Nourishment through food and water.
- Shelter for safety and reproduction.
So, if your home is warm and cozy and has plenty of food crumbs and leftovers, sugar ants would love to move in as uninvited guests.
Did you know sugar ants have 4 to 5 times stronger odor receptors than other insects? This enables them to detect even the tiniest particle of sweets and sugars from a distance.
With sugar ants, only one scout must penetrate your house’s perimeter and locate the food. Once they have done so, they’ll hurry back, leaving a trail of pheromones for the worker ants to come and gather the food.
5 Ways To Get Rid of Sugar Ants
So, here are the five ways you can kick these bugs out of your home…
1. Clean Up the Food Source
The first and most important step is to cut off the food supply. They won’t have a reason to be in your house if there is nothing to eat.
We all love fruit, candy, cake, honey, soft drinks, and jam. But leaving bits and pieces lying around or not sweeping the floor or the kitchen counter to remove any residue is a simple invitation to the sugar ants to come and have some.
So clean, sweep and vacuum!
2. Clean Your Sink & Garbage Disposal
This is one area of the kitchen that goes unnoticed regarding food residue.
Even though the dishes are washed and cleared, some residual food is always left for the sugar ants to detect and come after.
Sugar ants can detect each other’s pheromones at a distance of 20 meters and can make troop lines that extend to 90 meters to carry food back to their nest!
The same goes for garbage disposals, as the odor from there is too tempting for the ants to resist.
So, always wipe down your sink with liquid dishwashing soap and run a little bit of bleach through the garbage disposal, so the ants don’t catch any trails of food scents.
3. Seal off All Entry Points
Once you have cleaned up their food source, it’s time to cut off their backup.
Sugar ants always move in lines, so as soon as you see them creeping about, follow their troop movement. This will lead you to their point(s) of entry.
The most common places are:
- Windows and door sills
- Through the basement
- Cracks in the walls
- Gaps around the plumbing
- Baseboards along the floor
The best action would be to seal all these cracks and crevices to prevent sugar ants from entering.
You can spray the following solutions at entry points to remove the scent of the ant’s pheromone trail while also disrupting their senses to detect food:
- One part water mixed with one part vinegar
- Mixing peppermint or lavender oil with one part water
- Hanging garlic cloves and placing bay leaves to deter ants
4. Place Ant Repellents
To ensure that sugar ants don’t consider your home their backdoor food spot, use ant repellents to eliminate them.
Diatomaceous earth is a fine white powder that is deadly to insects but safe for pets and humans.
Sprinkle it on the spots where you see ant movements and on corners of the walls and cupboards, behind appliances, and around the sink’s drainage area.
Once the ants touch this powder, they will slowly die off. You can clean off this powder every 10 to 14 days and replenish it, so the sugar ants stay out of your house.
5. Worst-Case Scenario – Call a Professional
With sugar ants, the problem arises when they start making additional colonies by moving from one place to another. Colony-budding sugar ants are known to have multiple fertile queens at different colony locations.
If you tried all the above methods but still face continuous sugar ant invasions, you may have a colony under your house or within the walls. This is where you’ll need to call in professional help.
Professional exterminators can effectively and efficiently locate the source of the ant invasions and destroy it before it spreads even further.
Conclusion
With sugar ants, you never know how deep they have penetrated your house, so as soon as you see them crawling around, take action!
Here are 5 ways to get sugar ants out of your house:
- Clean up the food source.
- Clean your sink & garbage disposal.
- Seal off all entry points.
- Place ant repellents.
- Worst-case scenario, call a professional.
With sugar ants out of your house, you can relax and not worry about insects crawling all over your sweets!
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Smashing Sugar Ants Attract More Ants?
Yes! When you smack and pound on sugar ants, they give off pheromones that either alert or attract more ants to that location.
Are Sugar Ants Harmful?
Sugar ants are not harmful as they don’t carry any diseases or viruses. However, they are a nuisance as they crawl all over your food and may attract other pests like spiders.
Can Sugar Ants Damage Your Home?
Unlike other ant breeds that can tear down entire structures over time, sugar ants can chew through thin plastic, cardboard, and wooden structures to reach their food source. This can also make way for other pests to enter your home.
