How to Get Rid of Ants in Apartment without Harmful Chemicals
As the most common household pests around the world, it is essential for every urban dweller to know how to get rid of ants in apartment.
Even though ants are not harmful, they are still bothersome insects and something anyone wants to remove from the house or apartment.
Then, what should homeowners do to deal with the infestation of ants in their apartments? Do natural pest remedies work to get rid of them?
For your easy reference, below are some of the tips on how to get rid of ants in apartment naturally.
1. Eliminate Ants with Chalk Lines
One of the most common solutions to deter ants in the house and apartment is by drawing a chalk line around door frames, outside the windows, and other entry points.
It works because chalk lines can interrupt the ant scent trail and warn these insects not to come in.
Hence, get chalk paint from your local hardware store. Consider combining this method with another deterrent to keep ants away from your apartment.
2. Use Essential Oils to Deter Ants
Essential oils are not only useful for their aromatherapy scents. You can also use them as a natural method on how to get rid of ants in apartment.
It is no secret that many gardeners take advantage of essential oils to disturb a variety of insects and spiders.
When it comes to tips on how to get rid of ants in apartment, essential oils make a nice substitute to the extreme chemical solutions.
Below are some of the best essential oils that you can take into account for deterring ants.
Cinnamon Oils
Aside from making your recipes more delicious, cinnamon oils are also effective to fight the infestation of ants.
You can easily apply this essential oil into numerous surface areas, including window sills and doorways that become the common entry points of ants.
Simply grab a cotton swab and dip it into high-concentrated cinnamon oil. Then, draw some borders with it as a secret on how to get rid of ants in apartment.
Peppermint Oils
Similar to cinnamon, peppermint oils are also a popular pest deterrent that you can count on every time you need a trick on how to get rid of ants in apartment.
Prepare a spray bottle with clear water and mix it with some drops of peppermint oils.
Then, apply the solution around the perimeter of your window sills, living areas, or where you notice the presence of ants in the apartment.
Do not overlook vulnerable areas like cracks and gaps in the windows or doors since ants tend to use such spaces for their nests too.
Repeat the treatment every several days until the ants go away. While using peppermint oil as an ant deterrent, you can expect it to frighten other pests like cockroaches as well.
3. How to Get Rid of Ants in Apartment with Lemon Juice
Another natural way to eliminate ants in your apartment is by using lemon juice. You can use it for cleaning as well as preventing these pests from establishing their nest in the kitchen.
It is the acid of lemon juice that deters ants since it creates confusion with the insects’ tracking ability and leads them to go elsewhere.
To use it, you just need to squeeze some lemons into an empty spray bottle. Then, search for any crack or hole around your apartment to find the ants’ entry points.
After that, seal the holes and cracks with caulk. Aside from ants, lemon juice will work against fleas and roaches as these animals typically hate the strong smell of the fruit.
4. Eradicate Ant Infestations by Cleaning
This is one of the simplest yet effective methods on how to get rid of ants in apartment. Keeping your place clean is not only great for pest control, but also for being more organized.
The best way is to limit having a meal in one area and not to leave food out. If you like to eat in multiple spaces around your apartment, it is more likely to draw an infestation of ants.
Since ants coming to your home to find food, eliminating the potential food source for them will be the best thing to do.
Therefore, before you try any trick on how to get rid of ants in apartment, do not forget to clean first. A good deep cleaning will help to control the problem naturally.
Start with sweeping and mopping every part of your apartment. Then, take out your trash and clean out the inside of the can.
If you often leave foodstuff on counters, make sure to cover it properly or use a sealed container to keep food.
After that, spray any area where you have ever noticed ant colonies before. Use a mix of water and vinegar as the solution.
5. Green Ant Control in the Apartment
If there are children and pets, you probably need a trick on how to get rid of ants in apartment that will not cause trouble to them.
You will not want to use traps since your pets may find them and try to eat them. Sprays may not be a good choice because you are afraid that your baby will crawl around the floor.
In this case, practicing green control will be a good alternative on how to get rid of ants in apartment. You can follow the following principles to do so.
For eliminating the ants, you can consider vacuuming or spraying them with soapy water or window cleaner. Wait until they drown and wipe them immediately afterward.
To eliminate the ant trail, you should follow the pests to find out their entry point into your apartment. Then, eradicate the trail by using a mix of water and vinegar or a strong detergent.
You can also drench a piece of cloth with rubbing alcohol to eliminate the ant trail.
Other Alternatives on How to Get Rid Of Ants Permanently
If you have tried all the above natural methods on how to get rid of ants in apartment and found that the infestation persists, be worry that the issue is probably bigger than just your living space.
Ask other tenants if they also experience the same problem and let the exterminator of your apartment complex know the solutions that you have tried.
In case they suspect if there is an anthill close to the complex, the best solution is to get rid of this nest.
Hunt down the nest before attempting another technique on how to get rid of ants.
These insects like locations like flooring with water break. Thus, make sure to check your ceilings and walls for any leaks.
Furthermore, you may need to have professional pest control to get the best protection and get rid of the ant infestations permanently.
Professional pest control not only helps eradicate unwanted pests like ants in your apartment but also prevents them to come back.
You can ask your landlord to have professional pest control if your apartment has not got any treatment recently.
Common Apartment Ants That You Should Know
There are numerous types of ants out there, having dissimilar preferences from one to another. As a consequence, different deterrent methods typically work for different kinds of these pests only.
For instance, you may think that ants only love something sweet and do not clean under the lid of your stove thoroughly without realizing that there are species of these insects that love grease.
As a consequence, being able to identify what kind of ants invade your apartment is somewhat important. You can follow this guide below.
Caribbean Crazy Ants
Highly adaptable to both moist and dry habitats, Caribbean crazy ants are everywhere throughout the United States.
They typically enter your apartment after rainfall or in the autumn since both circumstances decrease the supply of honeydew in nature.
Crazy ants are 1/16 to 1/8 inch in size and have dark brown to black bodies with a gray sheen. You may easily find them beneath carpets or floors in the apartment.
Carpenter Ants
Different from Crazy ants, these species have a reddish-black appearance with a size of 5/8 inch.
They typically enter your apartment through cracks around windows and doors, holes in a structure, or damaged wood.
It is important to know the secret on how to get rid of carpenter ants in apartment since they can cause severe damage to your property.
Their habit is to tunnel via wood to create nests. If they acquire more than one nest inside the structure and have been active for a long time, the property damage may get more severe.
You can use the above methods on how to get rid of ants in apartment to deal with them. Then, seal any crack and hole around your apartment to prevent them from coming back.
Argentine Ants
This is another common ant type that invades an apartment. Its body comes in dark brown color with a typical size of 1/16 to ¼ inch.
These species inhabit the southeastern parts of the United States. Also, Argentine ant colonies generally love damp locations that are close to their food source.
In an apartment, you should take a look at the kitchen for their infestation.
Since they may pose a health threat by contaminating your food, make sure to practice good hygiene in your space to prevent its infestation.
Odorous House Ants
The infestation of these pests should be another reason to understand how to get rid of ants in apartment.
The ants will not cause structural damage to your property or pose a public health risk. However, they can contaminate your foodstuff.
You can easily find odorous house ants in many regions. They have a dark brown to black appearance and their size is between 1/16 and 1/8 inch.
Odorous house ants tend to live for a few years and prefer homes in exposed soil when nesting outdoors. While indoors, they typically reside under floors and in wall cracks.
Red Imported Fire Ants
Ranging from 1/8 to 3/8 inch in size, fire ants are species that you can find in several regions, such as New Mexico, California, Texas, and Maryland.
If you wonder how to get rid of ants in apartment, being able to identify this common type is indeed important.
Fire ants usually establish their nest mounds in landscape areas instead of indoors.
Therefore, if you notice species with dark reddish-brown inside your apartment, make sure to check if there is an anthill outdoor.
They can get into your apartment through cracks and holes in the exterior structure. Since fire ants tend to sting when disturbed, ensure to be careful while controlling them.
Whatever types you find, make sure to take necessary action on how to get rid of ants in apartment immediately. Never wait until the infestation gets worse.
Keep in mind that infestations of all ant types will continue to develop without proper treatment.
You can always contact a licensed pest professional to assist in both the identification and treatment of particular species found.
How to Prevent Ants from Coming Back to Your Apartment
Similar to the tips on how to get rid of ants in apartment, the advice related to its prevention varies too. Sealing up the crack with a dab of caulk is typically one of the suggestions.
Diminishing moisture or standing water in your apartment by repairing any leak immediately is another significant thing to do.
You should watch out for hose bibs as well as other supply lines in this view.
If are growing houseplants in your apartment, make sure to watch them out as some types of ants may use them to establish the nest.
It is also important to store your food properly as another trick on how to get rid of ants in apartment.
Do not leave dishes in the kitchen sink for more than 2 days. Clean spills on any surface right away to avoid attracting ants to your space.
Instead of being panic when noticing ant colonies in your apartment, start to sweep, vacuum, and perform deep cleaning.
Spray pest barrier if needed and maintain the good habit to keep ants at bay.
In summary, dealing with ants can be unlikable work, but the key on how to get rid of ants in apartment or other buildings is to take any necessary action shortly after you suspect ant infestation. Good luck!
