When the first days of spring start heating up then the bugs around your home will start looking for food. Most people notice this when they see small black ants in their kitchen but this is not the only place ants will search for food. The best way to stop ants from invading your home is to act quickly and in this how to we will look at the three primary methods of preventing and killing ants before they become a major problem.
The Three Types Of Ant Killers
There are three primary products that you can use to kill and prevent ants and for best results you will need to use all three products.
The first is Ant Sprays. These chemicals come in both an outdoor and indoor/outdoor rating so if you are using them indoors make sure they are rated for indoor use. They are to be used to immediately kill swarms of ants that you can visually see and to lay down a perimeter around your home that ants hopefully won’t cross. Read the directions carefully. For indoor use be careful especially in your kitchen when using these products. Outdoors you want to spray a 1 foot wide barrier around your home’s foundation and at openings like doors and basement windows.
Granular Ant Killers are normally used outside the home but also can be used in crawl spaces under your home that are not part of your living space. These products can be used both as a perimeter barrier but also as a widely distributed product that can treat your entire lawn. I like to use this product without dilution in a garden spreader to provide a 4 foot wide perimeter around the home and then add this product to weed and feed fertilizer and apply it throughout the yard to help kill ants that are away from the home. They are also rated to kill other pests and even grubs so read the directions and apply them as recommended.
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he final type of ant killer is Bait Traps. Bait traps are great to use both indoors and outdoors depending on the product’s rating. The ants will be attracted to the bait and return to their hive with it and when the other ants eat it they will die. This is effective because it will kill the queen which lays the eggs. Granular ant products also work in this way. Normally these traps are set where you see paths of ants entering your home or where you see ant hills outside your home. For use in your kitchen I suggest a product like Terro. They do not sponsor this site but they are the most effective indoor bait trap I have ever seen so I will recommend them. The chemical in the terro bait trap is safe for indoor use and there are no bad smells. Place them along pathways or near door openings and trash cans and the ants will be attracted to them like a magnet.
Final Note
For the best results you should make use of all of these products if you can. Sprays are great to kill ants you see and put down a perimeter around your home. Bait Traps are great for indoor use and they also can be used outdoors in limited ways. Finally Granular products that are applied with a garden spreader can provide a way to treat your entire yard.
Treating your entire yard is very important because by reducing the number of ants and pests near your home you will reduce the ones that enter your home.
Don’t worry about killing ants and pest insects they will always come back and they will eventually take over the world. At least thats what the professionals say.
It may seem like a never ending battle but you should see good results if you follow manufacturer’s direction for the use of these products and you apply them both as a preventative and as a way to kill ants you actively see.