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Ants are not generally considered dangerous but they can certainly be a nuisance, especially if they are walking all over your house and in your food. Of course, having ants in the garden can be just as disturbing, especially if you accidentally sit on their nest.
Ants may not generally be aggressive, but they will attack if their nest is threatened, and lots of any bites can be painful. It can also cause an allergic reaction which could be more serious.
Don’t forget, an ant doesn’t carry disease and won’t infect you directly. But, bacteria can stick to their feet and be moved from place to place, leaving you exposed to bacteria. For example, bacteria that live in waste pipes can stick to the feet of an ant that then walks on your countertop. That’s not a pleasant thought.
It’s time you contacted your local pest control experts to eliminate the issue! You can assist them by undertaking the following steps to get rid of ants in your home and yard.
Boiling Water
This is a surprisingly effective way to get rid of ants. Boil your kettle and then look at the nest. You’ll want to find as many entry/exit points as possible. Pour the boiling water into the different entrances, it will kill the ants.
You’ll likely have to repeat several times to kill all of them.
Liquid Soap and Oil
Liquid soap and oil combine to create a sticky substance that adheres to the exoskeleton of the ants. This prevents them from being able to breathe properly and effectively suffocates them. It’s quick and relatively painless.
You’ll want to put half a teaspoon of liquid soap with two teaspoons of olive oil and approximately a quart of water. Mix thoroughly. It can be placed in a spray bottle and sprayed on the ants or simply poured into their nest. Then monitor to see if you need to repeat.
Boric Acid
Boric acid is toxic to ants and they know it. But, if you mix 2 teaspoons of boric acid with a teaspoon of sugar you can create a paste. This can then be positioned near the entrances to the ant's nest. The sugar will appeal to the ants and they’ll eat the mix. But, best of all, they will carry some of the food back to their nest and give it to their queen and other ants in the colony. It effectively kills the colony in a very short space of time.
White vinegar
White vinegar kills ants the moment it touches them. Simply pour it into the nest and the ants will die. You can test it on odd ants first but a liter of white vinegar should be effective against a standard size nest.
It won’t even negatively affect the soil or surrounding plants.
It’s worth speaking to your local experts to get additional tips. Find out more here and eliminate the ant problem in your house and garden today!
