How will you get rid of ants like carpenter ants? The first thing you must do when getting rid of ants or any house pest is to prevent your home from being an ideal place to live in. Any potential homeowner susceptible to ant invasion should be aware of this. This means that you have to keep your home clean and free from any food scraps specifically sweets which attract ants.
Seal the entry point
Any entry point for ants to your house should be barricaded with the use of caulking material. This material would be used to seal doors, windows and any cracks which the ants may crawl through.
Sprinkle deterrent substances on the entry
The suspected entryways should also be lined with deterrent substances such as talc and salt which should be spread near windows, under the doors and walls when getting rid of ants.
Talc can be found in Tailor’s chalk as well as baby powder and is effective in creating a line obstacle to get rid of ants. The distribution of talc, however, should be done with caution due to its carcinogenity.
Use natural ant repellent
Scents disliked by ants such as those from vinegar, peppermint oil, black pepper, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, bay leaves can also be used as a barrier. Just make surface the substance you used is not harmful to the health when inhaled.
Use non-poisonous substances
The most basic way in getting rid of ants is killing them. An infestation of ants needs aggressive extermination which is a least popular choice but necessary in this occasion.
Killing a line of ants can be first done in a not so harmful approach then you can spray the path with an all-purpose cleaner or a bleach solution to prevent other ants from using the trail again. You can also spray the nest to make sure you get rid of all the ants since killing only a colony will only encourage other species to establish a new set of colonies.
A good way but rather unusual way in getting rid of ants is to kill ant scouts which are lone ants sent to search for food. An individual ant strolling on your table or the kitchen sink is probably a scout ant and should be liquidated at once and never be allowed to get back to the colony.
Use homemade borax ant killer
Poisoning of ants is a fairly direct way of getting rid of them. You can use a home made mixture consisting of boric acid powder or borax with water and sugar which is the most familiar ant killer bait.
Boric acid can kill ants in two ways, externally and internally when swallowed, making its potency high. The solution should consist of 2 tablespoons of boric acid, 1 cup water, 2 cups of sugar. The bait should be placed next to the ant trail or you can place it in an appropriately safe area of the pantry or dining room or kitchen where ants seem to be congregating.