What to do: Attack of the Indoor Ant

The ants go marching one-by-one hurrah, hurrah, the ants go marching one-by-one hurrah, hurr…wait! Stop. We should not be hurrah-ing over ants marching into our households! Nothing sucks more than waking up to these asshole critters crawling across your face.

In the Okanagan, you bet that we’ll be seeing ants pop us sooner than most of Canada’s regions. The worst part of this is that during the awkward warming times between seasons these ants are going to take refuge inside! And if you’ve seen Ant-Man, you’ll understand how difficult it is to kill off these pests.

Seriously, just take a look at the video above… RIP Thomas the Train.

Although, Ant-Man is supposedly the good guy… we are going to have to side with Yellow Jacket just this once for the sake of this article. He may not have had the tools to crush the ants once and for all, but we do; we would like to share with you, our methods for ridding ants from your home.

Identify Them

From a distance they all look the same, right? Annoying, small, creepy- you get the picture. But often, ants that inhabit your home are the odorous house ants/sand ants! These little guys aren’t dangerous (meaning you won’t end up dead the next day from a poisonous ant bite- like that of the fire ant), but they are indeed bothersome. We have written a previous article going deeper detail on how to identify these insects, but, for now, look out for small, black/brown six-legged creatures scampering about your home.

Locate the B@$tards

It could be just a little crack in your floor or a hole in the wall, but these weak spots are inviting entryways for ants to invade your home. They tend to group around areas with water sources and sweeter foods, like fruit or pastries, but they also gather just about anywhere. What’s even worse? Once summer hits, these ants will move their nests as often as every three weeks, making it harder to identify their location and get rid of them. Best to call a pest control company and have it taken care of swiftly.

Do It Yourself Antidotes

As much as we advise you to call us, control them in the mean time. Our top tips include:

Store your foods securely and keep all surfaces clean. Ants can search and locate crumbs and food grease like a moth to a flame.
Trim your trees and shrubs that are surrounding your house. Ants are kind of like the prince that found Rapunzel; they’ll climb towers (aka plants) to reach their goal.
Use bait to kill that ants that have already accessed your home. Be sure to put the bait nearby places you have seen the ants travel near frequently.
Attack the Queen! Aim for the source of the problem and poison the food her minions bring her. Once she’s taken care of, chances of an increasing colony are erased.

When to Call Pest Control

Ideally, the beginning of the problem is the perfect time to call pest control. You wouldn’t let a robber sleep in your home, so why let these mini-intruders camp out in your space?