Sugar ant pest control mostly refers to controlling pavement ants and pharaoh ants. Technically “sugar ants” as a species live in Australia. It’s the pavement and pharaoh ants that live in the U.S. They appear in your kitchen and mostly from March through September. Here are some tips for eliminating the problem.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: What Are They?
Here in the Northeastern U.S., we’re talking about pavement ants and pharaoh ants, tiny black ants you might see swarming around a crack in your sidewalk or trailing across your kitchen floor and swarming over a piece of food that fell into the floor space between your refrigerator and kitchen counter. There are more of these kinds of ants than any other ant species in North America. The phrase “Little Black Ants” has also been used.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: What Do They Eat?
These ants eat almost anything. They love sweets, thus the reference to “sugar ants”, but also love protein. The best way to eliminate them is to completely remove all open sources of food from your home. This may prove to be a little tricky. Here are some food sources that attract ants:
Sugar Ant Pest Control: Unwashed Dishes
Even though a dish that has held food items may look clean, there is probably enough residue to attract thousands of sugar ants. If you leave dishes in the sink, even though they are in standing soapy water, that will attract sugar ants. If you wash the dishes, yet fail to thoroughly rinse the sink and drain, you’re leaving sugar ants a feast. For good measure, and to completely wipe out all the odors that could attract sugar ants, pour ¼ cup of bleach or white vinegar down the drain every few days.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: Dirty Counter Tops
The key here is to eliminate all odor that could attract sugar ants. Place a little bleach on a paper towel and wipe down all your counter tops and your kitchen table. The bleach or white vinegar will totally eliminate the pheromone smell that guides ants along their trail. Confused, they’ll turn around and look for another source of food, hopefully outside your home.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: Dirty Floors
If sugar ants are a problem in your home, completely mop your kitchen floors and any other floors in your home where sugar ants have been seen at least once a day in the evening. Again, add at least ¼ cup of bleach or white vinegar to a half bucket of warm water. It only takes one sugar ant scout to locate a food source, no matter how small, and then guide the entire nest to that spot.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: Dirty Carpets
Carpets conceal a lot of the food that sugar ants love. This includes bread crumbs, sugar, any other food that you yourself enjoy and also dead insects. Basically, all organic plant based or animal based matter is an attractive food source for sugar ants. Did you pour flour into a measuring cup? The dust from that flour could settle on your carpet and remain there until next time you vacuum—long enough to attract an entire colony of sugar ants.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: Dirty Garbage Containers
Don’t even dream of throwing your garbage into a garbage can either inside or outside of your home without a strong garbage bag. And, replace the garbage bag at least weekly. You might even wipe the clean looking garbage container down with the mixture of warm water and bleach or white vinegar each week. Think “hospital cleanliness”, or “computer clean room cleanliness”. The image of those guys wearing clean suits and white gloves comes to mind. Note that this is if you have a sugar ant problem and really want to get rid of it. Another great measure of clean success is this: If you could picture yourself eating off of the surface you just cleaned, you’re probably in good shape. If you could not picture yourself eating off of that surface, it’s probably due to the odor or bacteria on that surface and endangerment to your health. Well, that odor is exactly what attracts sugar ants.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: Big Sugar Ant Problems
An additional line of attack where the problem is great is to use ant baits. A small drop of ant bait is placed on a small piece of cardboard in a place where you’re seeing sugar ants, say, in that spot on the floor near the base of your refrigerator. The most popular baits are commonly a mixture of corn syrup and boric acid, or Borax. Google “pavement ant bait”. Sugar ants take the bait back to their colony and this method had been successful in completely wiping out a colony. Used in conjunction with the clean room approach noted above, this can be every effective in eliminating or controlling a sugar ant infestation in your home.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: Plant Remedies
Whole cloves and bay leaves are another natural sugar ant deterrent, and also can effectively deter moths and other pests while leaving a clean scent. Place them along baseboards and under counter tops—anywhere food is stored or prepared. Place them where ants might enter into your home. Place them in your garbage containers outside the garbage bag.
Sugar Ant Pest Control: When To Call In a Professional Sugar Ant Exterminator
Following the above practices will most likely rid your home of sugar ants. However, if you have a sugar ant problem, you might want to hire a professional sugar ant control expert like ApolloX Pest Control to eliminate the problem initially, and then use the above control measures to maintain a sugar ant-free home.
An added benefit of ApolloX pest control is that we’ll also look at the areas outside your home where the sugar ant colonies exist. In addition, we’ll consider the presence of other pest species, and a more comprehensive approach to a pest-free home.
What good is it to get rid of sugar ants if you have a mouse, rat, coachroach, moth or termite problem?
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