Did you know that there are more than 12,000 different types of ants? Some of those ants love nothing more than snacking on sugary spills in American kitchens. Sugar ants can be a real pain!
You can take your home back from sugar ants, but it requires diligence and strategizing. Read on to learn how to get rid of sugar ants or prevent them from showing up in the first place.
1. Clean Your Sink Often
If you think that your kitchen is clean and free of any potential ant attractors, but there are still ants lurking around, the problem might be hiding in your sink or drain!
When you rinse off your dishes, small bits of food may be getting stuck in the crevices of your sink or in the drain. Those bits of food will attract pesky 6-legged invaders.
Wipe down and disinfect your sink at least once per week, more if you're noticing ants.
2. Wipe up Sugary Messes
During ant season, it's more important than ever to clean up sugary messes as soon as they happen. Whether it's a popsicle that melted on the floor, a teaspoon of sugar that missed the coffee cup, or a leftover apple slice on the counter, all of that sugar will attract ants.
To avoid problems, get rid of messes immediately before an ant can find them.
3. Completely Seal Food Containers
Anyone who's ever had a serious ant infestation knows this scenario.
You get up in the morning and pour yourself a bowl of cereal. When you look closely, you see that your cereal is full of ants! That's right, they've gotten into your cereal box.
This isn't as uncommon as you'd think. Any containers that aren't sealed are going to attract motivated sugar ants.
We recommend putting all foods into easy-to-seal containers. Pour cereal right into a plastic or glass container instead of leaving it in the box. If you have a sugar bowl for your coffee, consider putting it in a jar instead.
4. Regularly Take out the Trash
You probably forget about sugary messes as soon as the remnants go into the trash, but the ants don't forget. Sugar ants don't discriminate based on where their food is. If it's edible, they will find it.
If you're dealing with a sugar ant infestation, start taking out the trash every day. If this feels wasteful, consider having a small separate trash can for food waste (which would attract ants).
5. Call a Pest Control Professional
If you're truly feeling overwhelmed by your sugar ant situation, why not hire a professional to take care of it? You could use a store-bought sugar ant killer, but it won't be as effective or quick, especially if you have a true infestation.
A pest control pro knows how to kill sugar ants so you don't have to.
Evict Those Sugar Ants
Dealing with sugar ants is a pain, but you can use these tips to prevent or control your sugar ant situation! When in doubt, hire a pro for a quick sugar ant eviction.
At AAA Pest Control, we want to help you with your pest problem. Contact us so we can make your home ant-free.