How to Get Rid of Pest Ants – An Integrated Pest Management Guide

With nearly 1,000 species of ants found in the United States, only a handful of ant species are considered a significant pest species. Ants play an important role in our landscape; they decompose organic waste, eat dead and dying animals and insects, and aerate the soil. Most ant species in the landscape do not interfere with human structures and do not bite, however a few species of ants in the United States have grown so comfortable with humans that they seem to require a human footprint nearby for the ant species to thrive.

This category of ant is called tramp ants,. There are a few species of ants in the generally category of tramp ants, and they share several key features. Tramp ants live in close association with humans; they thrive with the moisture we introduce into the soil. Tramp ants get this nickname because they often hitch a ride with humans and easily adapt to new surroundings.

Many of these ant species have multiple queens associated with the colony. This allows the colonies to greatly expand and grow very large. Then, they establish sub-colonies and satellite nests to disperse their ant populations. This helps to ensure their survival during catastrophic events such as flooding, attack by enemy insects, or a pest control application. Because of their nesting structure and reproductive habits and capabilities, it often feels like you are chasing these ants around your home and yard.

Tramp ants of all species can be frustrating for homeowners and Pest Management Professionals alike. By utilizing the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Principles described in this article, you can get control of these ants and keep them from invading your home. IPM Principles of Ant Management will require more than a spray it and forget it approach, but if followed and the area monitored regularly, your home will effectively be ant free.

Sugar Ant Identification AKA Pest Ants

As stated above, tramp ant is a general term for ants with similar characteristics, but most lay people have never even heard of that term. Usually, people call any tiny annoying ant that is trailing into the kitchen a sugar ant. What we commonly refer to as sugar ants are technically not sugar ants. The banded sugar ant is a different species entirely and native to Australia. But, since most of our pest ants enjoy a sweet treat, the name is understandable.

Each ant species has its own unique biology, food preferences and control methods, so identification can be critical to selecting the best control. An absolute insect identification may require an experienced and knowledgeable set of eyes and quite possibly even a microscope. If you choose not to hire a Pest Management Professional, contact your local extension office for help with the identification. They are a valuable and trusted resource.

Individual ants captured for identification purposes should be held in a small vial to preserve key identifying characters and sent to experts for identification, e.g., to your local county extension office or regional or state extension specialist. To find your local agent or specialist go to www.nifa.usda.gov/Extension/index.html

The ant species listed below are the most common ants that invade homes and businesses. To begin an ant identification, grab a magnifying glass if you have one. You will need to look closely at the body of the ant. A distinguishing feature on ants is called the petiole. As insects, ants have 3 body segments, the head, thorax, and abdomen. If you look closely at the specimen, between the thorax (the middle section) and the abdomen most ants have petiole, or small bumps on their narrow waist. Of the most common pest ant species, only two species have 2 bumps or petiole, the bigheaded ant and the pharaoh ant. All of the other ants discussed below have only 1 bump between the thorax and abdomen.

Crazy Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Black crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis Latreille, Tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva Mayr
• Size: 3/32 – 1/8 inch
• Color: dark brown to black
• Behavior: not strong trailing ant, moves in fast erratic movements, tawny crazy ant can be so numerous that they blanket the ground and trees
• Nests: outdoors in wood and trees, and indoors in wall voids and under items
• Key characteristics: all workers are about the same size, multiple queens in the colony, long antennae with no club, long legs, with gray-white erect hairs, one node between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: protein for tawny crazy ant, sweet for black crazy ant

Odorous House Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Tapinoma sessile Say
• Size: 1/16 – 1/8 inch
• Color: dark brown to black
• Behavior: travel in wandering patterns and becomes erratic when disturbed with abdomen raised
• Nests: indoors under sinks and doors mats, in insulation and dishwashers and outdoors under rocks, in potted plants and garbage cans.
• Key characteristic: all workers are about the same size, multiple queens in the colony, large abdomen, worker ants smell like rotten coconuts when crushed, one node between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: sweet sometimes protein

Formerly identified as White Footed Ants Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Technomyrmex difficilis Forel
• Size: 1/8 inch
• Color: brown-black to black
• Behavior: heavy trails, association with honeydew producing insects, move nests fast when disturbed
• Nests: many locations indoors and outdoors
• Key characteristics: all workers are about the same size, multiple queens in the colony, yellowish-white feet, one node between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: sweet

Argentine Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Linepithema humile Mayr
• Size: 1/8 inch
• Color: light to dark brown
• Behavior: strong trailing ant with wide trails, 5-6 ants across is common
• Nests: exposed or covered soil under logs, mulch etc.
• Key characteristics: all workers are about the same size, multiple queens in the colony, triangular head and few hairs on abdomen, one node between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: sweet sometimes protein

Ghost Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricus)
• Size: 1/20 – 1/4 inch
• Color: dark head and thorax, pale abdomen and legs
• Behavior: trailing is slow and deliberate,
• Nests: indoors and outdoors, often in sites too small to sustain entire colonies
• Key characteristics: all workers are about the same size, multiple queens in the colony, one node between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: sweet and protein

Rover Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Brachymyrmex spp.
• Size: 1/12 inch
• Color: dark brown to pale blond
• Behavior: swarmers coat pools in summer
• Nests: Key characteristics: all workers are about the same size, only 1 queen, large eyes, long hairs on thorax, 9 segmented antennae, one node between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: sweet

Black Pyramid Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Dorymyrmex spp.
• Size: 1/8 inch
• Color: reddish head and thorax with black abdomen
• Behavior: forage single and move quickly, build crater-shaped nests
• Nests: in open areas free of vegetation
• Key characteristics: all workers are about the same size, only 1 queen, underside of head has long hairs, pyramid shaped projection on thorax
• Bait preference: fats and oils

Carpenter Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Florida carpenter ant, Camponotus floridanus Buckley, Tortugas carpenter ant, Camponotus tortuganus Emery, Compact carpenter ant, Camponotus planatus, Black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus
• Size: 1/4 to ½ inch – much larger than the other ants listed
• Color: tan, red, black
• Behavior: travel in loose trails, forage late in day or at night, piles of sawdust-like frass and insect parts outside nest
• Nests: hollow out wood damaged by moisture and/or fungi
• Key characteristics: workers may be many sizes, there may be 1 queen or multiple queens in the colony, thorax smooth and evenly rounded, one node between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: sweet, but they prefer to eat live insects

Big Headed Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Pheidole spp.
• Size: small workers 1/12 inch, larger workers 1/8 – 1/6 inch
• Color: red-brown with a dark abdomen
• Behavior: heavy trail followers, follow underground objects when trailing, nest under slabs, build mud tubes, create boneyards of their dead
• Nests: under logs and mulch, in firewood or next to building foundations
• Key characteristics: workers may be many sizes, multiple queens in the colony, 12 segmented antennae with a 3 segmented club, covered in sparse long hairs, pair of spines on waist, 2 nodes between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: oil-based fire ant bait, also will feed on protein, glucose or lipids

Pharaoh Ant Identification and Characteristics

• Species: Monomorium pharaonis Linnaeus
• Size: 1/16 – 1/12 inch
• Color: yellow, light brown to red with a darker almost black abdomen
• Behavior: move colony quickly if disturbed
• Nests: indoors in wall voids, refrigerator insulation, stored items etc.
• Key characteristics: all workers are about the same size, multiple queens in the colony, 12 segmented antenna with a 3 segmented club, no thoracic spines, 2 nodes between thorax and abdomen
• Bait preference: sweet, protein and oily

Characteristics of Sugar Ants or Ants Found in and Around the Home

The ants mentioned above are some of the most common nuisance indoor and outdoor pest ants. These ants are usually non-territorial hence they spread easily. When dealing with an indoor infestation, there is often more than one nest that must be eliminated. Foraging ants can invade buildings from colonies living outdoors hundreds of feet away from the structure. It is unrealistic, unpractical and undesirable to eliminate ants from an outdoor area, but steps can be taken to exclude ants and to reduce harborages in areas close to the building.

Where Do these Tiny Ants Come From?

The key to managing these ants is to closely observe and follow the ant trails to find the nest. Ants are social insects. Their nests or colonies can be found indoors and out, although some species have preferred nesting sites. The ants that you see in your kitchen or bathroom are worker ants who are foraging for food and water. As they search for food some species of ants lay down a pheromone trail that signals to other ants that he has found food and water. These ants can “recruit” other ants to a your kitchen quickly and in high numbers.

Nests often can be located by following “trails” of foraging ants. Ghost ants for example, typically nest outside and forage indoors for food. Pharoah ant on the other hand prefer to nest indoors and forage indoors and outdoors for food.

Not all ant colonies nest in permanent locations; frequently entire colonies move from one nesting site to another almost overnight. Particularly during very wet or abnormally hot and dry weather, ant colonies whose nesting areas are flooded or lack food and water often migrate indoors. It is not uncommon to see an increase in ants after a heavy rain.

By following the ant trails, you will know where to treat for ants and use your time and resources most efficiently. Focusing your efforts on killing the few foraging ants in your kitchen rarely solves an ant problem. If the colony is not eliminated, the foragers will find you again.

What Do Ants Eat?

Pest ants are commonly attracted to various kitchen and pantry foods, including sweets, oils and proteins. Many ant species eat nectar and honeydew and any sweet fruits. They will also eat insects and other proteins if they are available. Ants are opportunistic eaters; they will find your picnic or spilled juice on the counter quickly. Although most ants consume a wide variety of foods (they are omnivorous), certain species prefer some types of foods and some even change their preferences at different times of the year.

This is one of the reasons an accurate ant identification is necessary.
Once you begin your baiting treatment, knowing your ant species preferred foods will help you select the most delicious bait for your ants.
The foraging ants in your kitchen bring back food to the colony. The worker ants within the colony, including the queen and the young, are fed communally by a process called trophallaxis. The worker ants care for the brood and queen and feed them mouth to mouth. In treating for these ants, we use this lifestyle of cooperative care to our advantage. When the foragers bring back a toxic bait to the ant nest, it is fed to the young, the workers, and the queen.

Flying Ants

A nest contains one or more queen ants laying eggs and being cared for by worker ants. Worker ants, who cannot reproduce, take care of the queen and the young and forage for food. During certain times of the year, most ant species produce reproductive swarmers. These male and female ants have wings and fly from the nest to establish new colonies. When large numbers of winges swarmers are found inside your home, their colony is likely to be located somewhere inside.

Some ant colonies have more than one queen, and mating may occur within the nest without swarming. These ants form new colonies when one or more queen ants, along with some workers and brood, leave the nest and move to a new location.

Flying ants and flying termites are often confused. When a nuptial flight of a winged ant is successful, the female will burrow into a nesting site with her eggs and become a queen of that new ant nest. More often than not, the flight does not result in a new ant nest. This leaves many dead ants with wings on windowsills, front porches, and other areas around the home. Many people assume that these ants are termites and jump to the conclusion that their house is falling down. Ants and termites with wings can be easily distinguished and the treatment for each insect is vastly different. Proper identification is the key.

How to Prevent Ants from Getting Inside Your Home

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) looks deeper at a pest infestation. It asks questions such as why and how the pest got into your home, where are they concentrated, and how can I keep them from coming inside. You will seal up holes and gaps in your home and use baits to eliminate the entire colony. During this process, you will be monitoring your results; if you have gained control, no further steps are needed. If the ants are still a problem, you continue to move forward with treatments. By incrementally increasing your treatment actions, you will use less pesticides near and inside your home, and responsibly prevent and eliminate ants from your home.

Before any chemical treatment is used, a thorough inspection is necessary. In conjunction with the inspection, cleaning food and spills and decluttering the infested area is integral to gaining control of ants in the home. In this beginning phase, you should also place insect monitors in the infested areas, so that you can determine the success or failure of your actions. All of these will be discussed in much more detail below.

Inspecting Your Home For Ants

The pest inspection is the first step in getting rid of ants from your home. Identifying the ant, where they are coming from, and where their nest is located is a critical step in solving the ant problem. We discussed at length above how to identify the species of ant you are dealing with; your local extension office can identify the ant species and get your started on the right treatment track.

During your inspection you are looking for foraging workers, trailing ants, and their colonies. If you find ants trailing, you will follow the trails. It may require you to get into some dark and dirty places, but the results are worth it. The ants may be nesting inside but they are more likely nesting outside. By locating the nest, you will be able to make changes to effectuate immediate results.

Inspect interior pest vulnerable areas including kitchens and bathrooms anywhere else food or water may be present, pay particular attention to:

• Under sinks
• In cupboards
• Along pipes and electrical wires
• Wall voids
• Window sills and doorways
  Inspect exterior pest vulnerable areas , pay particular attention to:
• Window sills, doorways, vents, soffits, and all other potential entry points
• Bodies of water – especially in the summer
• Landscape plants for honeydew producing insects that provide ants a food source

Make notes from your initial inspection keeping track of where the ants are entering the structure and where they appear to be nesting. You will later compare notes as you monitor the ants after treatments.

Cleaning to Prevent and Get Rid of Ants

An ant infestation does not mean your home is filthy but changing some of your cleaning habits can help to eliminate ant infestations and prevent them from coming indoors. Ants are efficient scavengers and if they can find a way inside and food and moisture is available, they will exploit the opportunity. You will find ants feasting on a box of doughnuts as well as grease splatter from last nights fried chicken. Honey bears leak and crumbs get dropped, but the most important thing is to clean kitchen counters, cabinets, and the pantry on a regular basis. You’ll have to wash those dishes eventually, go ahead and take care of it immediately. Wash trails with all-purpose cleaner to remove pheromone that ants use to return to a site with food. By properly sanitizing and cleaning now, later when you place bait it will be most effective because the ants will have no other food source than your bait.

Potential food sources

• Quickly clean up grease and spills
• Store food items in sealed plastic containers or bags or in the refrigerator, and keep outside of containers free of residues
• Ensure that recycling is rinsed and relocated to outdoors recycling containers as soon as possible
• Use liners for trash receptacles and empty at the end of the day so that food is not left in the building overnight.
• Outdoors, control honeydew producing insects on plants, such as aphids, scales, mealybugs and whiteflies.

Potential water sources

• Preventing access to water by fixing plumbing leaks (including irrigation around the building) and repairing damp wood
• Improving drainage to reduce humidity and moisture around building, including diverting AC condensate lines
  Potential harborages

Modify the outdoor habitat to reduce ant contact with the building and increase ease of inspection for ant trails by:

• Trimming vegetation that is touching buildings
• Remove fallen branches and rocks from around the building
• Clearing mulch that is contacting foundations. Rake 12″ from building leaving a layer that’s thin enough to dry out naturally (1 inch thick)
• Move trash cans or dumpsters away from building entryways

Look for indoor harborages such as potted plants. If ants are found remove the container from the building.

Monitoring Your Ant Infestation

Monitoring your progress is a vital tenant of IPM. Insect monitors act as your eyes 24/7. If ants reinfest a cabinet or wall void, you’ll know it quickly by inspecting your monitor.

It does not have to be a complicated process, insect monitors are readily availably and inexpensive. Insect monitors are made of thick card stock with a sticky adhesive. They are usually pre-printed with a space to write the date and location that the insect trap was placed.

Monitors should be placed in areas where ants have been seen trailing or frequenting. You may place monitors near areas where you suspect ants may be entering your home. How many monitors you need, depends upon the complexity of the area being monitored. Once an infestation is under control, many people choose to keep insect monitors in hidden out of the way locations to quickly identify a new insect infestation.

What kind of information can monitors give me? Finding:

• First sign of ant trails consisting of 6 or more ants should trigger a complete review of inspection, monitoring, sanitation, and control efforts.
• When only winged (reproductive) ants are present in such sites, no treatment is probably necessary. However, the IPM technician should be consulted to ensure that such insects are not confused with termites.
• Capturing ants on insect monitors also help to positively identify the species of ant.

Physical Control – Keeping Ants Outside Naturally

Physical or Mechanical control methods focusses on preventing ants from finding their way inside without the use of pesticides. By using these simple non-chemical control measures, you may find your pests can be controlled naturally.

If ants are observed foraging in the building it is necessary to identify the site of entry. Eliminate the access point where ants are entering by:

• Sealing cracks and crevices with caulk or expandable foam especially plumbing and utility penetrations
• Installing door sweeps
• Repairing door and window seals

Position exterior lighting to avoid attracting crawling and flying insects to building entryways at night. Ants are then attracted to the entryways feed on the dead insects. Use sodium vapor or yellow bulbs for exterior lighting to reduce attraction to insects. Remove ants using a HEPA vacuum or wipe/wash away.

Baiting for Ants – Inside and Outside Ant Treatments

If after sanitizing and sealing up your home, trimming the trees off the house and locating the ant nests, you still have a steady supply of ants in your kitchen or bathroom, it is time to move to the chemical treatment phase. Ant treatments have come a long way in recent years. While it may seem satisfying to spray the baseboards and kitchen counters, it is not necessary, and it is not the most effective way to get rid of ants. The preferred chemical treatment for pest ants is insecticide baits.

Baits are a combination of food grade attractants and an active ingredient. The active ingredient is consumed by the ants when they consume the food. Because many of the baits are slow acting, it gives the ants time to bring the bait back to the nest and feed it to the entire colony. Baits are effective for eliminating large ant colonies. Baits let the ants do the hard work for you. You put bait out near an ant trail and they bring the bait back to the colony for you. Many times you never have to actually find the nest. Baiting can be the easiest form of ant control. The key is the ants have to eat the bait. If they don’t eat it, it doesn’t work. Ants can be very finicky eaters.

Selecting Ant Bait – Ant Gel Bait or Ant Granular Bait

Ant baits come in a few different formulations, usually a gel bait to be used indoors and a granular bait that can be used outdoors around the perimeter of your home. Some species of ants that develop super colonies consisting of many millions of ants interconnected by underground passages. Large amounts of liquid bait are required to keep these species at bay. Your plan of attack will depend upon everything you have learned from your inspection and other control methods. What species of ant are you dealing with? What does he prefer to eat, sweets, carbs, proteins, or fats? How many queens are in the colony, and how large is the colony?

Baits are available in several different formulations that can be used in different circumstances:

• Gel bait – crack and crevice applications
• Liquid bait – for use in a bait station (often pre-packaged)
• Liquid gel bait – crack and crevice applications
• Granular bait – for use in bait stations, perimeter or broadcast applications

When treating ants, all baits should be placed in cracks, crevices, and in precise areas where ants are active. Pesticides must be used in accordance with their EPA-approved label directions. Applicators must be certified to apply pesticides and should always wear protective equipment during applications. All labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for the pesticide products should be maintained on file. Do not apply these materials when buildings are occupied, and never apply them where they might wash into drains or sewers.

Bait Rotation for Ants

Ants can be choosy eaters. Species identification is important because each ant species has specific food preferences. For example, the tawny crazy ant prefers protein baits and the black crazy ant likes sweet baits. Once you are positive on your ant species identification, match the type of bait to the species you are battling . If you can not determine the type of food attractant an ant bait includes, contact the manufacturer. In addition, ensure the species of ant you are targeting is listed on the label of the bait product you have chosen.

Many products may exclude pharaoh ants. Be sure to check the label.

To add another layer of complexity to ant baiting, ants may prefer sweets one day and carbs the next. Proteins and grease may be preferred one day and scorned the next. Ants switch their diet depending upon the needs of the colony. During months when egg production is high (early spring and summer), ants that usually prefer sweet baits, may develop a taste for protein baits due to the increased need for protein in the colony. It is important to monitor your baiting success and switch baits if the bait is not being taken by the ants or is clearly ineffective. If the bait you are offering is not being consumed, you may need to switch baits. By monitoring the success of your treatments, you will know if you need to change baits and offer a different food attractant.

Ant Baiting Tips

Some ants are very susceptible to baits, some are less so. There are many reasons for these differences, only some of which we understand. If you are having difficulty in controlling ants with bait, the following points may be helpful:

• Place baits out of sight and reach of people and pets.
• Remove bait stations once control is attained because the stations may serve as harborage for cockroaches.
• Inject baits formulated as granules or gels into wall voids through small holes.
• Place gel baits can near ant trails in inconspicuous places where they will not be disturbed.
• Use insecticide-impregnated plastic barriers to protect inaccessible wiring and electrical boxes.
• After setting out bait, observe to see if the target ant is taking the bait.
• Diet switching by season may occur, as during periods of egg production in the early spring or summer the colony requires more protein. Confirm that the ants are feeding on bait being offered. If the ants are not feeding on protein-based bait, try sweet-based bait.
• Ants nesting and foraging in dry areas will be more interested in baits with high water content than will ants nesting in moist environments.
• Do not spray pesticides when using baits. Bait contaminated with pesticide are repellent to ants, and sprays disperse the ant infestation, making it more difficult to place baits effectively.
• Place bait along foraging trails, but do not disturb ant trails between the nest and the bait. Killing the ants or disturbing the trails prevents the ants from taking the bait back to the colony to kill nest mates.

How should I apply granular bait?

• Follow the label on the granular bait you have chosen.
• Apply broadcast baits in good weather, a good day to have a picnic, when the temperature is between 70°F to 90°F and not immediately before or after a heavy rain.
• Bait where you see ants foraging.
• Use fresh bait. Ants will not eat stale bait.
• Turn off any irrigation for a few hours before and after baiting.
• Bait when the area to be treated is dry as water can ruin some baits.
• Wash your hands before baiting, and do not smoke while baiting to prevent contamination of the bait.
• Store bait in an airtight container and place in a cool dry place, away from other pesticides or potential contaminants.

Non-Repellent Sprays for Ants

Most species of ants can be controlled with baits. As the bait is brought into the nest and fed to the colony, your ant problem disappears. However, for baits to be successful, the ants must eat your bait. Sometimes, ant colonies are simply so large or you can not persuade them to eat bait, that you need a little something extra. Spraying with a non-repellent insecticide speeds up the demise of the colony.

Insecticide sprays are divided into 2 main categories, repellent and non-repellent. Repellent sprays have a strong odor to the ants, and they will simply walk around the sprayed area. We do not recommend using repellent sprays for ants. It may contaminate bait placement locations and if you spray the entire perimeter of the home you may “trap” the ants indoors. Most DIY sprays available at the big box stores are repellant and are not recommended for ants (even if it is sold as an “ant spray”).

Non-repellent sprays have no odor thus the ants do not know to avoid the spray. When they walk through the non-repellent spray, it covers their feet and legs. The active ingredients are typically slow acting, which gives the ant time to take it back to the colony where it spreads from ant to ant causing the colony to die. It works similar to a bait, but eliminates the need to select a bait the ants will eat. While non-repellent sprays are effective, they don’t transfer as well as baits do from ant to ant, so finding a bait that the ants will eat is still the most effective and fastest control strategy.

Ant control can generally be achieved by treating the building perimeter or spot treating trails. Often interior problems can be controlled with exterior-only treatments. IPM always seeks to reduce the number of pesticide treatments indoors and exposure of people and pets to insecticides.

Home Remedies for Ants or Natural Ant Killer

When dealing with an ant problem, homeowners are searching for safe and effective methods to get rid of ants. A quick internet search will yield hundreds of articles making claims that house hold items with strong odors will solve your ant problem. Ants have complex mechanisms that allow them to be quite sensitive to odors. However, they are adept at avoiding the odor and simply walking around the offensive odor. By sprinkling cinnamon on your counters, keeping a potted mint plant on the window sill, or leaving cut cucumbers or citrus fruits in your bathroom you will not solve your ant problem. The ants will most likely simply trail around these items and find another way into your home. Some of these “home-remedies” for ants may cause other pest problems such as fruit flies.

Spraying the trailing ants with vinegar or lemon juice solutions may kill the few ants that are directly sprayed but will not affect the thousands of ants in the colony. These sprays may serve to clean up the pheromone trails that the foragers have left behind, but regularly cleaning with soap and water will do the same. By relying on vinegar and citrus solutions for your pest control, you will never truly solve the root of the problem. You will end up chasing ants around different surfaces and never eliminating the colony.

As noted above our preferred treatment for ants is an insecticide bait. Boric acid is a substance that many people have in their homes for laundry. Boric acid can act as a bait and kills the colony, but you must mix it with food attractants. Some people mix it with simple syrup, maple syrup, or corn syrup and leave it in small containers where ants have been seen. While this can be effective, it is a very messy process, costs more than prepackaged bait, and will not work if too much or too little boric acid is used. In addition, you should only use EPA approved baits. You can also purchase premixed bait products with boric acid as the active ingredient. These simple to use boric acid bait products have the best mix of ingredients and been tested and approved for use for ants by the EPA.

In conclusion, Integrated Pest Management utilizes practices that minimizes the use of pesticides. Focus is always placed on the safety of people and pets with minimal impact to non-targeted organisms. If you follow IPM recommendations for ant control, you will quickly and efficiently solve your ant problem.