Although ants have a reputation for ruining picnics, they aren’t all bad.  In fact, they play an important role in maintaining the ecology by dispersing seeds and aerating soil.  In some cultures, they are even considered a food source. While some ants are relatively harmless, their sheer numbers make them less than perfect housemates for humans.

At last count, there were 12,762 different species of ants.  Depending on the species, an ant infestation can be costly, dangerous, or both.  Carpenter ants can wreak havoc on a home’s wood frame.  The bite of fire ants can cause painful blisters, and for those with allergies, severe medical complications.  Some species are more invasive or toxic than others, but we don’t want any of them crawling on us or into our food.

Ant Control Methods

People have come up with a number of creative ways for keeping ants away from their homes and gardens. There are many substances that have been shown to repel or attract and kill ants and you probably already have at least a few of them in your kitchen right now. Here are just a few:

1. Baking soda, chili powder, and cinnamon—it’s been said that ants will make a wide circle to avoid these substances.
2. Coffee grounds—ants actually love coffee as much as we do, but when they eat the grounds, they implode.
3. Grits, instant rice, cream of wheat and dry yeast—when ants drink water after eating these, they expand, causing death.
4. Vinegar—while the acid in vinegar is just spicy for us, it’s deadly to ants.
5. Contact paper—this works on the same principle as a fly strip.  Once the ants step onto it, they can never step off. Unfortunately, it can also stick to the bottom of a shoe.
6. A mixture of sugar, water and Borax—The sugar attracts the ants, and the borax kills them.

Besides using repellents or natural pesticides, there are some other steps you can take to help prevent infestations. Most of them are elements of good housekeeping.

1. Store food in airtight containers.
2. Keep counters and sinks clean and wiped dry.
3. Clean up spills and crumbs immediately.
4. Eliminate standing water in sinks and planters.
5. Rinse cans and bottles before discarding them.
6. Make sure trash cans have tightly fitting lids.

There are over 10,000 trillion ants on earth, compared to 7 billion humans.  That’s why even if you utilize all of these methods, you could still experience an infestation.  If you have a problem with ants despite your best efforts, call the professionals at Preventive Pest Control today and let our experienced Utah ant control technicians eliminate it.