How to Keep Ants Out of Your Kitchen
If you live in Orange County or anywhere in Southern California, you have probably found a line of tiny brown ants marching across your kitchen counter. Most of the time these are Argentine ants, the most common nuisance ant in California homes. They live in huge, connected colonies outdoors and come inside looking for two things: food and water.
Why ants come inside
Argentine ants tend to invade in two waves: during hot, dry stretches when they are searching for moisture, and after heavy rain when their nests outside get flooded. A few scouts find a crumb, a sticky spill or a dripping faucet, and lay a scent trail back to the colony. Within hours you have a highway.
What to do the moment you see a trail
Wipe the whole trail, not just the ants. Use soapy water or an all-purpose cleaner along the whole trail. This removes the scent the rest of the colony is following.
Find the food source. Look for spills, open cereal boxes, sugar, honey, pet food and fruit bowls. Seal food in airtight containers.
Empty and rinse the trash and recycling. Soda cans and juice boxes are ant magnets.
Fix drips. Leaky faucets and wet sponges are a water source during dry months.
The habit that makes it worse
It is tempting to grab a can of bug spray, but spraying ants inside the house does not stop more ants from coming in. It kills the few you can see and leaves the colony outside untouched. With Argentine ants, sprays can also scatter the trail so they show up in new places.
Baits work differently. Worker ants carry slow-acting bait back to the nest and share it, which reaches the queens and the colony itself. That is why professional ant control focuses on targeted baits and treatment around the outside of the home, where the colony lives.
Stop them before they get in
Caulk gaps around windows, door frames, pipes and baseboards where you see ants entering.
Trim shrubs, tree branches and ground cover so they don't touch the house. Ants use plants as bridges.
Keep mulch and firewood a few inches away from the foundation.
Feed pets at set times and pick up bowls when they're done.
When to call a professional
If ants keep coming back after a week or two of cleanup, you're seeing them in several rooms, or they've moved into wall voids or electrical outlets, the colony is bigger than a household fix can handle. A Skyline technician will find where they're getting in, treat the source outdoors and set up a plan so they don't return.
Ants are included in every Skyline plan, and if pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra charge. Call 1-888-RID-MY-BUGS or request a free quote.
