Kill Underground Ant Colony Or Wait For More!

Ants! You can see them almost everywhere! Even a teeny-weeny crumb of food can lure an army of ants within a matter of minutes! These ants can be a real pain in the neck when they start invading your food, the sugar bottles, juices and what not! Ants building up nests in your backyard or garden can also be a cause for concern if you have little kids playing around in the garden. Ants often dwell in the soil and are headed by a queen. They set up tunnels that are diverse. They mine out corridors and cavities inside their home by carrying soil sediments over the soil surface. Even a perfectly landscaped garden can look odd with a large mound of mud in the midst of it dug out by the ant colony.

Painful Bites Of Ants
Though some ants are harmless, others can cause painful bites. Ants like Solenopsis Invicta (Red fire ants) can cause serious harm to both humans and pets. In such cases, it is better to eliminate the whole ant colony. The tunnels created by ants can help in increasing the moisture content of the soil and also protect the useful pests like the aphids and scales in your garden. Still, a large colony of ants can be more of a nuisance than a convenience. All the ants belong to the insect order named Hymenoptera. If you are thinking of a way to get rid of the ants, then you will have to tackle the cause of the problem, and that is the ant nest!

Ways To Kill The Ant Nest
Here are some of the easy ways to kill the ant nests as a whole:

• Use Insecticides
  You can get an ant insecticide from the nearest store and use it to get rid of the ant colony. Mix it with water and pour it into a garden sprayer or watering can. Read the label on the cover of the insecticide and mix it with water following the instructions on it. You can use one to two gallons per mound of the ant nest. Pour this insecticide mix over the mound slowly drenching it all over with the mix. All the ants inside will be killed if you drench the nest fully. Even the ants deep inside the tunnels of the nest will also get killed. You can also make use of insecticides in powder forms to kill the ants. Carefully read the instructions on the label and sprinkle the insecticide over the ant mound. Fire ants can be killed easily with insecticides that contain deltamethrin, cyfluthrin or acephate. If you are using diazinon granules, then make sure that you have raked the mound well before the application of the insecticide. Keep sprinkling the granules and raking the mound. All the ants will be killed in no time.
• Use Cornmeal
  Powdered cornmeal is very effective in getting rid of the ant colony. It is one of the best home remedies for killing ants. You can sprinkle the cornmeal around the plants to prevent ants from attacking them. You can also sprinkle it all over the ant nest. Ants love eating cornmeal but won’t be able to digest the corn. Hence, they will get killed due to malnutrition. Another benefit is that the ants will take the cornmeal to the queen. The queen will also feed on it and eventually get killed. Thus, within three or four days, the entire ant colony will get killed.
• Use Sugar Baits And Baking Soda
  Get an old plastic bag or salt shaker. Mix baking soda and sugar in equal proportions. Now, sprinkle this mix over the mounds of the ant nest and also around the plants near your home. The mix acts as a barrier against the ants. The ants get lured by the sugar and consume the mix. The baking soda sticking to the sugar granules will react with the acid present in the body of the ants. This reaction causes the release of carbon dioxide gas causing the ant’s bodies to explode. Thus, all the ants get killed easily. Some ants will take the mix to the queen and thus the queen also gets killed.
• Use Commercial Baits For Ants
  You can get commercial baits for trapping and killing ants from the stores near you. Place these baits near the ant trails or near the nests of ants. Ant baits are available in gel, liquid or solid forms. It will contain a lure like proteins or carbohydrates and a toxic substance like boric acid. The worker ants will also take a share of the bait for the queen inside the nest. Thus, the queen and all the ants in the colony get killed by the toxicant.
• Use Boric Acid
  You can also use boric acid to kill huge ant infestations. But, you have to ensure that you are completely protected with a face mask, goggles and gloves before using boric acid. Take ¾ cup granulated sugar and mix it with ¼ cup boric acid. Alternatively, you can also use nine parts of corn syrup mixed with one part of boric acid. Take some clean and empty tubs of margarine. Make four small holes on the lids and sides of the tin. Put one tablespoon of the mix and two or three pieces of dry dog or cat food inside each margarine tub. You can also put a dollop of the boric acid and corn syrup mix instead. Now, label each tub and place it in ant infested areas.

Artificial And Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Ants Explained!

There are many natural and artificial ways to get rid of the ant infestation easily. Here are some of them:

Rake Up The Hill And Pour Hot Water!
Hot water is one of the most effective ways to kill ant nest as a whole. Take a pot, fill it up with water and boil it. Pour the boiling water directly above the ant nest, at the same time raking up the hill and breaking the nest. You might have to repeat this technique many times if the colony is a large one.

Use Baits Of Pepper
Take 2 to 4 numbers of hot peppers and slice it. Place the peppers in a jar made of glass. Pour some hot water into it and close the lid of the jar. Leave it for twenty-four hours so that the peppers steep into the water. Now, take the peppers outside and pour the water over the ant nest. The ants will die inside the nest.

Use Caulk or Chalk
If you observe any openings on the wall of your house where ants enter inside your home through it, then you can caulk those entrance ways. Observe their trails and follow them without disturbing their path. You can find the openings from which they emerge inside the house by following them. After caulking all the openings and killing the ants, you can remove the chemical trails inside your home by washing the area with soapy water.

Use Masking Tape
Get some masking tape and apply the three-inch bands over the surfaces of trees in which ants visit often. Now, coat these tapes with two-inch-wide sticky substance barrier. The ants will get stuck on it and eventually die.

Use Baits Of Sugar
Get baits with sugar as a lure and place it on either side of the ant’s trail. You can also place it near the ant nest openings. Never place the bait on the path the ants follow. This causes disruption of the path and they will start going in a different path. Hence, only place the baits on either side of the trail without disturbing the trail pattern. Check the baits regularly and refill if needed. Depending on the colony size, it might take some weeks to kill the ant nest as a whole.

Use Gasoline
Gasoline is very effective in getting rid of even large ant nests. But it can be a bit expensive. Pour the gasoline on top of the ant nest mounds. The ants get killed instantly. It is better not to use gasoline in dry surroundings.

Use Pipe Tobacco
If you have ant infestation outside your home, then the best way to deal with it will be using pipe tobacco. Soak up the pipe tobacco in water and leave it overnight. The next day, use that water to make tea. Remove the wet tobacco and use the solution to get rid of the ants. Ensure that you wear gloves while you handle the tobacco solution. Pour the solution on top of the ant mounds and drench it fully. The ants inside the mound will get killed.

Use Talcum Powder Or Baby Powder
Look around for ant hills and close the openings with baby powder or talcum powder. You can also use glue. Sprinkle powder on the ant trails too. The ants get killed easily.

Use Club Soda
If you have a medium sized mound of ant nest in your garden, you can use about half a liter of club soda. If the mound is a large one, then you will need one liter of club soda. Pour the soda all over the ant mound drenching it completely. Never pour everything on the center spot alone. It might take about two days for all the ants to get killed. Once the ants die, the mound will be just a pile of dirt with grass growing all over it.

Use Grounds Of Coffee
This one is a safe, easy and natural way to kill ants effectively. You can spray the grounds of coffee over the mound of the ant hill. It will destroy the newly hatched baby ants and the entire colony. It might take time but is very effective. You can kill the ant nests in your garden or backyard during the summer season by using this method. This method can also be used inside your home as it is a natural ant remedy that does not contain any harmful insecticides and is completely natural.

Use A Mix Of Soap And Hot Water
Mix boiling water with dish wash soap or any soap solution. Pour this mix all over the ant hill and near the entrances to the hill. You can repeat this method three times a day. After the third time, you can also pour boric acid over the mound. Boric acid kills the ants by removing the moisture content from their body and dehydrating them. All the ants will get killed effectively by this method.

How To Kill Ants Easily And Effectively? Find Your Answers Here!

If you are looking for easy, quick and effective ways here are the methods you are looking for!

Use White Vinegar
Vinegar is very effective in getting rid of the ants in your backyard or garden. Get a bottle and fill it with vinegar. Now, spray it all over mounds of the ant nest and near the trails of ants. Spray it near all the holes you find on the ant nest mound. Repeat the process for two to three times until the whole nest gets destroyed. You may also use white vinegar inside your house in places where you see ant nests and ant trails.

Use A Mix Of Borax And Karo Syrup
Another easy way to get rid of ant nests is to use a mix using more Karo syrup and less borax. Mix the solution thoroughly and warm it slightly so that the mix dissolves completely. Now, go near the ant nest mound and make a small crack on it. Pour the mix into the nest through the crack. The ants will carry the mix inside to the queen within one week. Thus, the queen will also get killed. The queen has the ability to create another large ant colony by reproduction. Hence you will have to ensure that any method you adopt is sufficient enough to kill the queen.

Use Cloves Or Crushed Mint Leaves
Mint leaves are very useful in killing ants naturally. Ants detest the aroma of mint. You can also use cloves instead of mint leaves. Try putting cloves or crushed mint leaves all around the nest and near the entrance holes of the ant nest.

Make Use Of Ammonia And Bleach Mix
This is one of the methods that is very effective and gives immediate results. But, always be extra cautious while handling ammonia and bleach. Take both ammonia and bleach in equal proportions and mix it well. Pour the mix over the ant hill and near the entrance holes. The entire colony of ants gets killed within a matter of a few minutes! Ensure that you clean up the mound after the ants get killed. The ammonia and bleach mix can cause burns on your skin and is also not safe to inhale. Hence, take appropriate preventive measures before you do this. Wear gloves to protect your skin and wear a face mask to prevent inhalation of the gases.

Use Grits
Grit is very useful in getting rid of ants. Get a can full of grits and fill up the ant hill holes with as many grits it can hold. The ants will feed on the grits and try to get outside to get water. The grits will start expanding inside their stomachs and will explode killing the ants. This is one of the best eco-friendly and economic methods to kill ant nests. Another advantage is that it won’t cause any harm to humans. Hence, you need not take any preventive measure to use this method.

Use Juice Of Lemon
Juice of lemons is found to be effective in getting rid of ants in the garden, backyard or inside the home. The citric acid present inside lemon juice is useful in killing the ants. Get the lemon juice by squeezing the lemon and pour it inside a spray bottle. Now, spray the lemon juice over the ant hills or places where you see ants. Repeat this process twice daily to ensure that the entire colony of ants including the queen gets killed.

Make Use Of DE And A Shovel
If you have a considerably large ant hill in your garden or yard, then you will have to use a shovel and break the hill. Try to target the queen ant. First, remove the top portion of the hill using a shovel. Now, make use of a stick or the handle of a broom to break inside the hill and destroy all the tunnels. As you keep stirring, keep adding DE all over the mound. Apply DE over the top portion of the hill too. Ensure that you apply DE within a radius of one foot all around the ant hill. Repeat the procedure for every ant hill in your property and always keep an eye for any new ant hills. As you continue treating the mounds, the ants will find it much more difficult to establish a colony again in your area.

Preventive Methods
It is difficult to eradicate ants from your property completely. Even if you kill the ant colonies, still new ones keep popping up on your property. Again, you can put forward some efforts to reduce the ants visiting your area and try to protect the plants from the attack of the ants. You will have to use many methods together to kill all the ants in your area. Keep inspecting the plants and gardens for any possible ant infestation.

Keep Away From Aphids And Steer Clear Of The Ants!
The easiest and effective methods to limit the ants in your property is to refrain from planting any of the plants that lure the ants. Some plants keep attracting honeydew insects like aphids. Ants get easily lured by honeydew and will often stick near to the area so that they can easily get the honeydew. Some ant nests will be too large for you to manage alone. In that case, it is better to seek professional help. Large nests need to be controlled first and then only you should consider entire elimination processes. You can easily control the ants and protect your family by using any of the above-described methods.