Tips On Getting Rid Of Sugar Ants

This article describes how to get rid of sugar ants, which eat sugar, sweet foods and scraps of leftover food in the kitchen and in other parts of the house. Sugar ants, which are actually pharaoh ants and pavement ants in North America, not only feed on sweet foods but they also like cheese, bread, meats, nuts, insects and seeds. This kind of ants are not associated with health risks but they are still capable of contaminating food. Actually, learning how to get rid of sugar ants is easy but implementing the strategies requires a lot of patience because these ants are often found in the home in large quantities.

Keep Your House Clean

It is fairly simple to get rid of ants in your house. The main principle is keeping your house clean. Here are some tips on keeping your house clean and thus eliminating ants.

  • Seal your food - Keeping food in sealed containers so that less food is made available to them. They are likely to migrate to another place if they are unable to find enough food for the colony.

  • Keep food preparation surfaces clean and dry - A basic principle to remember when learning how to get rid of sugar ants is that these insects prefer dirty surfaces. Therefore, the kitchen sink should be cleaned thoroughly and the dishes should all be rinsed completely. All utensils, glasses and plates should be wiped dry, including the kitchen sink. There should be no residual food scraps that these particular kinds of house ants can take advantage of while everybody is asleep. It is good practice to ensure that the different parts of the kitchen are dry because various kinds of pests like moisture. As for the sugar ants, they can use the available water to wash down the scraps of food that they have found on the kitchen sink and other places.

  • Sterilize surfaces - It would also be helpful to use some bleach on the kitchen sink and then pour some of it down the drain to eliminate the odor produced by decaying food that could attract the ants. Just like the sink, the countertops should also be cleaned thoroughly and bleached. The bleach will also have the effect of breaking down the pheromones that ants leave on their trails that guide other ants. If you would like a more direct and immediate approach, then check out our tips on how to get rid of ants in the house.

  • Vacuum regularly - Do not forget vacuum the floor and the carpet to get rid of food scraps.

  • Properly seal trash - The trash should be sealed in strong plastic bags to ensure that moisture and food will not leak out.

Learning how to get rid of sugar ants is based on the simple principle of keeping the home very clean so that there are no food scraps that attract these ants and help them survive. However, it is important to be very patient because sugar ants there are so many of them. It may take some time before the effects of your efforts to get rid of them will have noticeable results. It is advisable to keep on doing the strategies that have been suggested until such time that your home will finally be free from sugar ants.