How to keep ants out of the kitchen
Do you have ants in your kitchen? Ants are the number one pest in the United States according to multiple surveys. And his favorite room in your house is the kitchen.
Gross! We don’t want ants in our kitchen, so what can be done to keep them away? Several steps can ensure that these peace-stealing workhorses can be banished forever. Efforts are classified into preventive and reactive efforts.
To prevent ants, the first step is DO NOT HAVE SITTING FOOD! If you leave a dirty skillet with food scraps, an uncovered cake, or even restaurant leftovers in a takeout box, the ants will find them. Food gathering workers are constantly looking for food. If you make it easy for them, they’ll create a nightmare in no time.
The same goes for the trash can – make sure it’s sealed so no crawlers can easily access it. Any kind of access to food is a no-no! Plus, seal your pantry items securely. Place bags of cereal, flour, sugar, etc. open and folded. in sealed containers to keep them safe.
The next area to consider is the entry points to the home. Ants are experts at finding access! It can be through a window sill, under floor molding, or along super highways from plumbing fixtures and / or electrical cords. The craziest story recently showed ants climbing a tree that due to the wind, periodically brushed against the kitchen window of the second floor apartment and managed to get inside! That’s especially weird, as they could only transport the food source to their siblings if the winds cooperated … Seriously, very adept at gaining access!
Ensure that all access points are properly caulked, sealed, and closed, by whatever means necessary to eliminate entry points.
Imagine that you have made the preventive effort but you still have ants in the kitchen; this is what you do to control them …
Follow the trail of the ants to determine the entry point to the kitchen. Using a safe, non-toxic, and natural pest control product, spray generously around the point of entry. Don’t use a synthetic toxic pesticide as this is the kitchen! You don’t want a neuro-toxin near your food prep!
Now go out there and find that entry point from the ants’ perspective. Be aware that if the ants are going down a path, the entry point to the house and kitchen may be several feet from each other. Again, generously spray the entire area of the entry point to keep them out.
Once you treat this area several times, you should keep ants out of your kitchen. However, if they find a new route (sneaky little things, right?), Then repeat the process of looking for the entry points from the inside and outside and treat them well.
Now you know how to keep ants out of your kitchen!