Springtime is a time for new beginnings; tender green leaves budding out from the tree branches, colorful and fragrant flowers blooming across meadows. It also signals the beginning of an invasion. And soon you may find hundreds of ants crawling everywhere. They get into your lemonade, your sugar and the little treats you left out for the kids. This is probably very annoying and tedious to deal with. In this article, we shall see what you can do to get rid of sugar ants.
What are Sugar Ants?
Once the cold, winter months give way to the warmer days of spring and summer, you will notice a sudden increase in sugar ant activity. And nothing ruins a fun family picnic in the backyard than an ant invasion.
Another name for sugar ants is the “Banded Sugar Ant”. This is because they have brownish orange bodies with black heads and mandibles. These ants can range from 2-15 mm in size, depending on their role in the community. Habitat also plays a major role in determining the size of the ant. Something to remember about sugar ants is that they play an important role in the local ecosystem. They consume small dead animals, unwanted plants, and other insects that may be pests to many of the surrounding flora. These ants thrive in cool, moist and dark places. Which is why you may find a higher chance of sugar ants appearing in older homes.
Ways to Get Rid of Sugar Ants:
Generally, people look to eliminate these ants when they become a nuisance. Most of all, when they invade the kitchen cabinets and drawers in search of the next sugary treat. Fortunately, there exist many easy ways to get rid of sugar ants from your home.
1.) Erase Trail to Get Rid Sugar Ants
One way to ensure that sugar ants do not keep coming into your home is to erase the trail. Ants release certain chemicals to mark the trail they have made. This helps to light the path for other ants in their colony as well as for them to find their way into your home again. You can nip the invasion in the bud by erasing these trails. Begin by observing and locating the entry point of the ant trail. Then follow these steps, when you see the ant trail.
- Create a barrier at the entry point to block off the trail and to prevent more ants from following in. Use petroleum jelly, talc, or duct tape (with the sticky side upturned) to cut off access to the entryway.
- Get a basin of warm, soapy water and a sponge. Dip the sponge into the water and wipe down the trail, collecting the ants.
- Rinse the sponge and wipe again. Do this till all the ants on the trail are removed.
- Doing this will confuse the ants from following the trail and you will see them go back.
2.) Get Rid of Sugar Ants with Vinegar
While erasing the trail of the ants is a way to prevent infestation, you may be required to take measures with a more permanent outcome. Vinegar acts as a natural fungicide and insecticide. In addition to this, the odor given off by vinegar acts as a natural repellant. You can utilize either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar for this. Both work very well.
- Place some undiluted vinegar into a spray bottle. Use this to spray directly over any ants that you spot in your home.
- Use a diluted solution of the vinegar to wipe down the areas that the ants frequent, like kitchen counters. The vinegar will thoroughly erase the trail left by the ants. Make this solution by mixing 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water.
- You can use undiluted vinegar to eliminate ants at the root of the problem. Locate the nest and pour the vinegar in and around the nest. Use 1.5-1 quart of undiluted vinegar to kill the ants fast and effectively.
3.) Kill Ants Fast with Baking Soda
Baking soda is an excellent way to get rid of sugar ants. The baking soda, once ingested, reacts with the formic acid present in the ant’s digestive system and creates gas at a fast rate. To prepare the remedy that will eliminate the ants, you will need to mix together baking soda and icing sugar. The ants will be attracted to the sugary treat of the icing sugar, unable to identify the presence of soda bicarbonate.
- To prepare this mix together 5 tablespoons of baking soda and 5 tablespoons of icing (or powdered) sugar. Add 3 tablespoons of water and blend into a smooth paste.
- Place small globs of this paste along the walls where the ants gather. The ants will flock to this mixture and carry it back to their colony.
- Repeat this method once again after 2 days. This ensures that the ants are totally eliminated.
4.) Borax to Eliminate Sugar Ants
Borax, or boric acid, is an excellent method to get rid of sugar ants. It can affect the ants both externally and internally (i.e., when ingested). In the powder form, it acts almost similar to diatomaceous earth. The combination of borax and sugar is sure to eliminate ants fast. The ants, unaware of the dangers of the borax, will be attracted by the sweet bait of sugar. In addition, if your household has pets or curious children, the low toxicity renders it safe if accidentally ingested by them.
- To prepare this remedy, mix together ½ cup sugar and 1 ½ tablespoon borax powder.
- Boil 2 cups of plain water and pour into an empty glass jar. Now, add the borax-sugar mixture to the hot water and stir well till it completely dissolves. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, get some cotton balls and small squares of tin foil. Soak the cotton balls in the cooled solution and place them on the strips of tin foil.
- Leave this in the places where ants frequent. Repeat thrice, replacing the cotton balls every time they dry out. This should work to get rid of sugar ants in as little as 2 days.
5.) Kill Ants Naturally with Apple Juice
We know that the best way to bait sugar ants is with something sweet. For this, sweet and sticky apple juice is perfect. But remember, wait till there is a definite sign of an ant invasion. You do not want to unnecessarily attract more colonies of sugar ants. While the apple juice is just the bait, it is an artificial sweetener that does the job to get rid of sugar ants. It should contain dextrose, aspartame, and maltodextrin. This artificial sweetener mix will work as a neurotoxin to the ants.
- You will need an artificial sweetener with a good ratio of dextrose, aspartame, and maltodextrin. You will also need ½ cup of apple juice
- Add 10-15 ml of the artificial sweetener into the apple juice.
- Mix well and pour into a spray bottle.
- Use this solution to spray in the areas that the ants frequently gather, such as doorways and along the walls.
6.) Mint Jelly to Get Rid of Sugar Ants
This is another foolproof method to get rid of sugar ants from your home. The mint jelly works as a perfect bait to lure the ants out. Simply mix some slow-acting poison, like boric acid, into the mint jelly. Sugar ants are known to be small and voracious scavengers. The foraging ants will then carry the poisoned bait back to the colony. In just a few days, you will notice that all the ants have been eliminated.
- For this, you will need 8 ounces of mint jelly, 2 ounces of boric acid, and a squeezable container with a lid.
- Mix together the measures of jelly and boric acid to form the poisoned bait. Now, once you have located where the ants appear most often, cut some masking tape to mark the area.
- Squeeze out about 2 inches of the poisoned jelly onto the masking tape. Wait for a day till the ants pick up the bait. Soon you should be able to get rid of sugar ants from your home.
7.) Treat Ant Invasion with Cornmeal
Often the simple black pavement ant or the pharaoh ant are mistaken to be sugar ants. Cornmeal is good to get rid of these ants. Usually, cornmeal on its own is appetizing for most ants to pick up as bait. However, as an added incentive, sugar can be added to make a better bait. Cornmeal works to disrupt the digestive process of the ant’s stomach.
- For this treatment, you will need coarse cornmeal and powdered sugar.
- Mix 1 part sugar into 2 parts cornmeal. Now leave small piles of this mixture at entry points and other locations where you see the ants frequent.
- Wait for 2 days to see this remedy work effectively to get rid of sugar ants.
8.) Natural Repellants for Sugar Ants
As an alternative to eliminating ants, there exist a number of natural repellents to get rid of sugar ants. Whole cloves are an excellent natural repellent for ants, as well as a number of other insects and pests. Using whole cloves is a double-win as the scent will drive away ants, while acting as a natural air freshener. Another excellent natural repellant is bay leaves. This especially works to keep ants out of the kitchen or where food is stored.
- Simply place some whole cloves around the house where ants frequent. Place some along the line where the wall meets the floor, as this is one favorite trail for ants. Also, place some under counters and along baseboards.
- Leave the bay leaves under countertops where food is being prepared and around the frequently used entry points to the kitchen for the ants. You can tie a few bundles of bay leaves and hang them in the cupboards and in the pantry as well.
