How to Get Rid of Kitchen Ants

Elimination of kitchen ants often requires the help and expertise of experienced, knowledgeable pest management professionals to identify the species of ants in your kitchen and develop a customized ant control treatment. Our Orkin Pros will:

• Accurately identify the species of ants that are infesting your home. Correct identification is a key factor since there are significant differences between the species of ants that are commonly found in kitchens.

• Since kitchen ants often have nests located in hidden places throughout a home, our Orkin Pros will work to find and seal any exterior entry points to help prevent ants from getting inside the home or business.

• Your exterminator may use a combination of indoor and outdoor ant treatments including insecticide bait, granules, and residual spot treatment pest sprays.

PRECAUTION: Do not use indoor or outdoor ant insecticide treatments without strictly following the product’s label instructions and precautions.

Common Types of Kitchen Ants

Some of the more frequently encountered ant species in kitchens are pharaoh ants, pavement ants, odorous house ants, thief ants, Argentine ants, ghost ants, and little black ants.

What are ant trails?

If ants enter your home, they are usually searching for a source of food. After finding something they like, they will release chemical pheromones to help other members of their colony follow their trail and find the source of food. By carefully following ant trails, you may be able to determine where ants are entering the kitchen and where their nest is located. Following an ant trail can also help identify the food sources that are attracting ants.

DIY Kitchen Ant Control

DIY home remedies for ant control usually take care of visible ants but may not impact the ants that are in a hidden nest. Some DIY ant treatments that may be moderately effective in getting rid of ants are:

• Three parts vinegar and one part water sprayed where ant activity is seen might help cover up ant scent trails.

• Pepper and cinnamon will not kill ants, but their strong odors may deter them. Pouring ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, or cinnamon onto ant scent trails helps by functioning as a repellent.

• Natural acids in citrus, such as lemon, orange, lime, and grapefruit may help keep ants away by masking their scent trails.

How to Prevent a Kitchen Ant Infestation

• Knowing the species of ant and the types of food they prefer is one of the first steps in getting rid of ants in the kitchen. This is important since ants often have variable food and nest location preferences.

• To prevent ants, the nest must be found and eliminated. Ant bait may help reduce or eliminate ants at their source as worker ants take it back to their nests and feed the bait to their nestmates.

• To discourage ants from entering the kitchen, perform an inspection and look for gaps, holes, and other openings where kitchen ants might find a way inside from their outside nest. When entrances are found, make sure to repair, seal, and plug them up. Common entry points are cracks around windows and door frames, areas underneath and behind cabinets, cracks and gaps around appliances, gaps around plumbing pipes and electrical conduits, and cracks in the foundation.

• Eliminate sources of food and water by repairing water leaks, keeping cabinets dry, cleaning up all spills and crumbs, removing food in the sink and on the kitchen counters, and never allowing uneaten pet food to sit out overnight.

• Always use a lid on your trashcan so ants do not have access to thrown-away food scraps. Food that’s not properly sealed in cabinets and pantries could be another reason ants are finding your kitchen a nice place to forage for food.

• Keep the kitchen stove/oven and any small appliances on kitchen countertops, including toaster ovens, microwaves, can openers, and coffee pots clean. Ants are often attracted to these appliances themselves and the areas around them if they’re not kept clean.

Professional Ant Control

Ant control requires the knowledge, experience, and training from our Orkin Pros to get rid of ants from both the interior and exterior of homes and businesses. Since ant infestations can originate from indoor and outdoor ant nests, a comprehensive, customized ant treatment program is needed to control and prevent ants from invading your kitchen.

For help with ant control, call your local Orkin branch today.