How To Use Diatomaceous Earth For Ants Outdoors
Diatomaceous earth kills ants when it sticks through their exoskeletons. Once the sharp and pointed particles of this substance enter through the ants soft bodies, their cuticles will be cut and their fats and moisture will be absorbed. This will lead to their dehydration, and subsequently, death.
This product can be used in a variety of applications. It can be sprinkled directly on the ant trails and ant nests using salt shakers and flour sifters, or you can mix it with water and other food ingredients to create an insect spray or ant bait. Once you have applied it, wait for at least 24-48 hours and monitor for any alternate ant route. You can also re-apply diatomaceous earth granules to other areas when necessary.
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White Vinegar Is Safe To Grass But Can Kill Ants
White vinegar with five percent concentration and the distilled type can also exterminate ants without hurting the grass. Upon contact with the vinegar, the ants will be killed because they cannot tolerate its low-pH acidic components.
As you can see, there are many ways to exterminate ants in your lawn without hurting the beautiful grass. They also cost less than the ready-made ant repellants that are sold in the market.
Destroy Exterior Ant Nests
If you frequently see ants in the same area on the outside of your house, theres probably a nest in there. Look for holes where ants are crawling in and out. They are often located between bricks where mortar has fallen out, under siding or in cracks in stucco. Once you locate the nest, spray the area with an insecticide containing bifenthrin.
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How To Get Rid Of Ants Outdoors
These creatures can be seen anywhere. They are a nuisance, and once they discover a place with food or shelter their numbers can grow rapidly.
So, how to get rid of ants outdoors? First, you should inspect your outdoor areas for the presence of ant hills and colonies. Then, destroy the ant nests and trails using natural and artificial ant repellents, sprays, baits, and insecticides. Finally, regularly clean and organize your outdoor space.
In this article, well cover how to identify ants type, products to use in deterring their presence, and a few excellent techniques in stopping and preventing their infestation.
Ants Cause Pain And Property Damage
Some problems ants may cause concern your garden experience more than your garden itself. And there are two types of ant, in particular, that tend to be troublemakers.
Perhaps the most infamous ant species, fire ants will sting when provoked. And their venom produces a painful welt that lasts for several days.
Needless to say, if your plants are swarming with fire ants, harvesting could be an unpleasant experience.
Though they cant sting like fire ants, carpenter ants can bite and then spray formic acid which creates a burning sensation into the wound. So a carpenter ant bite isnt a fun experience.
But the biggest issue with this common ant species is its nesting habits. Carpenter ants build their homes in wood. And they arent very picky about what type of wood your homes structure is just as attractive as a decaying stump.
If ants become a problem, there are several ways to control them.
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How Can You Get Rid Of Ants Outside Without Harming Pets
You surely want to get rid of ants without harming your pets. The best thing to do is to use repellent sprays and insecticides made from natural and organic ingredients. Spices and herbs like cayenne pepper, cinnamon, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, and black pepper can be effective in repelling ants because they abhor and despise the scents of these plants.
Other harmless and natural methods of killing these insects include the application of boiling water, flour, and vinegar or detergent sprays in ant nests and trails.
Kicking Ants Out Permanently
The secret of success in controlling an ant infestation is locating and destroying the ant colony, says the Penn State Extension.
That includes killing the queen and her young.
Bachman, who also hosts the award-winning Southern Gardening TV program, recommends a broadcast bait application applied at intervals throughout the year across the entire lawn.
He uses holidays to mark application dates: Easter, Fourth of July and Labor Day. The application should keep the area clear of ants for about three months, he says.
Bachman applies the ant bait insecticide across his entire lawn.
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How To Control Ants In Your Garden
If youve decided ants dont belong in your garden, theres something you should know: Ants are among earths oldest living creatures. They actually existed alongside the dinosaurs.
Which means they survived a mass extinction event.
Which means theyre pretty good at adapting to survive.
Which means controlling them in your garden could be challenging.
Plus, there are more than 10,000 species of ant in the world. So different ants might not respond to treatments the same way.
That said, here are six ways gardeners commonly control ants:
Ants play a number of roles in the garden some good, some bad.
Killing Ants In Your Lawn
Several methods can be combined to kill ants.
The first is to go straight to the ants nests and break them open with a stick, once the nest is opened an Ant Dust can be put directly down the nest. This should be done with all nests.
An ideal Ant Dust is Fipronil, a 500g granular insecticide, which is a fast-acting, odourless product specifically formulated to control Ants. Fipronil is also safe to use on Zoysia, Kikuyu, Buffalo, and Couch grasses and can easily be applied by sprinkling over the area to be treated. Always read the label carefully before use.
Ants will survive and repopulate new nests, however, so the next method is to use a liquid Ant Poison.
This type of poison is then baited in small quantities at all locations around the property where ants are most active. The ants then take this liquid poison back to their nests, killing even more ants than would be achieved by other methods.
There are specialised liquid insecticides designed to offer superior control of insect pests such Ants in lawns. PCT Fivestar 1L contains the active ingredient Bifenthrin and is a suitable insecticide for Ant control whilst being safe to use on Zoysia, Kikuyu, Couch and Buffalo grasses.
Another effective liquid insecticide for Ant control that is suitable for use on Zoysia, Kikuyu, Couch and Buffalo grasses, is Indigo Rumbler 100SC 5L, which also contains the active ingredient Bifenthrin.
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Will Insecticides That Kill Ants Damage Your Lawn
Whether the insecticide treatment is going to damage your lawn or not depends on the type of insecticide. Several control solutions can harm your grass if they are not applied according to the given instructional manual.
You can also seek professional help from an ant exterminator to avoid potential destruction of your lawn. It is necessary to read complete instructions before the application of insecticide for positive results. Prepare the insecticide solution according to given guidelines and treat the infested area to control ant colonies. Some of the insecticides come with ready to use spray bottles.
The treatment with insecticides is good for highly infested areas. They kill the ants right after treatment and they are much cheaper than other ant killers. Still if not handled by professionals, there have been cases where people have destroyed their lawns with improper handling of the insecticides.
Great Ways To Get Rid Of Ants In Grass Naturally
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You just want to be able to enjoy spending time out in your yard as much as you can. If you have found that your yard is full of ants and various ant colonies, then that might be a big problem that will keep you from having your fun.
Its hard to lay out in the sun in your backyard if you have ants crawling all over the place and many people get quite bothered by having ants so near their homes.
Its also true that having a large ant infestation in your yard could lead to issues such as the ants coming into your home. When this problem gets out of hand, it could wind up being a bigger nuisance and it makes sense to try to take care of things. Is there a way for you to get rid of ants in grass naturally, though?
Keep reading to learn about several options that you have to get rid of the ants in your yard. Once you learn about this information, it should be a lot simpler to take action and get rid of the ants that have been bothering you.
Youll just have to choose the best method that will work for your situation once youre aware of your options.
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Professional Prevention Of Ants
The most effective and safe way to eliminate ants around the interior and exterior of your home is to call a pest control professional. The experience and know-how that a pest control specialist has paired with the right products and tools is a deadly combination guaranteed to get the job done. Before you contact a pest control specialist, consider how rain affects pest control.
Effective Ways To Kill Ants Outside
When most people think of ant infestations, they imagine tiny critters crawling around the inside of their home. While it can certainly be frustrating when ants make their way into your house, they can be equally troubling when theyre outside of your home. In fact, failing to address outdoor ants near your home will greatly increase your chances of an indoor infestation.
If you step outside for some fresh air and notice a large number of ants around your home, its time to take action and protect your property from these pests. Learn how to kill ants outside so that you can keep your yard and your home pest-free.
Recurring Infestations
If youre like most homeowners, youve probably eliminated an ant infestation in your home only to have these pests return at full force a few days later. The reason for this is very simple: You failed to kill the ants outside.
Many ant infestations are a result of having an ant hill in your yard and unless you get rid of the ant hill, your home will never be completely free from these insects. However many ants you see in your home, there are thousands more in the colony waiting for their chance to make their way into your house. Even if it seems like youve gotten rid of all the ants near your home, queens can lay eggs that total in the thousands on a daily basis.
Try Ant Baits
Use Boiling Water
Anthill Treatment
Apply Insecticide to Your Yard
Kill Ants Outside
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Facts About Fire Ants
We have Australia-based professional pest exterminator Alexander Crawler to share the following facts:
- Fire ants have been imported to the USA thanks to an unfortunate incident. A cargo vessel from South America.
- Soil further North makes it hard for ants to survive, thus the species prosper in warmer lands.
- The average fire ant colony topples 200 000 in the count.
- Male ants are rarely part of the colony, although not unseen.
- Fire ants can build tunnels spreading over 25 feet away from the colony.
- The life of a fire ant consists of 4 stages eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults.
- It can take anywhere between 3 and 6 months for a colony to become big enough for you to spot.
Kill The Ants But Not Your Lawn
- Try to avoid chemicals, if you can. Insecticides arent the most effective way to kill entire ant mounds, unless theyre professional grade and properly applied. Chemicals will also kill your grass in a short amount of time.
- Dont use boiling water. Another popular option that will definitely contribute to grass loss.
- Dont use vinegar. Acetic acid can dry out the top layer of your lawn.
- Dont use soap and water during the day. When you water your lawn with any kind of liquid during the day, youre essentially magnifying the suns effects on your grass, causing burns and deterioration. If the suns out, the water should be away!
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When In Doubt Call A Professional Ant Exterminator
Of course, the easiest way to get rid of ants in your lawn is to call a professional ant control expert. Depending on the type of ants living in your backyard, the exterminator may use one or several methods of ant extermination, choosing the most effective and least damaging treatment options. By calling an expert, you can minimize damage to your lawn, remove ant mounds in record time, and enjoy your lawn all summer long. Call Antworks today for an ant extermination quote!
When Pesky Ants Invade Your House And Garden Repel And Eliminate Them With 10 Simple Home Remedies
As common household pests go, ants can try a homeowners patience. A survey conducted by the National Pest Management Association found that ant infestations are on the rise across the country, making ants Americas number one nuisance bug. Get rid of these foraging insects using eco-friendly remedies made from household items found in your pantry or at the supermarket.
Heres a roundup of the best homemade bug solutions to help you bid farewell to ants, simply and safely.
According to Spicer, Saigon cinnamon can be especially effective when sprinkled around anthills, across their paths, on kitchen countertops and along floorboards. And cinnamon essential oil can effectively repel and exterminate ants, too.
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Can Ants Cause Health Issues
Can ants cause health issues? Although ants are just a nuisance, they can pose serious health issues for the homeowner and their family. Did you know you may even catch E. coli from ants? Lets look into this a little more below.
As discussed above, ants will send out scouts looking for food and resources. Anthills in your lawn surrounding your home mean that ants will eventually end up in your home. As they roam all over the home, they pick up germs and bacteria, and this can get deposited onto food that you may not lock away in airtight containers.
The ants can contract other bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella, and E.coli while they roam around bathroom areas in your home. Again these can be passed onto humans or your beloved pets as the ants clamber over the food and preparation areas of the kitchen.
Ants can also contract Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Clostridium. It is usually contracted from feces that the ants have crawled over outside. It again is passed on to you through food prep areas. You cannot catch any of these diseases through stings and bites.
How Ants Affect Your Lawn
Many ants build their nests in or under lawns. They prefer well-drained soil in lawns that dont suffer from compaction. This means even the best cared for lawns can fall victim to ant infestations.
Theyre not all bad though. They hunt other insects in your lawn and their nests can help with lawn aeration.
However, as they excavate the soil they leave it on the surface of your lawn. These ant hills can affect your lawn in a few ways
- They can make your lawn uneven
- Make mowing the grass difficult as the lawn mower blades get stuck on lumps of soil
- Kill the grass under the mounds of earth, especially if the grass is short
They also eat through the root zone of the grass as they build their colonies. This can result in patches of dead grass appearing.
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How To Get Rid Of Ant Hills
Eliminating ants from your yard can pose a problem, especially if you have children or pets, as you may want to avoid using dangerous chemicals. While chemicals are generally more effective, there are natural recipes available to get rid of ant hills:
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Combine ½ teaspoon liquid dish soap, 1 ½ teaspoons of canola oil and 1 quart of water in a mixing bowl, then transfer solution over to a spray bottle. Spray area with high concentrations of ants and pour solution into the nest, killing ants.
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Another option is to pour 1 quart of white distilled vinegar into an ant nest, as the acidity kills ants on impact.
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Spread diatomaceous earth throughout your yard, focusing on areas that have a high concentration of ants and pouring it into the nest. Ensure you wear a dust mask for safety reasons upon application.
Kill Fire Ants With Bait
Fire ants are common in the southeastern United States and Southern California. Want to know how to get rid of ants like this? Youll need more than a standard insecticide. Look for a special product thats designed to wipe out fire ants. As with other baits, it may take a few weeks to see full results.
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