The Structure Of An Ant Colony
An ant colony is the definition of structure. There are castes or groups of ants that perform different tasks within the colony. These castes include queens, males, and workers. Queen ants are responsible for laying eggs males are necessary for reproduction but die soon after they mate and worker ants are females that forage for food and tend to the young inside the nest. All of the castes work together to keep the colony healthy.
Worker ants are the backbone of the colony and carry out separate duties. Some of the workers take care of the eggs, larvae, and pupae and never leave the nest. Other workers leave the nest in constant search of food and water. Typically the largest ants of the colony will travel furthest from the nest while the smaller ants remain closer.
Many ant colonies have more than one queen and can create separate colonies through the process of budding. Budding occurs when one queen takes a few workers to create another nest, beginning a new colony.
Common Ways To Get Rid Of Ants
There are several do-it-yourself methods for eliminating ants in your yard. Gardening Know How warns to beware of harsh over-the-counter chemical sprays or baits, as children or animals may be playing nearby. Safer methods include:
- Use boiling water over the colony: This kills the ants and floods the colony.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth over it: A white powder containing skeletons of small sea creatures, diatomaceous earth acts as small shards of glass when ingested by acts, killing them from the inside.
- Spray the colony with a solution of dish soap or borax and water: This acts as a poison for the ants while also causing them to dehydrate.
- Get rid of the hill: When dealing with mounding ants, flattening the hill can destroy the colony.
How To Kill Ants In The Lawn Without Killing Grass
For a safer and cheaper solution, you can use natural methods or home remedies to get rid of ants from your lawn or garden. The DIY home remedies can help to eradicate the ant colonies without damaging your lawn. In the following section, we have given some effective and easy to do home remedies for getting rid of the ants in your lawn.
Soapy Water
Soapy water is one of the best home remedies to get rid of the ant infestation from your lawn. To prepare a soapy water spray, mix 1.5 tablespoons of oil, half teaspoon of liquid soap in one quart of water.
Pour the solution in a bottle and spray the solution at the entry points of mounds. Do not spray directly on the grass in order to avoid plant loss. The soap water enters the exoskeleton of the ants and suffocates them to death.
Vinegar Solution
To prepare vinegar solution mix equal parts of white vinegar and water. Directly pouring the white vinegar over the mound can help to get rid of the ant colony. It does not damage the plants in your lawn and instantly kills the ants due to its acidic nature.
DIY Ant Baits
You can prepare honey, sugar, or peanut butter baits by mixing boric acid in it until it becomes a paste. Change the bait according to the infested ant species. It may be a slow-acting process but it wont cause any harm to your grass or other plants.
Chilli Powder
Insect Repellent Plants
Diatomaceous Earth
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Will They Return After You Kill Them
If you destroy their new habitat, the ants obviously wont return. However, this doesnt mean that your lawn will be 100% immune to in the future. A nice and soft lawn is irresistible for ant queens! The ants may return, but it may take several months or years for this to happen. And if they do come back again in the future, at least you know what to do!
Now that youre aware of several methods you can use to kill ants on your lawn, you should be able to keep your home ant-free, particularly if youre not fond of destroying ant hills. If you have multiple ant hills on your lawn, you should consider consulting a professional before choosing the best pest control solution.
S Of Killing Ants In Your Lawn
If you have a lawn in your home, its of extreme importance for you to be in the know about the latest techniques on how to exterminate ants on your lawn. You will allow you to enjoy your lawn and keep it free from the menace caused by these creatures and help protect your beautiful plants and allow them to mature.
Though, youll need to be very cautious of the method used, as using the wrong approach may destroy your garden. First, youll need to be specific about the type of ants that have invaded your yard before you choose the best method of eradicating them.
- Using Boiling Water
- Anthill killer poison
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The Best Natural Ant Killer
The best ant killer is the one that works for you. People have had more success with repelling ants than killing them.
Products that have worked include:
- Spices, such as cinnamon and cloves.
- Citrus oils and peels.
- Corn meal sprinkled around the nest.
- Powders, like baking powder, that suffocate ants.
Sometimes the best remedy is a combination or solution of several ingredients.
Results vary according to:
- Objects in and around your yard,
- The kind of ants you have,
- How extensive the ant colony is.
Natural and home remedies are usually inexpensive and nontoxic however, not all of them will work in every situation. You may need to experiment.
Where Is The Ant Nest
If you can’t easily find the anthill in your yard, you must do a bit of detective work. Since this species of ant loves sugar and fat, put a bit of each of these foods outside in areas where you have seen ants . If the bait is left untouched, switch it to another spot. Once the ants find it, they will create and maintain a path back to the nest.
The first method for destroying the nest is all-natural and can work effectively. Simply fill a pot with boiling water, add some liquid soap, and pour it right into the anthills entry point while the water is steaming. The writer from the Trussville Tribune also recommends boric acid, which can be sprinkled onto the entry point. You can even mix it with water and sugar to make it more appealing to the ground ants. However, keep in mind that boric acid is toxic to humans and pets.
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Why Do I Have Ant Hills In My Yard
When looking for a way to destroy ant hills, its good to have some basic understanding of the makeup of the hills themselves. Contrary to popular belief, the ants dont usually live in the mounds you see in your yard.
Ants build a network of tunnels and chambers deep into the ground to shelter their colonies and store food. As they dig, they carry the displaced soil particles out of the burrows. The mound of dirt you see above the ground is the entrance and exit to an underground ant colony.
Flattening out an ant mound usually results in another one popping up after a few days. Thats because the ants will start rebuilding shortly afterward.
Spray Anthills With Vinegar
One of the best things that you can do is use vinegar to keep ants from wanting to come in your yard again.
If you can find the anthill where the ants came from, then you can easily spray a bunch of vinegar in the anthill. Ants cant stand vinegar and itll kill them really well but there are some potential problems to consider with this option.
The first thing to note is that vinegar has the potential to be harmful to the nearby vegetation. If the anthill happens to be near some plants that you would like to save, then you might wish to hold back since the plant could be damaged by the vinegar that youre spraying.
Vinegar is quite potent and it can even damage the topsoil if you spray a whole lot of it.
Youre likely going to have to spray quite a bit of vinegar if youre trying to kill a colony of ants. Just be aware that this can cause issues for plants so that you can be prepared for that.
To get the best results, youre going to want to mix up vinegar and water into a spray bottle in equal parts.
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How Big Can An Ant Hill Get
Chances are, you wont find a mound along the sidewalk cracks that measures more than an inch in height. However, species living in forests or other relatively human-free locations are capable of building small skyscrapers.
But more important than the hill itself is the fact that this is just one entrance to a massive underground complex, and thus an ant hill may be considered similar to an iceberg, with only a small portion being visible.
The term ant hill is sometimes used synonymously with an entire ant colony, and this usage means they can get pretty big. Extending anywhere from two inches to 13 feet deep, colonies sprawl out horizontally just like a human city.
The current Guinness record holder is a supercolony of Argentine ants discovered in southern Europe in 2000. It extends more than 3,700 miles across and has literally billions of residents.
Meanwhile, the second place record holder is a Hokkaido ant supercolony reaching 670 acres across and containing an estimated 45,000 nests.
Thankfully, even the most ambitious ant colonies in your backyard will likely only extend outwards a few hundred feet and will likely be far smaller.
Do You Spray Your Property With Insecticides
Although there are many spray insecticides that can kill ants quickly, you should know that their efficiency will depend on various conditions. For example, rain could easily wash off the formula or dilute it to the point where it will no longer kill ants on contact.
The residual control of spray formulas is not very impressive either. Compared to powders and granules, which may be able to handle some watering, sprays wont last as long. Theres also a concern about introducing insecticides to your edible crops, so keep that it mind when deciding which products to use.
A Final Tip on Dealing with Ant Colonies
The products used to eradicate ant colonies outside will often be different than the ones used inside your home. Make sure that you dont use the same product inside and outside unless the ingredients are acceptable, pet- and child-safe, and if the weather resistance of the formula is adequate.
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Eliminate Ants In Your Yard Permanently With Amco Ranger Termite And Pest Solutions
Even if you are able to identify the nest and use one of the above treatments, there is no guarantee they will not return. Ants are industrious, quickly rebuilding and repopulating colonies. To get rid of them permanently, call in the experts at Amco Ranger Termite and Pest Solutions.
We pride ourselves on providing the best service in the industry and back our work with a 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee. Do not let ants ruin your yard or give them the opportunity to enter your home. Reach out and call or contact our Missouri ant control experts online today. Request a free, no-obligation ant inspection to locate colonies in your yard and to discover ways to eliminate them completely.
How To Get Rid Of Odorous House Ants
Odorous House Ants, also sometimes called Stink Ants or Coconut Ants, are a common household pest and found throughout the United States. Odorous House Ants emit a pungent rotten coconut odor when they are crushed. Odorous House Ants are small, approximately 1/8-1/16 of an inch in length, and are dark brown or black. Odorous House Ants do not bite unless provoked and like other ants, we have discussed feed on sugary and protein-rich substances.
Odorous House Ants are considered a Tramp Ant. Many of the most difficult to control species of ants are classified as Tramp Ants. Tramp Ants are ants that have adapted to comfortably live very close to humans, in fact, they are more prevalent in areas where human development has limited the natural landscape. The following characteristics of Tramp Ants make their control difficult:
- Colonies have multiple queens and multiple sub-colonies
- Related colonies are not aggressive with each other
- Live in close association with humans
- Varied Diet
- Wide Range of Nesting Habits
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Dealing With Ant Mounds
But that doesnt mean those mounds do nothing to your turf.
As ants build those mounds, they can smother those warm-season grasses that dont tolerate shade well, Bachman says.
Those fire ants can make some pretty impressive mounds, he says. Im always amazed driving down the highway.
You might end up with some spots in your lawn, but for the most part the ant mounds wont kill the grass, he says.
In his article, Lewis writes that to avoid that mound damage, simply rake away the hill as you notice it.
You can also hit it with the garden hose and wash it away.
Now You Know How To Get Rid Of Ants In Grass Naturally
While ants play an important role in your lawns ecosystem, they can be a nuisance. Especially if your yard experiences recurring ant mounds or the little pests eat your vegetation.
Now that you know how to get rid of ants in grass naturally, you can rest easy knowing that the ants will be gone without applying a harmful insecticide that could put children, pests, and pollinators at risk.
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Baby Powder Or Baking Soda
Even using something such as baby powder or baking soda will help you to get rid of ants in your lawn. You might not have known this, but ants breathe through the spiracles that are located on their exoskeletons.
Substances such as baby powder and baking soda can work to clog up the spiracles and this will kill the ants.
Placing baby powder or baking soda around the area where youre seeing ants will do the trick. You can pour it on an anthill to take care of a large number of ants at once. If you have a lot of baby powder at your house, then this is a practical way to deal with your problem.
Baking soda works just as well as baby powder and its very likely that you will have access to one of these two items.
This method isnt necessarily more or less effective than many of the other options youve been given above. Its just about what you find to be most convenient and whether you want to put plants in danger by using some of the options that can cause damage to vegetation.
Killing Ants With Natural Substitutes
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Which Ants Do You Have Types Of Ants To Look For
Understanding the type of ant you are dealing with is essential.
Many common species are susceptible to ant killers. But a few are exceptionally hardy and require specially formulated products to eradicate them.
So you need to know the species of ants in your lawn, before you can tackle and get rid of them.
Here are the common types of ant you may encounter in your yard and on your lawn:
How To Get Rid Of Ants In Your House
If you find ants, you may be wondering how to get rid of ants in your house. Getting rid of ants is more difficult than you might think. The best way to get rid of ants is to take measures to prevent them from getting inside in the first place. To prevent an infestation, start by preventing easy access to your home:
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Seal exterior cracks.
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Cut away branches and tree material that are close to or touch your home.
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Remove damp wood or other sources of moisture near your home.
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Clear decaying or infested wood from around your home.
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Remove firewood from inside or away from the side of your home.
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Avoid burying tree stumps or other wood debris near your home.
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Correct humidity problems inside your home.
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Keep dry food in sealed containers.
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Remove food and water sources .
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Keep your home clean – regularly sweep or vacuum.
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Dont keep sugary food out in the open.
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Dont leave dirty dishes in the sink.
If you find ants in your home or business, locating the nest is the first step in taking care of the problem. A handy trick for this is to leave a sugary item out in the open and then follow the ant as it takes the food back to its nest.
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