Insects can prove to a troublesome bunch, particularly during the hot summer season. Among all the different types of insects out there, ants are perhaps the most common and annoying ones. No matter what you do, they will always find a way to crawl into your home and its surroundings, making short work of leftover food and creating a mess in the most undesirable of places. Not only that, but some types of ants will bite you if accidentally stepped on. Some bites can be really painful, especially if it comes from those pesky red ants. So how do you exactly get rid of them? There exists no definitive solution, unfortunately. Nevertheless, there are a few methods you can use to at least reduce their presence or prevent them from accessing some of your favourite places or getting onto your potted plants.
• Destroy the Colony – If you want to get rid of the entire ant colony, a possible solution is to pour hot boiling water over one of the openings from where you can see ants crawling. This will inevitably kill all the ants, including the workers, queen, egg and larva, but it may sound a little cruel to some. Do it only if absolutely necessary. After all, ants are beneficial to the soil, even if they may seem like a burden to us.
• Repel Them – If killing ants is not an option you want to take; you can try several methods in order to keep them off your home. Ants do not like certain materials and smells. For example, they will avoid any areas with some amount of talcum powder, salt and some types of insect repellent chalk. Marking their access points with such items will make them think twice about entering again. Smells that are detested by ants include the smell of vinegar and lemon juice. Spray some on your floor, tiles, concrete slabs or wherever you see them wandering and watch as they quickly get out of sight.
• Pave with Limestone – If you are wondering about ways in which to get rid of ants on your balcony or driveway, consider repaving it using liquid limestone. This material, while similar to conventional limestone in many ways, has an additional benefit of being able to keep ants away due to its structure. Consider contacting some limestone pavers if the idea sounds good to you.
• Call for Professional assistance – Sometimes, there are cases in which the ant population goes seriously out of control in a way in which you cannot even imagine. This can lead to all sorts of problems, and you won’t be successful in getting rid of them using conventional methods. If the issue escalates to this level, the only option is to completely exterminate them with some professional help. Beware that these services are expensive and only really required in extreme situations.