How to Get Rid of Little Black Ants

Oddly enough “how to get rid of little black ants” is a question pest control Austin customers have been asking recently. This usually doesn’t come up this time of year, but small black ants in the kitchen are never a good thing, so here is some info that may be useful to you.

Little black ants are small and dark brown, black or jet-black in color. Little black ants are a native species found throughout the United States. Little black ants prefer meat, but they are omnivorous and will eat insects, sweets, honeydew, vegetables, grease or oily foods, corn meals and plant secretions as well. Little black ant workers forage in trails, which are frequently seen along sidewalks and foundation walls.

When people see little black ants in their home they usually want to be cautious about using pest control products around the kitchen food preparation or storage areas. These concerns make sense, but keep in mind, if you hire a professional, well know exterminator Austin customers can count on the technician using the approved products in the approved amounts in the approved areas. Responsible application is the first step to protect your family.

Many pest control Austin customers want to know if any home remedies will work. People are always looking for natural solutions around their home. Our pest control Austin customers ask about orange peels, gasoline, vinegar, bleach, diesel, and diatomaceous earth. I would bet gasoline and diesel will kill just about anything, but I wouldn’t want to put either one around my home or around our living environment. Most of the others may be able to repel insects for a while but they will not eliminate your issue with small black ants.

If you are seeing small black ants in around your home, any exterminator Austin will tell you to find the source to eliminate the issues you are experiencing. There could be a colony nearby in the yard. These ants are commonly found in wooded areas with nests in trees, stumps, brick or debris/wood piles or around logs. Look around the lot for these elements. Moving wood piles away from the home and clearing brush and yard debris can go a long way. These pest could also have nested inside your home in a wall void.

Try to find where the ants are entering your structure. There could be an obvious point of entry. You can usually find the entry point if you follow the ant train back. If not, look around outside for areas where the small black ants could be getting in. Check your weep holes, look around windows, doors and take a look at the roof line. If you are able to find the entry point, seal it up. Usually a little bead of caulk will go a long way.

You can then clean up the pheromone trail the small black ants are following. Just clean the ant’s path with any household cleaner. The pheromone trail must be cleaned up or it will attract more ants.

If you take these steps whenever you see small black ants you may be able to solve your issues. This is also an extremely green and natural pest control approach if you are into that sort of thing. If this seems like too much work, you may want to look into contacting an exterminator Austin who can come take a look and let you know what they can do to address the issue. Most exterminators Austin customers have available to them will be able to tell you how to get rid of little black ants.