War against ants: homemade solutions and tips to exterminate them

Who has never been bothered, at least once, by the presence of ants in their house?! The problem is that it is not always easy to eliminate them and most people have doubts about how to do this.

Lucia Schuller, Master in Public Health and partner of the ABC Expurgo company, explains, firstly, that ants are more active in the hot months. Both species that live in gardens and those that live inside homes. “This is related to the inability of ants and insects in general to produce energy through food, as mammals do. Ants are thermodependent, that is, they depend on temperature and humidity conditions to live. Hence, many species have migrated to the indoor environments of homes, hospitals, factories, restaurants, since in these environments these factors are somehow controlled”, she highlights.

Risks posed by the presence of ants

A very common question is about the problems that the presence of ants can pose to the residents of a house. In addition to bothering and stinging people, can they cause harm to health?

The biologist Lucia explains that the mere presence of ants in a house (or even in a company, office) does not bring problems to people’s health.

“What causes trouble is the fact that ants carry microscopic particles in their bodies, including bacteria, found during their foraging work, that is, collecting food”, he says.

“We can imagine a situation where ants transit through the bathroom, pass through the wastebasket, where there are organic remains, and capture the bacteria, transporting them to food or utensils used to contain food. In this case, we have a serious problem”, adds Lucia.

Important guidelines for fighting ants

Thinking about all this, it is obvious that people want to eliminate and/or avoid the appearance of ants in the house. But is this a simple measure?

“Ants are easily transportable from one environment to another. Therefore, decreasing its presence becomes a little difficult. The most appropriate thing would be not to allow ants to occupy our space. For this, it is necessary to observe them and see where the nests are located and seal off these accesses for the ants”, emphasizes Lucia Schuller.

Below, the biologist explains how to do this, using products that – for the most part – you have at home. Just pay attention to the information and follow each guideline:

• It is worth noting that ants hide in places, for example, where clay has fallen from the tile, the grout has fallen… It is in these holes that they enter and build their nests.
• To solve the problem, first of all, as biologist Lucia has already pointed out, it is necessary to find out where the ants are hiding.
• To look for “the way” of them, you can put any bait in a bottle cap. For example, a little honey, sugar water, that is, any food that attracts these ants.
• To get to the bait in question, the ants will make a path, clearly indicating where they are leaving. Once you know this, it becomes much easier to control.
• To do the actual control, Lucia suggests putting a mixture of detergent and water in equal parts into a syringe, then injecting the liquid into the hole where the ants are. “Of course there are the hatchlings and the queens – as these sweet ants have many queens; as opposed to saúvas, which have a single queen who takes care of the entire anthill,” she says.
• By doing this, you will flood the hole where the ants are nesting, and they will die.
• However, other ants may return to that hole later, if it is not definitively closed. “After injecting the solution, the holes and cavities must all be closed with putty, silicone or soap paste,” says Lucia.
• If you wish, to plug this hole, you can make your own sealant. To do this, mix some white cement and powder used to nail the tile to the wall with a little water. With this “food”, you can close that hole and, eventually, others you find around the house.

Are ants coming out of an electrical outlet?

In that case, you won’t be able to use anything liquid. “When the nests are inside outlets, what you should do is throw a little talc inside them that will repel the ants”, explains Lucia.

This is because talc – which is a very fine powder – “closes” the “holes” on the sides of the ants’ body, where they breathe, consequently causing them to die.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the case of the ants called carpenters – which are those that only come out at night. To solve the problem with this type of ant, it is necessary to use vinegar (ordinary white).

Tip: spray with vinegar to prevent the appearance of ants

Vinegar, by the way, is a product that most people have at home and that can be used to prevent ants from appearing in unwanted places. That’s because ants don’t like vinegar (or lemon).

So, did you just do the dishes?! Is the sink clean?! Splash some vinegar on the spot. For this, leave at your disposal a mixture with a little white vinegar and water inside a spray bottle.

The role of ants in the environment

It is common that, when hearing about ants, people immediately think about the discomfort they cause inside a house. But, it must be remembered that the ant is an essential insect in nature.

“People tend to always look at the harmful side, the harm. There is no doubt that this damage happens, but, above all, ants are important organisms in improving soil porosity, nutrient and water circulation, through their exploratory habit, and tunnel formation”, highlights Lucia Schuller. .

In addition, the biologist explains, ants play an important role in seed dispersal, transporting them to environments with greater amounts of nutrients and moisture, where seeds are better able to germinate. “Ants also eliminate some pest species that cause environmental damage”, she concludes.

Now you already know the important role that ants have in nature, but, it is a fact, you do not want to see them roaming around your kitchen, living room… from your home!