5 Common Household Items to Help You Get Rid of Ants

5 Common Household Items to Help You Get Rid of Ants When you first start to see ants in your house, it is important to take action to ensure they don't make themselves at home. Learn about some common items you might already have at home that can help control your ant problem until the pros show up with this graphic from Home Front Pest Control. Most common household ants: Carpenter ants Color: Black, Red • Shape: Segmented, Oval X Size: 4 to ¾ inch Region: All throughout the U.S. with large predominance in northern states Threat: Carpenter ants drill through wood to make their nests, which can cause structural damage to your property over time. Odorous house ants Color: Brown, Black Shape: Segmented, Oval * Size: 1/16 to 1/8 inch Region: All throughout the U.S., mainly in moist climates Threat: Odorous house ants can be found in moist areas around the home, like beneath leaky fixtures, and can contaminate food. Pavement ants Color: Dark Brown, Black Shape: Segmented, Oval, Large Antennas * Size: 1/8 inch Region: Throughout the U.S. Threat: Pavement ants are known to nest in walls, within insulation, and under indoor flooring. They eat almost anything and are attracted to sweet-smelling foods. Common Household Ant Deterrents: Dish Soap Mint Leaves Odorous house ants can be found Mint leaves left by door or window in moist areas around the home, entrances can keep ants away and like beneath leaky fixtures, and make your home smell nice. can contaminate food. Caulk Cinnamon Ants can enter through areas that Ants are turned away by the scent are smaller than a grain of salt, so of cinnamon, so use this spice to use caulk to seal cracks around create a barrier around places they entry ways. enter from. White Vinegar White vinegar deters ants and also makes for a great all-natural cleaner for your home. SOURCES: http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Ants-Naturally HOMEFROM http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/blogs/13-natural-remedies-for-the-ant-invasion http://voices.yahoo.com/home-remedies-rid-ants-kitchen-8305877.html?cat=6 http://www.pestworld.org/media/398462/npma-pest-flash-cards-3.pdf PRST CONTISOL http://www.pestworld.org/news-and-views/guest-columnists/posts/the-three-most-common-ant-species/