The Facts About Controlling Ants in Your House and Yard

When we moved to a place in the country, my then 6-year-old son was in charge of packing his toy box. One day he came to me and said something was biting him at night. I went into his room and found fire ants everywhere, which seemed to be emanating from the toybox. A look inside discovered the problem. He had put an unfinished bag of corn chips into his toybox, and the ants had built a nest in there around the food source. Fire ants love corn and oil, so the Fritos were like candy to them, luring them right into the house.

There are many species of ants, some which sting and some which are innocuous but annoying. They each are attracted to different kinds of food, and have to be treated differently. Other than sprays, the three predominant types of ant poisons are pour-ons, granules and baits — which can also be granules. See where the confusion sets in?

IMPORTANT: When Fire Ants Enter Your Home

While some ants are just pests and not dangerous, some, like fire ants, can be deadly to those allergic to wasp stings. Children, especially, can be made ill or even die from massive amounts of their stings. If you find fire ants in your house, immediately grab the insect spray and use other controls later. They can swarm rapidly and do great harm to people and pets. If you are vehemently opposed to chemical sprays, straight vinegar sprayed directly on them or coating them with boric acid will kill them.

Types of Ant Baits

Ant baits are designed to treat by feeding the ants the food they love laced with poison. Fire ants love greasy foods, so the most popular bait for them is literally yelllow corn meal soaked in oil and poison. Sugar ants, crazy ants and ghost ants love sugar, so we use liquid baits for them which are made from some form of sugary syrup laced with boric acid. Bait “motels” are small boxes laced with an attractant and coated with a sticky substance which traps the ants.

Why Aren’t the Ants Eating the Bait?

It’s important to use baits according to label directions. The main mistake most homeowners make is piling bait on top of an ant hill, then wondering why they don’t eat it. Ants are foragers and will ignore most food placed on top of the hill. The bait needs to be placed at least 1 to 2 feet away from the mound for it to be found and carried back. Also, they don’t eat a lot, so using too much will only be wasteful. The directions are there for a reason. Read and follow them.

Pour-On and Granular Ant Poisons

Pour-on and granular ant poisons are designed to be applied directly to and around the mound. Some require watering in, some don’t. Again, read the directions because if they don’t require watering in, you are rendering them useless by doing so.

Pour-on ant poisons are mixed according to directions and poured directly onto the mound or into the nest. If you’re dealing with bull ants or carpenter ants, you’ll need to locate the nest, which is usually under the foundation of your house, and apply the bait to that area. I found it’s best to have a professional do this, as they have equipment that can inject the poison far enough in to kill the ants.

Controlling Ants in Container Plants

I have found that pour-on or water-in granules are best for use in containers. Baits hardly ever work, and can breed fungus and ruin your soil if piled on top of the pot. If you’re dealing with fire ants, treat the soil and also put some bait out around the containers for any strays to pick up and carry to whatever mound they came from.

Ants are everywhere, and there is no way to keep them out of your yard and home. Remember to use poisons judiciously and properly to keep ants at bay and your home, yard and family safe.