Ants in the kitchen: Now what?

Ants in the kitchen is the number one reason why CT residents seek the help of a pest control company.  Our company fields 100’s of calls per year from homeowners with the same issue.  Having ants in the kitchen is not a sign that your home is dirty.

So, what exactly is wrong with having an ant problem?  The real issue actually depends on what type of ant you’re having a problem with.  For the sake of brevity we’re going to assume that you’re having a problem with either carpenter ants or pavement ants.  The biology and habits of these two pests are different, but the annoyance they cause is equal.

Pavement ants also known as sugar ants.  The ant typically will not be nesting in the home.  When these ants are in the kitchen they’ll likely be coming from either outside or from under a slab or abutting concrete structure like a breezeway or patio.  Pavement ants will readily feed on crumbs left on the floor, spots of dripped soda, grease or pet food.  Having pavement ants in the kitchen is certainly not fun as when they come it’s usually by the hundreds.  It’s not unusual to see trails of these ants walking across the kitchen floor.

Opposite of the pavement ant is the carpenter ant.  If you live around trees you’ll recognize the carpenter ant as a “black ant”.  When a homeowner calls and complains we try to get a description of what they’re seeing.  With few exceptions the typical response is that “I have black ants in the kitchen, but the’re not carpenter ants because they’re all different sizes”.  Unfortunately, the reality is that most people are wrong.  In CT any black ant from 6 mm to 12 mm is likely a carpenter ant.  The problem with carpenter ants is that they nest in walls and can do considerable damage if left untreated.

Treatment methods

There are various ways to treat for ants in the kitchen, but the tried and true method for these two ants is as follows:

Carpenter ants:  Find the colony! This ant will typically be located in a wall cavity.  The use of insecticidal dusts work exceptionally well in walls and on carpenter ants in particular

Pavement ants: Treat the foraging trails with a liquid insecticide and also follow the ants back to where they’re coming from.  You’ll know you’ve found the area if you find piles of sand.  Sweeping the sand away and spraying directly into the hole or crack where the sand came from should do the trick.

If you have ants in your home and need help call Envirocare Pest Control,LLC at 1-888-879-6481.  We can help!