How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Florida Yard

Is your yard crawling with ants? Are you fed up of seeing these tiny invaders every time you step outside? It can be unpleasant to be surrounded by bugs every time you go outside - and it's even worse if they get into your house. However, some kinds of ants may actually be beneficial for your outdoor space. Find out why, and discover some natural ways to deal with ants, in this article.

Problems Caused by Ants

Most people are aware of some of the negative effects of having ants in their yard. Here's a recap on why you may not want ants in your space:

• Carpenter ants, as the name suggests, create nests by excavating in wood. This can cause structural damage to your building.
• Some species, notably fire ants, bite or sting. Fire ant bites can be very painful.
• Unsightly ant mounds can make an otherwise tidy lawn look scruffy and messy.
• Many ant colonies create underground tunnels. These can dry out the soil below your lawn, resulting in dry, brown or wilting grass.

Benefits of Ants

You may be surprised to hear that there can be advantages to having certain types of ant in your yard. Here's how ants can actually benefit you:

• Many species of ant eat other pests, including ticks, termites, fleas and grubs.
• Ant nests often aerate and loosen the soil in a way that gives plants better access to water and nutrients.
• Ants often leave food scraps in their nests. These tiny particles of plant and animal matter fertilize your soil as they decompose.
• Ants benefit the ecosystem by naturally spreading seeds, allowing native plants to grow and thrive.

Before you take measures to get rid of ants, you might want to consider identifying which ant species you have in your yard. Florida Pest Control has a great visual for common ants you're likely to find in Florida.

If the ants are staying outside and are not bothering you too much, you can simply try some natural methods for keeping them away from your house, porch or patio.

If, however, you have carpenter ants or fire ants, or if ants are getting into your house, it may be time to contact the professional pest control services.

How to Find an Ant Infestation

If ants are causing problems and you want to get rid of them, you have two main options: to combat the ant infestation using bait stations, or to find the nest and destroy the entire ant colony in one go.

Bait Stations

Bait stations, or ant traps, can be effective for many kinds of ants, say pest control experts Terminix. Ants in search of food are attracted to the bait. They then carry the insecticide back to the colony. According to Terminix, "the colony's size, the type of ant species, and the attractiveness and potency of the bait all play a role in how quickly the traps work."

Knowing which ant species you have is key to selecting a suitable bait product. Home made ant baits can be effective for smaller infestations. If these do not work, commercial bait trays or those supplied by professional pest control companies may be more effective.

In all cases, bait traps must be kept out of reach of children and pets.

Finding the Nest

One of the quickest ways to get rid of pest ants is to find the nest and eliminate it by pesticide application. Orkin Pest Control tells us, "Locating an ant colony can be a difficult task. Ants can nest deep inside the ground or high above in trees."

Some species of ant may have enormous colonies, with a primary nest and several satellite nests.

If you can find the nest, there are various natural methods and chemical pesticides that you can use to destroy it. If ants are coming back on a regular basis, there may be satellite nests that you have not found.

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Natural Ways to Exterminate Ants

Boiling Water

One simple method for killing ants is to pour boiling water into the nest. It's key to make sure the water is boiling, as cooler water may not kill the ants.

Boil a kettle or pot of water, bring it to the ant mound, and scrape off any loose soil. Then carefully pour the water down into the hole. Try to get as much water as you can to flow into the hole, rather than soaking the ground around it.

The boiling water method is a good way to get rid of an entire colony of ants in one fell swoop. However, if the water cools off too much before it reaches the queen, it may not be effective.

It's important to take care with boiling water at it can cause nasty burns if it comes into contact with your skin. Boiling water can also harm the grass or create a soggy spot on the lawn.

Soapy Water

Adding ordinary dish soap to water creates a compound that is lethal to ants. Add a tablespoon of dish soap to a quart of water. You can put this solution in a spray bottle and use it as an ant spray, or pour it directly into the nest.

Adding oil such as canola or vegetable oil increases the effectiveness of this home made pesticide.

Be aware that soap with water can cause damage to some types of plants, so be careful about where you apply this mixture.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth, sometimes known as DE, is a powder made of tiny fossils. It's harmless to humans, but can injure and eventually kill ants. Worker ants do not consider DE to be a food source, so they will not bring it back to the nest. This ant treatment will eventually kill any ants that walk through it.

You can use DE as it is or mix it with sugar to create a more enticing ant bait. Sprinkle the powder anywhere you've seen ants; you can also place it around your porch, patio or home to kill any insects that try to come in.

Although it's not toxic to us, DE is a fine powder and can therefore be an irritant if inhaled. You should therefore use a dust mask and goggles when handling it. DE also becomes ineffective when it gets wet, so you'll need to reapply frequently until the ant infestation is gone.

Boric Acid

Some homeowners have found boric acid, a component of borax, to be effective in getting rid of ants. Borax can be mixed with a sweetening agent such as honey or sugar to create a delicious bait for worker ants to take back to the nest. In this way, the bait trap can affect the entire colony.

If used properly and with care, borax may be a suitable way to exterminate ants on your property. However, please keep this household chemical away from children and pets as it may cause them harm. Bulwark Exterminating has more information on how to use boric acid effectively to get rid of ants.

Calling in the Ant Control Experts

If you have tried the natural ant control methods mentioned above and you are still having trouble with ants, it may be time to think about professional ant control. If you call in a pest control service, they may use some of the following treatment methods:

• Ant bait traps (these could use liquid bait or granular baits)
• Chemical treatments, applied to a primary nest and satellite nests
• Nest identification and removal (in the case of carpenter ants)
• Comprehensive treatment of entry points and removal of ant food sources and other attractants

Keeping Your Space Ant-Free

Once the ants are gone, it's important to target any attractants. This approach to pest management will ensure that pest species such as ants do not return.

Here are some tips for keeping ants away from your yard.

Regular Maintenance

Ants are much more likely to want to live in a bare, patchy lawn than in a thick, healthy one. Regular lawn maintenance is therefore key to decrease the likelihood of ants returning regularly.

• Remove leaf litter or piles of twigs
• Water your lawn frequently
• Mow to a suitable height on a regular basis
• Fertilize as needed
• Avoid excessive vehicle or foot traffic

Remove Attractants

It's a good idea to keep any trash or compost bins away from your lawn as these are a food source for ants. Similarly any food residues or spills, even outdoors, should be cleaned up straight away. Pet food containers also need to be kept indoors or well away from the lawn.

Ants are attracted by tree branches and other organic matter, so you should remove leaf litter, dead branches and other debris from your yard as soon as you are able to. Even organic mulch can attract ants, so if they are becoming a problem on your property you might want to consider alternatives.

Natural Repellents

Several household substances are thought to help repel ants from your property without the need for harsh chemicals. Ants navigate using their sense of smell. They leave pheromone trails for other ants to follow as foraging routes. Many natural deterrents work by masking the smell of the ant trails to confuse the ants.

The following strong-smelling ingredients can be tried to disrupt ants' scent trails:

• Black pepper
• Chili powder
• Cayenne pepper or other spices with a strong scent
• Peppermint oil
• Citrus peels

Certain plants are also said to be effective in disrupting ant trails. Bob Vila recommends the following plants as an effective method for confusing pheromone trails:

• Sage
• Catnip
• Chrysanthemum
• Anise
• Peppermint

Another suggested natural repellent to keep ants at bay is an ant spray made from vinegar mixed with water. Ants dislike the strong scent of this natural solution.

Conclusion

As with any pest species, the best approach toward pest control is to discourage ants from entering your property in the first place. Following the advice above should help to prevent common ant species from forming a colony in your backyard.

A small ant problem may be managed by creating your own insect baits or by finding and targeting the nest.

For severe infestations of ants, contacting a pest management professional may be the best bet.

For help with landscape maintenance to prevent recurrence of ant issues, get in touch with our friendly professionals at LawnMore Gainvesille.

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