How to Keep Ants Outside

1. Remove Any Standing Water

We’ve established that ants prefer to build their colonies in warm and dry areas. However, they need water to live. Standing water on the outside of your home attracts all kinds of pests, including ants.

Rain barrels have gained popularity as the world embraces homesteading and sustainable living. While these are excellent for collecting rainwater, you must be aware that they can also attract pests. Ants, rodents, bugs, and other animals are drawn to areas with abundant water.

Water is vital for insect health, by assisting them in maintaining the moisture in their exoskeletons. If not managed, things like a leaking water hose, puddles, swamp-like areas, and empty buckets can all become significant problems.

You might not notice that an old bucket you throw behind your garage has collected water, but it could be a problem. Make sure there are no places where water can collect and quench the thirst of the busy ant.

2. Seal Cracks and Holes in Sidewalks and Garages

Did you know that some ants build their nests right under the concrete? If you have any sidewalks with cracks in them, it’s the perfect location for an ant to slip in and start their nest. Pavement ants likely won’t come into your home, but they can build a massive colony in your sidewalks.

Walk around your home and look for any areas where cracks and holes provide access to a place of safety. While you’re out there inspecting, make sure you look around your home’s foundation and windows.

A busy ant strolling by might find that a gap in your home is the perfect way to come inside and find some food for the nest, potentially leading to an infestation. Sealing off any potential entry points is crucial to keeping ants out.

3. Create Barriers To Keep Ants Out

While there are easy ways to keep ants out, such as salt, chalk, or pesticides, you can also do the same for your lawn. Diatomaceous earth is a product that dehydrates ants and other bugs by drying out their exoskeletons. Sprinkling this product around your home’s perimeter will help reduce their population, among other pests.

DE has a long-standing reputation for its safety and effectiveness in handling chicken mites and slugs in the garden. Being an all-natural product that poses no harm to the earth, pets, or children, it’s the perfect choice to keep your yard insect-free.

Ants don’t like crossing lines of things that can get on their legs and inhibit their movement. Since DE has sharp shards from the natural silica that collects on riverbeds, it pierces their exoskeleton and irritates their legs. They will do anything to avoid areas where this product is sprinkled.

Additionally, it’s very inexpensive and easy to get at any hardware or home and garden store. For around $40, you can grab a large bag and sprinkle it anywhere to keep ants out as well as roaches, spiders, beetles, and other crawling critters away.

4. Keep Your Lawn and Garden Clean

How clean is your yard? Are there piles of leaves or discarded items that need proper storage, or are pet food containers sitting out there? Ants will find the smallest crumb of food to eat, including your dog or cat food.

Storing it in a trash can on the porch may seem like a good idea, but it won’t help keep ants out. Storing food outside is like rolling out the welcome mat for bugs, insects, rodents, and any other hungry animal, especially if the container cannot seal tight.

Do your trash bins have lids that fasten tightly? Since ants have such a keen sense of smell, you want to keep the odors away and make the bins airtight. Remember to use your garbage disposal as much as possible when you throw away items. This simple step empowers you to reduce the trash going into the bin, minimizing the risk of ant infestations.

Things like compost bins are another hot spot for ants, so if you recycle food scraps, you need to use special containers that seal them tightly. The average ant is 3.7 mm long, not even a half inch. It’s not a challenge for them to easily slip in and out of small spaces. Remember, the more ants on the outside of your home, the higher the chances that they’ll make their way inside – it is important to keep ants out which means taking extra steps to prevent them from being drawn to your property.

5. Be Selective About Your Plants

Did you know that your plants can significantly affect the number of insects in your yard? For instance, the peony flower is a classic staple in many gardens. However, the sweet nectar from this blossom does more than attract butterflies and bees.

These plants will make your lawn look fantastic and add a sweet fragrance. However, most insects can’t stand them due to the intense aroma. Have you ever smelled a marigold? The fragrance is overwhelming; you can see how it might affect a small ant.

Have you ever used a product like ammonia, and it’s taken your breath away due to the smell? The same reaction you have to ammonia will happen to the ants when they’re near plants like mint or rosemary.

6. Create Bait Stations

Bait is something that’s commonly used to attract ants. It’s a special kind of food that ants really can’t ignore. However, this food comes with a significant trick! This bait has something inside that will help eliminate the ants by killing off the colony.

When an ant finds a food source, it’s their nature to share it with others. They will eat some and take some back to feed others in their family. Since you use bait inside the home, why can’t you use it outside, too?

Create bait stations in your hot spots to help control and eliminate problems. You can use the same bait traps that you would use indoors on the outside. Since these are made for small insects, they likely won’t be a problem for your pets or children. Still, you should monitor them closely when using such products in the open.

8. Periodically Check for Ant Nests

As a homeowner, your role in identifying significant ant nests in your yard is crucial to prevent ants from spreading indoors. The ant nest is where they live and lay their eggs, and they don’t journey too far away from their home base. Once you know what to look for, you can find and remove these nests before they become a significant problem.

One of the simplest ways to find ant nests is to look for small piles of dirt. These piles, usually shaped like little volcanoes with a hole in the center, are ant nests. Ants push the dirt up from underground to make their tunnels and rooms, a fascinating process when you think about their strength.

Be sure to look out for ant trails, as they’re like highways for these insects. If you see a lot of ants walking in a line, you should follow them to see where they’re going. Ants have predictable patterns from their food source to their home, so they will likely lead you to their nests.

Other places you should look are around rocks or logs. Ants like to build their nests in hidden places. Be sure to lift any sizable stones, logs, or other objects in your yard to check for activity underneath. These spots are often cool and moist, which is perfect for ant nests.

If you suspect there is an ant nest but can’t see it, gently poke the ground with a stick. If ants come rushing out, you’ve found their nest. Be careful not to disturb them too much, as some species of ants can become aggressive.

Pour boiling water into the nest entrance to kill off the whole colony. Be careful when handling boiling water, as you can easily burn yourself. As a safer alternative, place bait near the nest.

Mastering Ant Control And Keeping Ants Out

Since ants don’t carry diseases and don’t have the stigma that water bugs, roaches, and bedbugs do, people don’t seem to get as rattled when they move into their space. However, ants come in droves, and their sheer number can be overwhelming.

The key to preventing an infestation on the inside is to reduce the numbers on the outside. Following a few basic steps, you can ensure your home and garden are a haven for all who utilize them. However, a friendly pest control professional is always eager to help if you ever run into an issue, you’re powerless to defend.