How to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen

The ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures in relation to its size. Thus, a single ant can carry 50 times its own weight, and if an ant has backup, they can work together to move larger objects. Perhaps you’ve seen this before in your own kitchen, a line of ants marching away with crumbs of your favorite dessert. It’s at that point the typical person would quickly pull their phone out to find an answer to your question – how do I get rid of ants in the kitchen? 
Fortunately, there are quite a few methods that can help you get rid of those tiny ants in the kitchen with a sweet tooth for your baked goods! The experts at Pest Pros understand ant pest control can feel stressful and everlasting (especially when you try to solve the problem on your own), so we’re here to eradicate the infestation before it gets out of hand, halting the ants right in their tracks. Continue this read to learn how to get rid of ants in your kitchen, and how to get a no-cost estimate from us.

Why Are There Tiny Ants in My Kitchen?

You’ve established you’ve got an ant problem and now you might be wondering why this is happening in your own home. Well, ants are reported as the most common pest in the country; you’re certainly not the first or the last person to experience an ant infestation, and it is often not indicative of your cleanliness. Ants can be found anywhere in your home, but kitchens tend to be their favorite because of the resources available to them there, including food and water. There are a few things to take into consideration about these ants: 

You might notice ants in your kitchen during spring and summer when the weather is warmer because like most pests, ants are seasonal. Their activity begins to increase as the temperature rises and they make your home their homebase. Even in warmer winters, you might find these tiny ants on your kitchen counter.

Common Ants Found in the Kitchen

In the Pacific Northwest, the most common type of ant you will find in the kitchen is an odorous house ant, a.k.a. sugar ant, named for the stinky, metallic scent they emit when crushed. For the most part, these ants are harmless — but that doesn’t necessarily mean you want to share your home with them. 

Odorous house ants are most often found in the kitchen because, as their alternate “sugar ant” name indicates, they’re attracted to moisture and sweet foods like fruit. Similar to other types of ants, odorous house ants multiply by splitting off from their main nest and starting a new colony in another location of your home; this behavior makes ant infestations notoriously difficult to remove completely as it requires you to locate and eradicate the main colony elsewhere in your home, which is often out of sight. 

Carpenter ants are also commonly found in the PNW, but not often in your kitchen. Unlike odorous house ants, carpenter ants chew on the wood in your home’s structure, including walls and support beams, making them a more imminent threat to the integrity of your home. 

How to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen

Let us preface by saying that the best way to get rid of ants in your kitchen is to call a professional. DIY solutions, including those listed below, can be effective temporary fixes, but they often do not keep the problem from recurring. For the best results in eliminating ants in your kitchen, you should hire a licensed professional with the necessary materials and products. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, give Pest Pros a call or schedule a no-cost estimate today! 

Otherwise, here are a few solutions that may temporarily resolve an ant infestation in your kitchen:

Natural Remedies – How to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen Naturally

There are a lot of resources out there claiming natural remedies to rid your home of ants, including white vinegar, baking soda, pepper, and a variety of essential oils. Unfortunately, most of these “remedies” are merely folklore, causing homeowners more headaches than if they had just invested in professional services from the start. White vinegar, for example, just erases the scent trails ants have made in and around your home and causes the ants no harm; at this point, the ants will make new scent trails to replace the old ones and will continue to colonize your kitchen. 

The only effective way to get rid of ants in your kitchen naturally is to call a professional committed to ecofriendly and ethical removal practices, like Pest Pros.

Proper Food Storage

In general, we want to prevent situations from happening before they actually do; this is key to preventing ants in your kitchen. It’s critical that you clear any food remains, and keep your kitchen squeaky clean, so ants don’t have a reason to come lurking for food. Make sure that food is stored in tightly closed containers or sealed bags. Considering the ants’ preference for starchy syrups, you should be careful not to spill them, and if you do, wipe up any spills immediately. Overall, the cleaner your kitchen is the less likely an ant army will intrude.

Sealing Entry Points

As we mentioned earlier, ants come from a colony that is created somewhere in your home, so keep an eye out for where the ants’ entry points and exits are. Once you have a good idea of where they are entering from, you’ll want to seal cracks, holes, and crevices in your kitchen to keep your kitchen ant proof. Only seal these areas after you feel confident that the bait had a chance to work and that the ants from the colony have been eliminated. Again, this job is best left to professionals demonstrating expert understanding of ant behavior.

Elimination of Ant Colony

As humans, we’ve heard “communication is key” time and time again — but it rings true for ants as well. Ants leave a scent behind called pheromones to communicate, which are scent chemicals and are primarily used to locate food and water sources to other ants in a colony; this is why we typically see ants marching in a uniformed line. It’s important to understand this behavior as it can help you pinpoint where the colony is finding resources. 

The ant colony could be hiding in baseboards, cabinets, door or window frames, and behind appliances. If you can spot the nest, we recommend that you apply product directly onto it to get rid of the ants. 

Call Pest Pros for Kitchen Ant Removal 

Ants are small, smart, and resourceful, but Pest Pros is happy to help if you find an infestation in your home. As a team of licensed and local professionals who have extensive knowledge in the pest control industry, we want to aid your pest situation. If you live in the Pacific Northwest and need assistance with pest infestation, give us a call today. We hope to hear from you soon!