Ants in the Kitchen: What to Do and What to Avoid
Ants in the kitchen are usually a food or moisture problem, and the way most people fight them makes it worse.
Skip the spray
Spraying the ants you see kills only the workers out foraging. With some species, like odorous house ants, stress can even cause a colony to split into several. Reaching the colony itself takes professional products and the right timing, which is why store-bought sprays and home remedies so often make things worse.
What helps while you wait
- Notice the trail. Note where the ants come in and where they gather, and snap a photo. It helps a technician find the source quickly.
- Remove the draw. Keep sweets and pet food in sealed containers, wipe up crumbs and spills, and take out the trash regularly.
- Keep it dry. Report leaky pipes and damp spots, since moisture draws ants.
- Contact a professional before trying a home remedy. The wrong product can scatter the colony and make it harder to solve.
What to avoid
- Store-bought sprays, baits, and foggers.
- Ultrasonic repellers.
- Chalk or cinnamon lines, which ants simply walk around.
When to call a pro
- The ants keep coming back, or you see a steady trail.
- The ants are large, and you see fine sawdust-like debris near wood. That points to carpenter ants.
- You have fire ants, or a trail that comes from inside a wall.